Description of Zamfara State

The state of Zamfara is located in Nigeria's far northwest. Gusau is the capital of the state of Zamfara, and Bello Matawalle is the governor. This region was a part of Sokoto State up until the year 1996.

The Hausa and Fulani peoples make up a large percentage of Zamfara's population. The majority of Zamfarawa live in the Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, and Talata Mafara Local Governments. The Gobirawa people largely made up the population of Shinkafi Local Government. The Gobir Kingdom was the original home of the Gobirawa people. People from the Burmawa ethnic group live in Bakura, whereas the Fulani populate Bungudu, Maradun, and Gusau, and can be found all across the State. The majority of the people in Chafe, Bungudu, and Maru are of the Katsinawa, Garewatawa, and Hadejawa ethnic groups. Birninmagaji is home to the Fulani people of Alawan Shehu Usmanu, whereas Kaura Namoda and Zurmi are home to the Alibawa.

It shares borders with the states of Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger to the west, and the Republic of Niger to the north, south, east, and west. According to the census conducted in 2006, its total population is 9,278,873. It is divided into fourteen different local government entities.

History

Zamfarans have fought for independence for decades, but it wasn't until 1996, during the late military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, that the state of Zamfara—covering 38,418 square kilometers—was officially separated from Sokoto State. Jibril Yakubu was the first Governor.

Like Kano, Katsina, Gobir, Kabi, and Zazzau, the area now known as Zamfara state was once part of a larger state. Early people in Zamfara were supposed to be huge hunters. Dutsi, the original capital of Zamfara, was the site of their first permanent colony. It reaches the south-western bend of the River Ka and the north-western bend of the River Rima. The city-state of Zamfara was founded in the 11th century and lasted until the 16th. The kingdom's capital has moved around to several locations including Dutsi and Birnin Zamfara depending on its fortunes.

Its original capital, Birnin Zamfara, was destroyed by the Gobir Kingdom in the first part of the 18th century, and by the middle of the 19th century, a new capital had been created in Anka. Cities like Yandoto in Zamfara attracted a lot of academics because they were commercial and academic hubs. As a result of Usman dan Fodio's jihad in 1804, the area was annexed to the Sokoto Caliphate. Usman Danfodiyo actually made his home in Sabon Gari, where Sarkin Zamfara Abarshi had previously erected a garrison headquarters from which he had fought Gobir and Kabi in the early stages of his Jihad.

After the end of British colonial rule, the burgeoning town of Gusau became a major transportation hub. During the Gowon Administration, new states were formed, and the Zamfara Kingdom eventually became a member of the North West State and then the Sokoto State.

Located on the Sokoto River, the city of Gusau serves as the capital of the Zamfara state. A key collection station for cotton and peanuts (groundnuts) farmed in the area, it flourished after the advent of the railway from Zaria, 110 miles (180 km) southeast, in 1927. Although cotton ginning, weaving, and dying have been commonplace in the area for centuries, the town did not get its first modern textile mill until the 1960s. Also constructed were a seed-oil mill and a soybean-meal processing plant. Tobacco (produced in the Sokoto River floodplains in Talata Mafara, 60 miles [96 km] northwest of Gusau), cotton, textiles, peanuts, poultry, and goats are also exported to Zaria from Gusau. In addition to millet, sorghum, rice, cowpeas, beans, and vegetables cultivated in the floodplain, the Hausa and Fulani inhabitants of the town rear cattle, sheep, donkeys, horses, and camels.

In addition to Federal University Gusau, there is a college for women that prepares them to teach (2013). Thanks to its numerous medical facilities, including hospitals, a health office, a dispensary, and a maternity clinic, the city serves as a major medical hub for a large surrounding area. The major railroad between Kaura Namoda and Zaria passes through Gusau, and there is also a secondary highway between Talata Marfara and Funtua that passes through the city. 2016 estimates place the population of the governing jurisdiction at 528,400.

Climate

Temperatures in Zamfara reach beyond 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the months of March and May due to the region's tropical environment. The rainy season begins in late May and continues through September, whereas the dry, mild Harmattan season runs from December through April. March and April, right before the first rains, are the hottest months in Zamfara. When the rains come, the temperature drops significantly.

Economy

The state relies heavily on agriculture and gold mining for its economy. Since cereals and legumes can't be grown without irrigation, "farming is our pride."

Eighty percent or more of the population works in some aspect of the agricultural sector. Millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, tobacco, and beans are among the country's primary agricultural exports. Agriculture in the state is a source of pride because it provides residents with food, raw resources, and jobs for the state's youth.