Description of Kebbi State

Located in northwest Nigeria, Kebbi State shares its eastern and northern borders with Sokoto and Zamfara, its southern border with Niger State, and its western border with the Benin Republic and Niger. On August 27, 1991, a portion of Sokoto State was split off to form Kebbi State, which was later named after Birnin Kebbi, the state capital and largest city. Kebbi is the tenth largest in area and the 22nd most populous of Nigeria's 36 states, with an estimated population of around 4.4 million as of 2016. The state has earned the moniker "land of equity."

The state of Kebbi is characterized by short-grass savanna and is drained to the southwest by the Niger and its tributary, the Sokoto (Kebbi) River. South of the state is where you'll find the majority of the Kainji Reservoir, created by the Kainji Dam on the Niger River.

Because of its location, the state is classified as belonging to the tropical West Sudanese savanna biome. Kebbi is located on the southern end of the Niger River, which flows through the city of Sokoto and on to the larger Kainji Lake (half of which is located in Kebbi). Numerous fish species are showcased at the massive Argungu Fishing Festival, and the state is also home to hippopotamuses, West African manatees, and migrating African bush elephants. 

There are many different ethnic groups living in Kebbi. The Fulani, Hausa, and Zarma peoples are found all over the state, while the Achipa (Achipawa), Boko-Bala, Dendi, Dukawa, Kambari, Kamuku, Lela, Puku, and Shanga peoples are concentrated along the state's varied western and southern borders. Nearly eighty percent of the state's residents identify as Muslims, with smaller Christian and traditionalist minorities of around ten percent each.

The Kebbi Kingdom, a Hausa Banza bakwai state, dominated the region that is now Kebbi State before colonial rule. In the early 1800s, the Fulani jihad conquered a portion of the region and attempted to incorporate it into the Gwandu Emirate, which was part of the Sokoto Caliphate. For the next century, Kebbi rulers engaged in intermittent conflict with Sokoto until the early 1900s and 1910s, when the British seized control of the area as part of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, which eventually merged into British Nigeria and eventually became independent as Nigeria in 1960. [8] After Nigeria's independence, the Northern Region, of which modern-day Kebbi State is a part, was split in 1967, and the area became part of the North-Western State. In 1976, Sokoto State was one of eleven new states created after the North-Eastern State was divided. Twenty years later, the western and southern LGAs of Sokoto State were separated to form the new state of Kebbi.

Kebbi State relies heavily on its fishing and agricultural industries, particularly the production of sorghum, groundnuts, millet, onion, and rice.

Besides camel, cattle, goat, and sheep herding, trading is another important industry, especially in the city of Birnin Kebbi. Both the Human Development Index and the Gross Domestic Product in Kebbi are the lowest in the country.

Subdivisions

Kebbi state was created out of the old Sokoto State on 17th August 1991. Kebbi State has approximately 3,137,989 number of persons as projected from the 1991 census, within 21 Local Government areas. Kebbi  state has Sudan and Sahel-savannah. Agriculture is the main business of the people especially in rural areas, Crops produced are mostly grains; animal rearing and fishing are also common in Kebbi state. Christianity and Islam are the presiding religions of the people. There are 225 political wards, 3000 settlements and 1036 hard to reach settlements in the 21 Local Government Areas in Kebbi State.

Agriculture

One of Nigeria's most important rice-growing regions is Kebbi State. There are currently over 70,000 farmers involved in the Anchor Borrowers Program. Kebbi is poised to become a major distribution center for agricultural products across the country thanks to its thriving rice and wheat industries.

Riverine floodplains produce cash crops like peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, and rice, making agriculture the most important industry. Agriculture for survival typically consists of sorghum, millet, cowpeas, and onions. Animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep are grazed on much of the state's land. The Fulani, Hausa, Dakarki (Dakarawa), and Kamberi are the state's four largest ethnic groups. Muslim religion is practiced by the vast majority of the populace. 

During his visit to Benin Republic last year, active Governor Atiku Bagudu signed a number of bilateral trade protocols with the Government and Business Community of Benin Republic with the goal of fostering trade, industrial, and tourism relationships with Kebbi state so that it is not solely dependent on Federal allocation.

Economy

Kebbi state has an agriculturally feasible environment since it is equipped with high soil fertility, vast farm lands and economically viable rivers sheltered by fine tropical climate. In Kebbi state, agriculture has remained the major source of income and indeed the foundation of the economy of the state.Major food crops in Kebbi state are millet, guinea - corn, maize, cassava, potatoes, rice, beans, onions and vegetables, while cash crops in Kabbi state includes wheat, soya beans, ginger, sugarcane, groundnuts and tobacco are also produced . Likewise, fruits such as mango, cashew, guava and pawpaw are produced in Kebbi state.

Kebbi state has agricultural development authority which is in charge of the implementation of its agricultural strategies. Kebbi state is endowed with lucrative viable rivers such as the Niger and the Rima for the development of fisheries activities. Fishing has always been one of the key business of the inhabitants of kebbi state.