MINNA

town, capital of Niger State, west central Nigeria. Following the opening of the Kano-to-Baro railway (1911) and the extension of the Lagos-to-Jebba line (1915) to a junction in Minna, the town became a major collecting point for peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, yams, and shea nuts. These remain its most important exports, but pigs from a nearby commercial farm are also railed to Lagos. Local trade among its predominantly Gbari (Gwari) population is mainly in sorghum, yams, corn (maize), millet, peanuts, cotton, shea nuts, tobacco, indigo, kola nuts, cattle, goats, chickens, and guinea fowl. The town is known for its woven and dyed cotton cloth, raffia mats and baskets, pottery, and brass ware. Modern industry includes a brick-making plant, and there is a marble quarry near the town. Since becoming the capital of Niger State in 1976, Minna has developed as an administrative centre as well. It has teacher-training colleges and a hospital, and it is also the radio broadcasting centre for the state. The town is a hub for local roads serving southern Niger State. Pop. (1983 est.) 98,930.