Nasarawa
Where an emir's early British allegiance created administrative stability, now exporting naturally iodized salt while absorbing Abuja's spillover growth.
Nasarawa State exists because one emirate pledged first allegiance to Britain. Muhammadu, Emir of Nassarawa from 1878-1922, was among the first emirs to accept British rule in 1900 - a strategic calculation that preserved his expanded domain. The emirate had been founded around 1838 by Umaru, a dissident from Keffi who conquered neighboring territory and became a Zaria vassal under the Sokoto Caliphate. The British created Nasarawa Province in 1902 (first called Lower Benue Province), beginning administrative consolidation that culminated in state creation from Plateau in 1996. Capital Lafia anchors the east, but the Karu Urban Area - suburbs of Abuja - drives economic activity in the west as the capital spillover zone. Agriculture dominates with cassava, yams, rice, sorghum, beans, and soya. But salt makes Nasarawa distinctive: the Salt Village in Keana produces naturally iodized salt from a local lake, supplying a large proportion of national consumption. Baryte, bauxite, coal, marble, and over a dozen other minerals await development. Traditional industries - dyeing, weaving, blacksmithing - persist alongside artisanal mining. By 2026, proximity to Abuja will accelerate western Nasarawa's transformation while eastern areas maintain agricultural character.