The Kontagora emirate is said to have had an ancient ruler Umar Nagwamatse. Umar and his sons, Abubakar Modibbo and Ibrahim Nagwamatse in a combine period of a little over forty years (1858 1901) ruled Kontagora .
Umar was believed to be an administrator who decided to build his empire south of Sokoto when he could not realize his dream of becoming sultan. Kontagora got its name from Nagwamatse’s followers who were said to have remarked, “Mu Kwanta-gora nan” which means ” let us lay down the gourd here” to fetch water from a river upon which the town was built.
Being a Jihadist, Nagwamtse conquered many towns and villages before building and founding Kontagora. The places he conquered were Bosso, Paiko, kuta, Guni, Alawa and Gusoro. Others are Galadima Kogo, Kafinkoro and Wushishi.
After settling permanently at Kontagora, his law of conquest continued among the Kambaris until he died at Mamba, a village in Auna District, which is said to be over 298 years old. His grave can still be seen today at the village. Nagwamatse was succeeded by his first son, Abubakar Modibo who was apointed ruler of Wushishi. He reign for four years and was succeeded by Mallam Ibrahim whose slave village was extended to village around River Niger and Zuru areas. It was during Ibrahim reign that the British conquered Kontagora in 1900.
He was, however driven away from Kontagora to Maska Kaya in Katsina and Zaria for two years.
Therefore, the British reinstated him in 1903 as Sarikin Sudan. He died in 1928 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Mallam Umaru Maidubu who died in 1961. Mallam Maidubu was succeeded by Mu’azu Ibrahim who died in 1974, after reigning for thirteen years. In july 1974, the present emir, Alhaji Saidu Namaska was installed as the Sarki Sudan of Kontagora.
CLIMATE Kontagora emirate, just like any other area in the middle belt zone, experiences hot and humid weather. The dry and heavy rainfall last for six or more months.
OCCUPATION The people of Kontagora emirate are engaged mainly in agriculture. This is more pronounced now with government policies geared towards mass production of agriculture products for agro-allied industries. Apart from the inhabitants of the area who engage in agriculture, a significant part of the population also engaged in white-collar jobs.
RELIGION The people of Kontagora emirate are predominantly Muslims but adherents of other religions especially Christians practice their own faith freely.
EDUCATIONAL Kontagora is one of the emirates in Niger State with relative educational advantage. Apart from numerous primary schools, there are also functional post primary institutions in the area. The area also hosts a Federal College of Education F.C.E. in Kontagora town and School of Health Technology in Tungan Magajiya.
COMMUNICATIONS Postal and telephone services are available at the Kongagora Post Office while GSM operators have established their presence in the area.
TRANSPORTATION Kontagora, the headquarters of the emirate is located on the Lagos-Kano high way and blessed with numerous intra-city transport facilities. Both private and commercial vehicles ply through the town North and South of the country. The town is usually considered as a stop-over point for refueling as well as feeding for passengers. Taxi cabs are also available in Kontagora as well as commercial motorcyclists.
MEDICAL FACILITIES To provide enhanced health care delivery, a well equipped General Hospital is located in Kontagora town. Furthermore, a lot of private clinics and Hospitals abound in the area to complement the effort of government in providing health for all.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES The people of Kontagora emirate and their socio-economic activities cannot be divorced from each other. This is for the fact that they are very enterprising and self-reliant. As a result of vast and fertile soil in the area, the people engaged mainly in agriculture. Kontagora is also rich in mineral resources all of which could be tapped for industrial purposes.
