Taraba

Taraba State exists because Nigeria's most diverse terrain needed dedicated governance. Created from Gongola State in 1991, Taraba encompasses the Mambilla Plateau - Nigeria's highest point at 1,830+ meters, with temperate climate year-round. This is the famed Bantu cradle, occupied for five millennia before any modern state existed. The Jukun were original inhabitants; British incorporation brought Tiv, Hausa, Fulani, and over 100 ethnic groups into the multi-ethnic mix organized across three former divisions (Wukari, Mambilla, Muri). Nicknamed "Nature's Gift to the Nation," Taraba hosts Gashaka-Gumti, Nigeria's largest national park with elephants, chimpanzees, and rare birds. Agriculture employs 80% of the population and generates 65% of GDP - coffee and tea on the cool Mambilla Plateau, groundnuts and cotton in valleys, cattle and goats along the Benue and Taraba rivers. Jalingo, the capital, serves as the commercial hub for Mumuye, Kona, Fulani, Jukun, and Jibu peoples in the Shebshi Mountain foothills. The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, if completed, would become Nigeria's largest power plant. Cottage industries produce leather, pottery, metalwork, and dyed cloth. By 2026, whether hydropower development and tourism materialize will determine if Taraba converts natural gifts into economic development.