Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, a state in North Central part of Nigeria. It is sited at the confluence of the rivers Niger and Benue.
Lokoja has a long and rich history, and it was the capital of the former Northern Protectorate, presided over by Lord Frederick Lugard. Lokoja town and its river port is located on the west bank of River Niger opposite the opening of River Benue.
Lokoja is situated in the middle belt of Nigeria in the confluence of River Niger and River Benue. The city is located on the local highway between Kabba and Ayangbe and it has ferry service across the Niger River as well.
In the late 1850s, British merchants established a trading post at the Benue-Niger confluence, and in 1860 a Scottish explorer by name William Balfour Baikie founded Lokoja. Lokoja was the capital of Kabba province and was also part of Kwara state from 1967 to 1991 before it finally became the capital of the newly created Kogi state.
Lokoja became reputable mainly as a result of its location at the confluence of the two great waterways in West Africa, that is River Niger and River Benue. These natural waterways served as major means of transportation and communication especially for the riverside inhabitants during the colonial era.
Also as a result of the location of the area at the confluence of Niger and Benue rivers, Lokoja served as a commercial meeting point during the east-west kolanut trade in West Africa. Lokoja became internationally reputable with the coming of the Europeans, when it served as the first British settlement in Nigeria and as a major inland port for European companies.
Due to its central location of the town, the capital city has become a hub for the migration from the insecure North to the South. Lokoja is separated in neighboirhoods and surrounded by hills and mountains, the most significant being Mount Patty (750 m). The city buildings are mostly single houses or bungalows with one or two floors built as solid structures of cement bricks. There is no densification in the building pattern.
Lokoja grew to become a metropolitan settlement inhabited mainly by different ethnic groups from other Middle Beltan states and Hausa Fulani from northern region of the country. The Oworo, Bassa Nge and Nupe are indigenous to the area, However, other ethnic groups of the country such as the Kupa-Nupe, Hausa, Ebira, Igala, Igbo, Bini/Edo, and Tiv have recently established themselves in the area. This cosmopolitan status hitherto remains the major problem of the area as different ethnic groups especially the Oworo, Nupe, Igbirra, Igala and Hausa continually lay claim and counterclaim to the ownership of the town. These issue have affected the growth and development of the area since the independence of the country.
The town is a gathering point for raw agricultural produces such as cotton, leather, and palm oil and kernels, which are shipped for export to the Niger delta ports of Burutu and Warri. Fulani herdsmen from the north drive their cattle across the Niger to Lokoja in the dry season.
Lokoja is also a trade centre for farm products like yams, manioc (cassava), sorghum, beans, corn (maize) palm produce, shea nuts, as well as fish and cotton which is mainly produced by the local Igbira people. Cotton ginning and weaving and palm and shea kernel processing are important local activities. There are also limestone and iron deposits in the area and nearby Mount Patti, which was the original site of Lokoja and it is 1,349 foot, some 411-metre high mass of oolitic iron ore.
Some of the towns and communities in Lokoja include: Adankolo, Ahubana, Lokon-Goma, Meme-Bridge, Sarkin-Noma, Adana, Agbaja, Ageni, Agodo, Ahuji, Akpata, Baji, Banda, Batake, Budon, Choko-Choko , Denbor, Ebo, and Eggan. Some of the neighboring communities around Lokoja are: Adavi, Abaji, Ajaokuta, Bassa, Ijumu, Kabba/Bunu, Kogi, Okehi, Pategi, Agaie, Katcha, Lapai, and Mokwa.
The estimated population of the area was 692,050 in 2020. Lokoja has an area of 3,186 km².
Lokoja is a multilingual and multicultural community in the sense that there are diverse languages and cultures ranging from Yoruba, Ebira (Okene), Ebira (Koto), Bassa (Nge), Bassa (Komu), Igala, Pidgin, Hausa, Nupe, Igbo, English, and different other languages are the common means of communication in the area.
Lokoja's climate is tropical with a rainy and a dry season. The temperature of the area is generally high. The highest temperature is usually experienced in the afternoon.
Visitors, travellers and tourists can get into Lokoja by plane through the use of the closest international airport which is the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja because the town does not have an international airport yet.
Also, visitors and tourists can get into Lokoja by road through a couple of road transport companies that have their terminal in the area. Some of the road transport companies include:
Motorcycles, tricycles popularly known as Keke Napep and commercial buses contribute significantly to the number of automobiles that aid movement in and around the Lokoja.
Lokoja is an interesting place to be, with several amazing sights to see. Some of the interesting places for visitors to see include:
There are two notable festivals in Lokoja. They are:
Donkwo fishing festival: Donkwo Fishing Festival is an annual fishing held in festival in Lokoja.
New yam festival: This is a festival that is celebrated annually to mark the harvest of new yam.
Lokoja has three major markets; they are:
Popular street foods include steamed bean cake (moimoi, apapa), fried bean cake (akara), with a side of bread or corn pap; donkwa (groundnut dumplings), fried yam, fried potatoes, and bean porridge. In local eateries, you might decide to try out pounded yam with egusi soup, or efo riro. Jollof rice is quite popular here, just like most other places in Southwestern Nigeria.
If you are visiting Lokoja for the first time, you wouldn't want to stay all through without having a bite of the city's sumptious meals. Some of the prominent eateries in the town for visitors to enjoy delicious food include:
Lokoja has a couple of hotels to cater to travellers accommodation needs. Prominent among them include:
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division