Ethnic groups, tribes in Niger State

The 3 most prominent ethnic groups in Niger State are: Nupe, Gbagyi and Hausa.

Apart from Nupe, Gbagyi and Hausa there are many other ethnic groups in Niger State, namely:

  • Kadara
  • Koro
  • Barab
  • Kakanda
  • GanaGana
  • Dibo
  • Kambari
  • Kamuku
  • Pangu
  • Dukawa
  • Gwada
  • Ingwai

Tribes like Igbo, Yoruba, Tiv and numerous others from other States also live in Niger State.

Niger is a State located in central Nigeria and its capital city is Minna.

Other top cities in Niger State include Bida, Suleja and Kontagora. 

The State has an expansive land area and it’s close to the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Zuma rock is a large monolith, an igneous intrusion composed of gabbro and granodiorite, located in Niger State, Nigeria

Creation: It was created out of the defunct North Western state on 3rd February, 1976.

Location: Situated in the North central geo-political zone.

Administrative areas: The State comprises 25 Local Government Areas grouped into 3 administrative zones: A, B, C with each zone having 8, 9 and 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs) respectively.

Niger State has 25 Local Government Areas, namely:

  1. Agaie
  2. Agwara
  3. Bida
  4. Borgu
  5. Bosso
  6. Chanchaga
  7. Edati
  8. Gbako
  9. Gurara
  10. Katcha
  11. Kontagora
  12. Lapai
  13. Lavun
  14. Magama
  15. Mariga
  16. Mashegu
  17. Mokwa
  18. Munya
  19. Paikoro
  20. Rafi
  21. Rijau
  22. Shiroro
  23. Suleja
  24. Tafa
  25. Wushishi

The Local Government Areas in Niger State and their headquarters are:

SNLGAHEADQUARTERS
 01 AgaieAgaie
 02 AgwaraAgwara
 03 BidaBida
 04 BorguNew Bussa
 05 BossoMaikunkele
 06 EdatiEnagi
 07 GuraraGawu Babangida
 08 GbakoLemu
 09 KatchaKatcha
 10 KontagoraKontagora
 11 LapaiLapai
 12 LavunKutigi
 13 MarigaBangi
 14 MokwaMokwa
 15 MagamaNasko
 16 MasheguMashegu
 17 MunyaSarkin Pawa
 18 PaikoroPaiko
 19 RafiKagara
 20 RijauRijau
 21 ShiroroKuta
 22 SulejaSuleja
 23TafaSabon-Wuse
 24WushishiWushishi
 25 MinnaMinna
Minna Township City Gate

Boundaries: Niger State shares its borders with republic of Benin (West), Zamfara State (North), Kebbi (North-West), Kogi (South), Kwara (South West), Kaduna (North-East) and the FCT (South-East).

Land area, the largest among Nigerian states: Niger State is one of the largest states in Nigeria covering about 86,000km2 (or about 8.6million hectares) representing about 9.3% of the total land area of the country.

Major rivers: Niger State’s major rivers are: Niger, Kaduna, Gbako, Eko, Gurara, Ebba, Ega, Mariga and their tributaries.

Hydro electric power dam Niger State, Nigeria

Fishes: The common fishes found in these rivers are: Nile Perch (Lates) Trunck fish, Cat fish, Osteoglosid, Tilapia, Synodontis, Tiger fish, Moon fish, Mormyrid and Electric fish. By the 2006 census, the State’s population is 3,950,249 comprising 2,032,725 males and 1,917,524 females.

Gurara waterfalls. It’s located in Gurara, a Local Government Area of Niger State, North Central Nigeria

Ethnic groups: The easily identifiable major ethnic groups are Nupes, Hausa, Gbagyi, Kadara, Koro, Bassa, Kamuku, Ingwai, Fangu, Kambari, Dukkawa, Fulani, Abewa, Bisan, Gungawa, Bauchi, Bariba, Urah, Boko, Bokobaro, Bauchnu, Achifawa, Dakarkari, Kakanda, Ganagana, and Dibo and numerous non native tribes.

Economic activities: The major economic activity is agriculture: farming, fishing, and cattle rearing.

The other economic activities (though limited in scale) include banking, trading, transportation, local arts and crafts with Bida, the heart land of the Nupes, famous for its brass work. These activities constitute the means of livelihood of the people of Niger State in addition to public service.

Reference: nigerstate.gov.ng/about-niger