Kogi State

Kogi State is a state in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Ekiti and Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, to the northeast by Nasarawa State, to the northwest by Niger State, to the southwest by the states of Edo and Ondo, to the southeast by the states of Anambra and Enugu, and to the west by Benue State as being the only state in Nigeria to border ten other states. Named for the Hausa word for river ’kogi’, Kogi State was formed from parts of Benue State, Niger State, and Kwara State on 27 August 1991. The state is nicknamed the “Confluence State” due the fact that the confluence of the River Niger and the River Benue occurs next to its capital, Lokoja. Important geographic features include the key rivers with the Niger flowing from the northwest and the Benue coming from the northeast before the two rivers meet in Kogi’s centre and bisect the state southward. The state has 21 local government areas. Economically, Kogi State is largely based around agriculture, mainly of coffee, cashew, groundnut, cocoa, oil palm, and yam crops. Other key industries are crude oil extraction and the livestock herding of cattle, goats, and sheep. It is the thirteenth largest and twentieth in area and population respectively with about 4.5 million population as at 2016.