One of the 36 states of Nigeria. After gaining independence in 1960, three regions were established in the country, each of which was dominated by one of the three main ethnic groups - Yoruba (West), Igbo (East), Hausa / Fulani (North). This configuration gave rise to conflicts, and to mitigate them, several waves of political and administrative reforms were carried out. As a consequence, each of the three main groups was divided into several states, while in some territories states were created for ethnic minorities.
Nasarawa is situated in the very center of the country and belongs to the macroregion of the Middle Belt (multiethnic territories located between the Muslim north and the Christian south). In the 1960s, the Middle Belt was a part of the Northern region, dominated by Hausa, but in 1967 it was allocated to a separate state of the Benueplatos, which in 1976 was divided into two - Benue and Plateau. In 1996, Nasarawa was parcelled out of Plateau. No ethnic group constitutes a majority in the region, the largest being Eggon.
Most of the ethnic groups living in Nasarawa speak the languages of the Niger-Congolese language family, but the fundamental differences are confessional (between Muslims and Christians). The conflict between Christians and Muslims in Nasarawa dates back before the establishment of the province and continues to this day. Part of the Muslim population interprets the creation of Nasarawa as a "separate state" for Muslims and seeks appropriate preferences. Religious cleavages are magnified by the struggle for resources. Sporadic clashes between confessions often turn into serious violence accompanied by numerous victims, as happened, for example, in 2013.
