Top 10 Major Rivers In Nigeria (2024)

Nigeria is endowed with an extensive amount of rivers, some of which are indispensable to the lives of those who live around them and contribute to the enduring sustenance of the inhabitants of those areas. We will discuss about the top 10 major rivers in Nigeria this 2024 and also inform you about where they are located.

If you seek detailed information about these rivers, of which a number of them are part of the longest rivers in the country, you have come to the right place and we cannot wait to help you answer your search query. Without wasting much time, kindly read below to know more about the most popular rivers in Nigeria today.

TOP 10 MAJOR RIVERS IN NIGERIA 2024 AND WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED

Below is a full list of the top 10 major and most popular rivers in Nigeria this 2024 as well as where they are located:

RIVER NIGER

The River Niger is Nigeria’s most well-known and most economically important major river. It stretches across much of the West African region and is vital to life and economic activity in this part of the world. The River Niger flows through several West African countries, including Mali, Niger, the Republic of Benin, and Nigeria, where it joins the River Benue at Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, before entering the Atlantic Ocean via the Niger-Delta into the Gulf of Guinea.

RIVER BENUE

After the River Niger, the River Benue is Nigeria’s second most famous main river. The river originates in the Adamawa Plateau of Northern Cameroon and flows from there through Garoua town and the Lagdo Reservoir in Cameroon, westwards into Nigeria, where it continues its flow through the Mandara Mountains, via Jimeta, Ibi, and Makurdi, before meeting the River Niger at Lokoja, Kogi State; this is its main tributary. The River Benue is approximately 1,400 kilometres long, making it one of Nigeria’s longest rivers.

CROSS RIVER

Among the most notable rivers in Nigeria’s southern region is the Cross River. It is known as the Manyu River in Cameroon, where it originates. The name of Cross River State originates from this particular river. The Cross River originates in Cameroon and flows westward into Nigeria, where it forms a tributary with the Aya River. Once in Nigeria, the Cross River flows south through thick tropical rain forests, oil-palm bush, and mangrove swamps before ending its 304-mile (489-kilometer) journey through the estuary it shares with the Calabar River. This is where the Cross River receives the Western Aboine River from the Udi Hills.

CALABAR RIVER

The Calabar River flows through Cross River State in South-South Nigeria. Calabar, the capital city of Cross River State, gets its name from it. The river runs through Calabar before joining the larger Cross River about 8 kilometres (5.0 miles) to the south. The Calabar River forms a natural harbour deep enough to accommodate vessels with drafts of up to 6 metres (20 feet). During Nigeria’s colonial era, the Calabar River was an important slave trading route.

RIVER ANAMBRA

Anambra State is home to the Anambra River. The river gives the State its name, and it flows 210 kilometres into the River Niger, which eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The river is the major feeder of the River Niger below Lokoja, and it also empties into the Atlantic Ocean via several outlets, forming the 25,000-square-kilometre (9,700-square-mile) Niger Delta region.

RIVER IMO

Located in Imo State in the southeast of Nigeria is the Imo River, commonly referred to as River Imo. The name of the State comes from this river. The river empties into the Atlantic Ocean after flowing 240 kilometres into the Ocean. The river’s Akwa Ibom portion is frequently referred to as the Imoh River or, in the vernacular, as the River of Wealth (Inyang Imoh). The Imo River has an annual discharge of 4 cubic kilometres (1.0 cu mi) and 26,000 hectares of wetland. The river’s estuary is around 40 kilometres wide. The Otamiri and Oramirukwa are two of its tributary rivers.

RIVER OGUN

The Ogun River begins in Sepeteri Oyo State at Shaki in Oyo State and runs through Ogun State to its mouth in Lagos State. The river is spanned by the Ikere Gorge Dam in Oyo State’s Iseyin local government area. The river’s reservoir capacity is 690 million cubic metres (560,000 acres). The area surrounding the reservoir is home to the Old Oyo National Park, which is a popular tourist destination, and the river flows through the park. The River Ogun’s main tributary is the Ofiki River, which likewise begins near Shaki. Another tributary, the Oyan River, is crossed by the Oyan River Dam, which delivers water to Abeokuta and Lagos.

RIVER OSUN

The Osun River is indigenous to the people of Osun State in Nigeria’s south-western region. The river originates in Ekiti State and flows into the Gulf of Guinea via the Lekki Lagoon in Lagos and Ogun States. According to Yoruba legend, the Osun River was a lady who turned into flowing waters after a traumatic occurrence scared or offended her and injustice was meted out to her. The river is named after Osun, one of Yorubaland’s most prominent and revered deities. Osun is a Yoruba river goddess known for providing for the necessities of the people. She is said to be one of the wives of Sango, the Alaafin of Old Oyo, and the Yoruba god of thunder.

RIVER KADUNA

The Kaduna River, which flows through Nigeria for 550 kilometres and is a tributary of the River Niger, gets its name from the crocodiles that used to live in the river and its environs. In Hausa, one of the most widely spoken languages in Nigeria, the word “kaduna” means “crocodiles.” Beginning on the Jos Plateau, 29 kilometres southwest of Jos town, the Kaduna River travels through the State and its capital city of Kaduna before joining the River Niger in Niger State. The river’s lower portion has carved out multiple canyons above its entrance into the vast Niger floodplains, but the majority of the river flows across broad savanna woodland, one of Nigeria’s most abundant types of vegetation.

RIVER SOKOTO

A tributary of the River Niger, the Sokoto River, previously known as Gublin Kebbi, is situated in northwest Nigeria. The river rises around 275 kilometres straight up from Sokoto, close to the town of Funtua in southern Katsina State, and just before Tsafe in Zamfara State. The Gusau Dam creates a reservoir that feeds water to Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, as it flows past the city to the northwest. The river then enters Sokoto State, passing through Sokoto and joining the Rima River. From there, it flows south through Birnin-Kebbi, the State capital of Kebbi, and then travels another 120 kilometres south to the confluence with the River Niger.