Yobe State

Yobe
State
État de Yobe
Flag of Yobe State
Flag
Nickname(s): Pride of the Sahel

Location of Yobe State in Nigeria
Coordinates: 12°00′N 11°30′E / 12.000°N 11.500°E / 12.000; 11.500Coordinates: 12°00′N 11°30′E / 12.000°N 11.500°E / 12.000; 11.500
Country  Nigeria
Date created 27 August 1991
Capital Damaturu
Government
 • Governor
(List)		 Ibrahim Geidam (APC)
 • Deputy Governor Abubakar Ali
 • Senators
Area
 • Total 45,502 km2 (17,568 sq mi)
Area rank 6th of 36
Population (2006 census)
 • Total 2,321,339[1]
 • Estimate (2011) 2,757,000 Increase
 • Rank 32nd of 36
GDP (PPP)
 • Year 2007
 • Total $2.01 billion[2]
 • Per capita $843[2]
Time zone UTC+01 (WAT)
ISO 3166 code NG-YO

Yobe is a state located in Northeast Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.

Geography

The state borders the Nigerian states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa. It borders the Diffa Region and the Zinder Region to the north in the Republic of Niger. Because the state lies mainly in the dry savanna belt, conditions are hot and dry for most of the year, except in the southern part of the state which has a milder climate.

History

Yobe State came into being on 27 August 1991. It was carved out of the old Borno State by the Babangida administration. Yobe State was created because the old Borno State was one of Nigeria's largest states in terms of land area and was therefore considered to be too large for easy administration and meaningful development. Ethnic rivalries within the old Borno State also contributed to the decision.[3]

On 14 May 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe State along with neighboring Borno State and Adamawa State, due to the activities of the terrorist network Boko Haram. Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, was born in Shekau village of Yobe.[4]

Local government areas

Yobe State consists of 17 local government areas (or LGAs). They are:

Economy

While Yobe state is an agricultural state it also has rich fishing grounds and mineral deposits of gypsum in Fune LGA, kaolin, and quartz. The state's agricultural products include gum arabic, groundnuts, beans, and cotton. The state is also said to have one of the largest cattle markets in West Africa, located in Potiskum.

Ethnic groups

The major ethnic group living in Yobe State are Fulani, while other ethnic communities include Ngizim, Karai-Karai, Bolewa, Bade, Hausa, Ngamo, Shuwa, Fulani Bura, Margi and Maga.

Religion

The population is mainly Muslim. Sharia law is valid. However, there are Christians in the State, with the bulk of them from the Karai-Karai ethnic group. No Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state.

References

  1. ↑ "2006 PHC Priority Tables – NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION". population.gov.ng. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  2. 1 2 "C-GIDD (Canback Global Income Distribution Database)". Canback Dangel. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  3. ↑ "Yobe State", Online Nigeria, Accessed here on 3 August 2007.
  4. ↑ "Nigeria declares 'massive' military campaign on borders". BBC News. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
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