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Niger State is one of the states in Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Located in the Northwestern region of Nigeria, it was created on the 3rd of February 1976 from the previous Northwestern State. The State capital is Minna, with other major cities which include; Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. Niger got its name from River Niger and has two of Nigeria’s main hydroelectric power stations. Niger State also shares boundaries with Kaduna and Plateau States in the East and South-East respectively as well as with Sokoto in the North and Kwara State in the East. There are lots of Natural Resources which could be found in the State, like, silica, Ball clay, Talc, Gold plus minerals like; glass sands, chalk, limestone, copper etc. Niger State also harbors quite a number of fascinating tourist centers like – The Gurara Waterfalls, which serves as an exciting destination for visitors and fun lovers. The Gurara Waterfalls is one of the major tourist attractions in Nigeria, located in the middle of the Suleja-Minna Road. The Waterfalls is nearly 30 meters in height, 200 meters across and drops of 50 meters below. Here are interesting facts you should know about the intriguing waterfalls.
  1. The Gurara Waterfalls and River got its name from the neighboring village – from two gods formerly worshipped by Gwari people (Gura and Rara).
  2. History has it that Gurara Waterfalls was discovered by a Gwari hunter by the name ‘Buba’ in 1745, on his way from Zaria to hunt for animals.
  3. In 1925, some Europeans discovered the Waterfalls after they found it as a recreation center and the sacrificial activities started fading away.
  4. Gurara Waterfalls is located at 76kilometeres along the Suleja-Minna road approximately 1hour and 15mins drive from Abuja.
  5. The Gurara river is a large tributary of ‘River Niger’ and always at its peak during raining seasons but by January through March is at its lowest – during this time is safest to swim in the river, as the water is calm forming a clear pool at the bottom of the falls that visitors can get to swim.
  6. Asides the waterfalls outstanding and spectacular view, the surroundings makes it a beautiful place for bird watching.
  7. The falls and the river have what it takes for sports fishing and wildlife viewing, as it’s been said that there’s a part of the river where one can discover crocodiles living in their natural habitat.
  8. Gurara environment is pristine, surrounded by trees providing a therapeutic renewed oxygen, which livens up the brain.
  9. Under the sun the water has an admirable shine that is as beautiful as fireworks, falling into a pond some 20meteres below.
  10. There are two major streams of the waterfalls but during the raining season, visitors would have to take a bold and adventurous walk to get close to the fall, as the entire cliff would be covered with a curtain of waterfalls.
  11. Currently, there plans to turn the waterfalls into a tourist resort including the building of a seven-star hotel around it.
  12. Through the tarred road leading to the falls, there’s a mini bar and a building set up at a strategic spot that offers tourists the best view of the waterfalls while relaxing.
Photo: Guardian.ng
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This article was first published on 9th October 2017

beckonoise

Becky Onoise is a psychologist, chocolate junkie, and puppy lover. A writer who is sorry... not sorry about correcting your grammar. She's a word enthusiast and aims to achieve her goals. Instagram handle @mz_berkey

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