Kebbi State

Kebbi state is traditionally considered by Sarki mythology as the homeland of the ƴan uwa bakwai states and Hausa kingdoms. A major local event was the conquest by Songhai in the second half of the fifteenth century CE.[12]

Kebbi resisted the Fulani jihad of the early 19th-century, but in the later 19th-century, the area largely converted to Islam through peaceful means.[13]

Zuru emirate is divided into five administrative chiefdom: Dabai, Danko, Fakai, Sakaba, and Wasagu. The third class chief, who is also member of the Zuru town in Dabai chiefdom, where the emirate headquarters is located, heads each of the towns. Zuru Emirate is located in the southern part of Kebbi state Nigeria, occupying an area of about 9000sq km. It is bordered by Gummi in Zamfara state in the North. To the south is Niger state, this borderline extends also arbitrarily on land to the west, to a point where it ends a few kilometers to the west of large tributary of the Dan Zari River, a northwest ward protrusion of Yauri Emirate of Kebbi.

In fact, going by history, Zuru people being multi-ethic are grouped into categories. The first category is of those that claim long term settlement and the second category is of the much more recent settlers, who in fact regard themselves – and are also regarded by the others as recent immigrants or even as temporary strangers. In the first category are the Achifawa, Kambari, Dukkawa Fakkawa,'Dankawa, Worawa, Katsinawa and Lelna (Dakarkari' such as sindawa').

It is characteristic to find that some of them lay claim to have originated from the Hausas. Zuru as was said, is a result of upheaval, resulting from events such as Kanta's breakaway from Songhai and Nupe-Kororofa control. Moreover, the Katsinawa, who in fact see themselves as immigrants from the old state of Katsina, which had made political in road Zuru region, especially from the 16th century A.D. onward, and had enabled them to settle and to area's indigenous population.[14]

Kebbi state was created out of the former Sokoto state on 17 August 1991. The state has a total population of 3,137,989 people as projected from the 1991 census, within 21 local government areas.

The state has Sudan and Sahel-savannah. The southern part is generally rocky with the Niger River traversing the state from Benin to Ngaski LGA. The northern part of the state is sandy with the Rima River passing through Argungu to Bagudo LGA, where it empties into the Niger. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people, especially in the rural areas. Crops produced are mainly grains. Animal rearing and fishing are also common. Christianity and Islam are the dominant religions of the people. There are 225 political wards, 3,000 settlements and 1,036 hard to reach settlements in the 21 local government areas in the state.

Kebbi state consists of 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs), four emirate councils (Gwandu, Argungu, Yauri and Zuru), and 35 districts. The LGAs are as follows:[17]

Kebbi state is mainly populated by the Hausa people, with some members of Zarma, Fulani, Lelna (Dakarkari), Bussawa (generally speakers of Busa), Dukawa, Kambari, Gungawa and Kamuku ethnic communities.

Most people who live in Kebbi are Muslims.

The Hausa language is dominant throughout the State. Below is a list of some languages of Kebbi state listed by LGA:[18]

Other languages spoken in Kebbi state include Fulfulde, Ut-Hun, and Sorko.[18]

Like the majority of Nigerian states, Kebbi state is governed by a governor and a State House of Assembly, under the current administration of Dr Nasir Idris who succeeded Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.[19] Dr Nasir Idris is the 9th governor of Kebbi state after winning the 2023 general gubernatorial election under the All Progressive Congress(APC). Dr Idris Nasir polled 409,225 votes to defeat his closest contestant, Aminu Bande of PDP who scored 360,940 votes, while Udu Idris of People’s Redemption Party, scored 3,103 votes.

Kebbi state is one of the major producers of rice in Nigeria. The current participation of more than 70,000 farmers in the Anchor Borrowers Rice and wheat farming, is heading towards making Kebbi state a new destination and hub for agro-based commodities of the country.

To reiterate his commitment to ensure that Kebbi state is not only dependent on federal government allocation, the active governor of the state, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu paid a visit to Benin Republic last year and while on the trip, signed a number of bilateral trade protocols with the government and business community of Benin Republic with a view to fostering trade, industrial and tourism relationships with the country.

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is also the Chairman, National Task Force on Rice and Wheat Production in Nigeria.[20]

The tertiary institutions of learning in Kebbi state, both federal government owned, state owned and private institutions are listed this:

• Federal University, Birnin kebbi[21]
• Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru
• Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero[22]
• Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi
• Kebbi State Polytechnic Dakin Gari[23]
• Adamu Augie College of Education, Argungu[24]
• Kebbi State College of Nursing and Midwives Birnin Kebbi.[25]
• Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega
• Kebbi State College of Basic and Advance Studies, Yauri
• Sajo College of Nursing Sciences, Birnin Kebbi

Kebbi state has many natural resources which boost the economy of the state and enhances the availability of raw materials for industrial purposes, these include:[26]

• Gold
• Clay
• Quartz
• Magnesite
• Manganese
• Iron
• Copper
• Aluminium

• Kebbi boat disaster on 26 May 2021.

• Kebbi Emirate
• Argungu Fishing Festival

• Blench, Roger. 2020. Kebbi State: cultural briefing.
• Harris, P. G.: Sokoto Provincial Gazetteer, Sokoto 1938 [Cyclostyled].
• Hogben, S. J. and A. H. M. Kirk-Greene: The Emirates of Northern Nigeria, London 1966.
• Lange, Dierk: "An Assyrian successor state in West Africa: The ancestral kings of Kebbi as ancient Near Eastern rulers", Anthropos, 104, 2 (2009), 359–382.

• KebbiState.com
• Uhola Festival