Nasarawa

Nasarawa State, in central Nigeria, was created in October 1996 from the southern part of Plateau State and lies immediately south-east of the Federal Capital Territory, adjacent to Abuja. Its capital, Lafia, serves as the state's administrative and commercial centre. Nasarawa is ethnically diverse, home to groups including the Eggon, Alago, Gwandara, Koro and Mada, alongside Hausa and Fulani communities, and its nickname, "Home of Solid Minerals", reflects deposits of minerals including salt, barytes and semi-precious stones found within the state. Nasarawa's proximity to Abuja has increasingly shaped its development, with parts of the state absorbing residential and commercial growth spilling out from the capital.

The area now forming Nasarawa State was historically home to a number of small to medium-sized polities, including the Alago-founded Doma and Keana chiefdoms and the Nasarawa emirate itself, established in the nineteenth century by Fulani leaders connected to the Sokoto Caliphate's expansion into the middle Benue region, alongside older settlements of Eggon, Mada, Koro and other groups in the surrounding hills. The wider area was administered as part of Nasarawa Province and later within Benue-Plateau State and then Plateau State following Nigeria's various state reorganisations. Local demands for separate statehood, citing the marginalisation of southern Plateau's mixed farming and mineral-producing communities, culminated in the creation of Nasarawa State on 1 October 1996 under General Sani Abacha's government, with Lafia chosen as capital. Since then, the state's location bordering the Federal Capital Territory has drawn growing federal and private investment interest, particularly in areas close to Abuja's urban fringe such as Karu and Keffi.

Nasarawa State lies in central Nigeria, bordered by the Federal Capital Territory to the west, Kaduna and Plateau states to the north, Taraba State to the east, and Benue and Kogi states to the south. The terrain varies from relatively flat plains in the south and west to more elevated, hilly ground towards the Plateau State border in the north-east, an extension of the wider Jos Plateau highland zone. The Benue River forms part of the state's southern boundary, and other rivers, including the Dep and Mada, drain the state's interior. Vegetation is predominantly Guinea savanna, and the climate features a distinct wet season from around April to October and a dry season with harmattan influence for the remainder of the year.

Agriculture underpins much of Nasarawa State's economy, with rice, yam, sesame, soybeans, maize and oil palm widely cultivated, and the state has been promoted as a significant producer of sesame for export. Nasarawa holds notable mineral deposits, including salt at Keana and Awe, barytes, and various gemstones, giving rise to its Home of Solid Minerals nickname, alongside artisanal and small-scale mining activity. The state's proximity to Abuja has encouraged growth in real estate and services in towns such as Karu, Keffi and Nasarawa town, as commuters and businesses linked to the capital have expanded into the state. Lafia serves as the main commercial hub for the state's agricultural trade.