This question was attempted by few candidates and most of those who did it performed poorly because they misunderstood Niger – Benue Trough for Niger Delta.
The people and population of the Niger – Benue Trough included:
- Several small ethnic groups such as the Idoma, Igala, Gwari, Tiv, Nupe, Jukun, Bassa and a host of others;
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Two major ethnic groups which are the Tivs and Nupes.
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Mostly rural settlers;
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Sparsely populated area;
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Average density of 20 persons per km2;
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Dispersed settlements;
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Major population concentrations at New Bussa, Lokoja, Makurdi, Yola, etc.
The resources and economic activities include:
- presence of rivers which support fishing;
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aboundance of fertile valley plains supporting agriculture;
- presence of good sites for HEP generation e.g. the Kainji at Jebba and Shiroro on Kaduna river;
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mineral resources include salt, limestone, iron ore, marble;
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transportation along the rivers;
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cultivation of crops like sugar cane, beniseed, rice, soya beans, etc;
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local crafts like pottery, brass work;
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industrial activities – limestone mining in Gboko, cement manufacturing, etc.
The problems of development include:
- sparse nature of the population does not encourage siting of major industries;
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harsh weather conditions (e.g. too wet for northern crops and too dry for southern crops);
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prevalence of diseases and pests;
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high cost of provision of social amenities and infrastructure;
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land conflicts;
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frequent flood disasters;
- seasonality of rivers;
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rapids and falls along rivers, etc.
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