Niger State

Not to be confused with Niger.
Niger
State

Gurara Falls, a waterfall along the Gurara River in Niger State
Nickname(s): The Power State

Location of Niger State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 10°00′N 6°00′E / 10.000°N 6.000°E / 10.000; 6.000Coordinates: 10°00′N 6°00′E / 10.000°N 6.000°E / 10.000; 6.000
Country  Nigeria
Date created 3 February 1976
Capital Minna
Government
  Governor
(List)
Abubakar Sani Bello (APC)
Area
  Total 76,363 km2 (29,484 sq mi)
Area rank 1st of 36
Population (2006)
  Total 3,950,249
  Rank 18th of 36
  Density 52/km2 (130/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
  Year 2007
  Total $6.00 billion[1]
  Per capita $1,480[1]
Time zone WAT (UTC+01)
ISO 3166 code NG-NI
Website nigerstate.gov.ng

Niger or Niger State is a state in Central Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State. It is home to Ibrahim Babangida[2] and Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar,[3] two of Nigeria's former military rulers. The Nupe, Gbagyi, Kamuku, Kambari, Dukawa and Koro form the majority of numerous indigenous tribes of Niger State.

The state is named after the River Niger. Two of Nigeria's major hydroelectric power stations, the Kainji Dam and the Shiroro Dam, are located in Niger State, The famous Gurara Falls is in Niger State, and Gurara Local Government Area[4] is named after the Gurara River, on whose course the fall is situated. Also situated there is Kainji National Park, the largest National Park of Nigeria, which contains Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve and the Zugurma Game Reserve.[5]

Government

Like the majority of Nigerian states, it is governed by a Governor and a House of Assembly. Under the administration of Abdulkadir Kure on 4 May 2000,[6] the state has adopted sharia law as the code of law.

Local Government Areas

Niger State consists of twenty-five (25) Local Government Areas. They are:

References

  1. 1 2 "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  2. Ibrahim Babangida
  3. Abdulsalami Abubakar
  4. Gurara
  5. "Kainji Lake National Park". United Nations Environment Programme: World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
  6. Sharia in Nigeria
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