Niger State
Niger or Niger State is a state in Central Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State. It is home to Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, two of Nigeria's former military rulers. The Nupe, Gbagyi, Kamuku, Kambari, Dukawa, Hausa and Koro form the majority of numerous indigenous tribes of Niger State.
Administrative divisions of Niger
Niger is governed through a four layer, semi-decentralised series of Administrative divisions. Begun 1992, and finally approved with the formation of the Fifth Republic of Niger on 18 July 1999, Niger has been enacting a plan for Decentralisation of some state powers to local bodies. Prior to the 1999-2006 project, Niger's subdivisions were administered via direct appointment from the central government in Niamey. Beginning with Niger's first municipal elections of 2 February 1999, the nation started electing local officials for the first time. Citizens now elect local committee representatives in each Commune, chosen by subdivisions of the commune: "Quarters" in towns and "Villages" in rural areas, with additional groupings for traditional polities and nomadic populations. These officials choose Mayors, and from them are drawn representatives to the Department level. The same process here chooses a Departmental council and Prefect, and representatives to the Regional level. The system is repeated a Regional level, with a Regional Prefect, council, and representatives to the High Council of Territorial Collectives ("Le Haut Conseil des Collectivités Territoriales HCCT"). The HCCT has only advisory powers, but its members (Regions, Departments, and Communes) have some financial, planning, educational and environmental powers. The central government oversees this process through the office of the Minister of State for the Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization.
Niger is divided into 7 Regions (French: "régions;" singular – "région)". Each region's capital is the same as its name. Additionally, the national capital, Niamey, comprises a capital district.The Regions are subdivided into Departments and communes. As of 2005, there were 36 "départements", divided into 265 "communes", 122 "cantons" and 81 "groupements". The latter two categories cover all areas not covered by "Urban Communes" (population over 10000) or "Rural Communes" (population under 10000), and are governed by the Department, whereas Communes have (since 1999) elected councils and mayors. Additional semi-autonomous sub-divisions include "Sultanates", "Provinces" and "Tributaries" ("tribus"). The Nigerien government estimates there are an additional 17000 Villages administered by "Rural Communes", while there are a number of "Quartiers" (boroughs or neighborhoods) administered by "Urban Communes".