Niger

Niger State, in west-central Nigeria, is the country's largest state by land area and takes its name from the Niger River, which crosses its territory and has been dammed at several points to generate a large share of Nigeria's hydroelectric power. Its capital, Minna, developed as a railway town in the colonial period. Niger State is home to the historic Nupe kingdom, centred on the town of Bida, alongside Gbagyi, Hausa and Kambari communities across its extensive savanna terrain. The state's major dams at Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro have earned it the nickname the "Power State", reflecting its central role in Nigeria's electricity generation. Niger State was created in 1976 from the former North-Western State.

The Nupe kingdom, centred at Bida, developed as one of the significant pre-colonial states of the middle Niger region, with a ruling dynasty and a strong tradition of craft, particularly brass and glass work, and cavalry-based military organisation. In the nineteenth century Nupe came under the influence of the Sokoto Caliphate following Fulani jihad campaigns, becoming an emirate within that wider political structure while retaining its distinct Nupe identity and language. The Niger River corridor through the area was significant to British commercial and colonial penetration in the nineteenth century, with trading posts established along its banks. Minna grew from the early twentieth century as a station on the Lagos-Kano railway line, later becoming an administrative centre. Niger State was created in February 1976 during national state reorganisation, from the former North-Western State, and subsequently became host to some of Nigeria's largest infrastructure projects, including the Kainji Dam, completed in 1968, and later the Jebba and Shiroro dams.

Niger State occupies a large expanse of west-central Nigeria, bordered by Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto states to the north-west, Kwara and Kogi states to the south, the Federal Capital Territory to the south-east, and Kaduna State to the east, as well as an international border with Benin Republic to the west. The Niger River flows through the state's western and southern portions, forming Kainji Lake, one of the largest reservoirs in Africa, behind the Kainji Dam. The terrain is predominantly Guinea savanna, generally flat to gently undulating, with the Jebba and Shiroro dams providing further sites of significant water storage along the Niger and Kaduna rivers respectively. The climate has a pronounced dry season with harmattan conditions and a wet season from roughly April to October, supporting extensive grain cultivation.

Niger State's economy centres on agriculture and hydroelectric power generation. Guinea corn, millet, rice, yam, groundnuts and shea are widely cultivated across its savanna land, and the state is a significant producer of rice in particular. The Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro hydroelectric dams together supply a substantial share of Nigeria's grid electricity, giving the state strategic national importance despite limited direct local benefit historically in terms of power access. Bida remains known for traditional brass and glass craftwork linked to its Nupe heritage, alongside cloth weaving. Fishing takes place on Kainji Lake and along the Niger River. Minna, the state capital, serves as an administrative and commercial centre, with limited but growing manufacturing activity.