State: Niger

Niger State sits in Nigeria’s north central region, with Minna as its capital. It was created on 3 February 1976 and is the largest state in Nigeria by land area.

The state borders Kaduna and FCT Abuja to the east, Kebbi and Zamfara to the north, and Kogi and Kwara to the south, with its western edge forming part of the international border with Benin Republic.

Fulani, Gbagyi, Hausa, and Nupe communities make up most of the population, spread across the state’s 25 local government areas alongside numerous smaller groups.

Farming and livestock herding drive most of the local economy, but Niger State also carries outsized importance for the whole country’s power supply, hosting three major hydroelectric dams that together generate a large share of Nigeria’s electricity.

The Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro dams sit within the state, and Kainji Lake, formed behind the Kainji Dam, is one of the largest reservoirs in West Africa. Kainji National Park, Nigeria’s largest, protects the woodland and savanna surrounding the lake.

Mohammed Umar Bago currently serves as governor, leading a state whose sheer size gives it an outsized role in national conversations about land, energy, and agriculture.