Zamfara State

The people of Zamfara have over the years struggled for autonomy, but it was not until 1996 that the then military administration of the late General Sani Abacha detached the Zamfara State from Sokoto State with an area of 38,418 square kilometres. The first Governor was Jibril Yakubu.[5]

The area today called Zamfara state was one of the old Hausa Kingdoms like Kano, Katsina, Gobir, Kabi and Zazzau. The earliest inhabitants of Zamfara were said to have been hunters and giants.[6] They established their first settlement at Dutsi, which was the first capital of Zamfara. It extends up to the bend of River Rima to the north west and River Ka in the south west. Zamfara Kingdom was established in the 11th century and flourished up to 16th century as a city-state. Its capital has shifted with the fortunes of the kingdom from place to place like Dutsi and Birnin Zamfara.

In the first half of the 18th century, its then capital Birnin Zamfara, was destroyed by the Gobir Kingdom and a new capital was established in Anka by the second half of the 19th century. Zamfara had many centres of commerce and scholarship that attracted many scholars like the Yandoto city. It became part of the Sokoto Caliphate after the 1804 jihad by Usman dan Fodio. In fact, Usman Danfodiyo settled in Sabon Gari where Sarkin Zamfara Abarshi had already established a garrison headquarters during the early days of his Jihad as a base from where fought Gobir and Kabi.[7]

At the wake of British colonialism, the emerging town of Gusau became an important commercial and administrative centre with road and rail networks passing through it. With the creation of states during the Gowon Administration, Zamfara Kingdom became part of the then North West state and later the Sokoto State.[7]

Significant health risks are posed by dust and particulate matter in Zamfara, especially to the deepest parts of the lungs, where they may exacerbate lungs diseases like bronchitis and asthma attacks while weakening the body defences against infections.[9][10][11]

Zamfara State consists of fourteen (14) Local Government Areas. They are:

A household in Zamfara State

Zamfara State is mainly populated by Hausa. Hausa are the indegeneous people of zamfara .[12]

The state capital is an important commercial centre with a heterogeneous population of people from all over Nigeria. As in all major towns in Nigeria, all the major towns in Zamfara have a large population of other peoples from different parts of Nigeria.[5]

This is one of the official languages of the state. English is spoken by the zamfara state government as an official language and Arabic language is spoken by the Muslim ummah and Islamic clerics.

[13]

Gathering firewood in rural Zamfara

A camel being transported home from a market

Agriculture and gold mining are the state's main occupations and the central source of income. Irrigation is required for cereals and legumes, hence the slogan "farming is our pride".[14]

Over 80 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. Major products include millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, tobacco and beans.[15] The State is known as farming is our pride because Agriculture provides foodstuffs, raw materials and employment opportunities for young people in the State.[5]

Zamfara state has many natural resources, some are:[16]

• Iron ore
• Gold
• Chromate
• Granite
• Clay
• Limestone
• chamovita
• Quartz
• Kaolin

tertiary institutions in Zamfara state include:

• Federal Polytechnic, Kaura-Namoda[17]
• Federal University Gusau[18]
• Zamfara State College Of Education, Maru
• Zamfara State University[19]

Zamfara state has many healthcare centres and hospitals, some of them are:

• Arewa hospital
• Daula hospital and maternity home
• Farida general hospital[20]
• Rama hospital
• Gusau medical clinic
• Nasiha clinic
• Federal medical centre Gusau[21][22]

In 2009, gold mining became a greater source of income in Zamfara State as worldwide gold prices rose drastically.[23] High concentrations of Lead in the ore from which gold was being extracted led to a Lead poisoning outbreak in the state, requiring national and international intervention to remediate affected areas and provide medical care to children with severe Lead poisoning.[4]

Islam is the principal and major religion of the state. Christianity also has many adherents. The original native religions also remain but they have the fewest followers. These religions are mainly practiced in ancient settlements like Dutsi and Kwatarkwashi. Zamfara was the first state in Nigeria to introduce Sharia law during the tenure of Ahmad Sani Yerima, the former Governor of the state.

Mount Kwatarkwashi

Zamfara State holds some number of tourist attractions which are of historical or religious importance. These include Jata, an ancient settlement of Zamfara located around the hill with a large cave around where traditional practices were performed.[15]

Baobab trees

• Kabir Garba
• Tijjani Yahaya Kaura
• Aishatu Madawaki
• Bello Matawalle
• Mahmud Shinkafi
• Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari
• Ahmad Sani Yerima

The state government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Gusau.

• States of Nigeria

Media related to Zamfara State at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Nigerian Post Office- with map of LGAs of the state