Nasarawa
About
Nasarawa is a town and Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. The local government area covers 5,704 km2 and had a population of 189,835 at the 2006 census. The town is a market centre for crops such as melon, yams, sorghum, millet, soybeans, shea nuts and cotton grown in the surrounding area. The area's economy centres on tin and columbite mining and farming. The town has tertiary and secondary schools, including the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Government College and Nasarawa Community Secondary School, as well as public and private hospitals and patent medicine shops.
History
Nasarawa was founded in 1835 after Umaru, also known as Makama Dogo, conquered the Ikereku Kingdom of the Bassa people. He was a dissident official from the nearby town of Keffi and made Nasarawa the seat of a new emirate. Umaru expanded his domain by conquest and made Nassarawa a vassal state to Zazzau. One of his successors, Muhammadu Dan Waji (reigned 1878–1923), enlarged the emirate and in 1900 was one of the first emirs to pledge allegiance to Great Britain. In 1976 Nasarawa became part of Plateau State, and in 1996 it became part of Nasarawa State.
Key Facts
State
Nasarawa State
Established
1835
Area
5,704 km²
Population
189,835 (2006 census)