Bauchi State

Bauchi State
State
Nickname(s): Pearl of Tourism
Location of Bauchi State in Nigeria
Coordinates:
Country	Nigeria
Date created	3 February 1976
Capital	Bauchi
Government
• Governor	Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar (APC)
• Senators	Isah Hamma Misau-Central Nazif Gamawa-North Ali Wakili-South
• Representatives	List
Area
• Total	49,119 km2 (18,965 sq mi)
Area rank	5th of 36
Population (2006 census)
• Total	4,653,066
• Rank	7th of 36
• Density	95/km2 (250/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
• Year	2007
• Total	$4.71 billion
• Per capita	$983
Time zone	WAT (UTC+01)
ISO 3166 code	NG-BA
Website	www.bauchistate.gov.ng

Bauchi, usually referred to as Bauchi State to distinguish it from the city of Bauchi, is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is the city of Bauchi. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up. It originally included the area now in Gombe State, which became a distinct state in 1996.

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is located in the capital city Bauchi.

History

What is now known as Bauchi was until 1976 a province in the then North-Eastern State of Nigeria. According to the 2006 census, the state has a population of 4,653,066.

Bauchi State has gone through tremendous transformation over the years. The Ajawa language was spoken in Bauchi State, but became extinct between 1920 and 1940 as speakers switched to Hausa.

During the colonial era up to independence, it formed part of the Bauchi Plateau of the then Northern Region, until the 1967 state creation exercise, when the Bauchi, Borno, and Adamawa provinces constituted the former North-Eastern State.

With the creation of Bauchi State in 1976, then comprising present Bauchi and Gombe States, it included 16 local government areas. The number of local government areas in the then Bauchi State was increased to 20 and later to 23. However, in 1997 when Gombe State was created out of Bauchi and additional local governments were created in the country, Bauchi State was left with 20 local government areas as shown below.

Sharia law was adopted in June 2001.

Local Government Areas

Bauchi State consists of twenty (20) Local Government Areas (LGAs). They are:

LGA	Area (km2)	Census 2006 population	Administrative capital	Postal code
Bauchi	3,687	493,810	Bauchi	740
Tafawa Balewathe	2,515	219,988	Bununu	740
Dass	535	89,943	Dass	740
Toro	6,932	350,404	Toro	740
Gololo	894	84,215	Gololo	741
Ningi	4,625	387,192	Ningi	742
Warji	625	114,720	Warji	742
Ganjuwa	5,059	280,468	Kafin Madaki	742
Kirfi	2,371	147,618	Kirfi	743
Alkaleri	5,918	329,424	Alkaleri	743
Southern region totals	33,161	2,497,782
Darazo	3,015	251,597	Darazo	750
Misau	1,226	263,487	Misau	750
Giade	668	156,969	Giade	750
Shira	1,321	234,014	Yana	750
Jama'are	493	117,883	Jama'are	751
Katagum	1,436	295,970	Azare	751
Itas/Gadau	1,398	229,996	Itas	751
Zaki	1,476	191,457	Katagum	752
Gamawa	2,925	286,388	Gamawa	752
Damban	1,077	150,922	Damban	752
Northern region totals	15,035	2,178,683

Geography

Bauchi State occupies a total land area of 49,119 km² representing about 5.3% of Nigeria’s total land mass and is located between latitudes 9° 3' and 12° 3' north and longitudes 8° 50' and 11° east.

The state is bordered by seven states, Kano and Jigawa to the north, Taraba and Plateau to the south, Gombe and Yobe to the east and Kaduna to the west.

Bauchi state is one of the states in the northern part of Nigeria that span two distinctive vegetation zones, namely, the Sudan savannah and the Sahel savannah. The Sudan savannah type of vegetation covers the southern part of the state. Here, the vegetation gets richer and richer towards the south, especially along water sources or rivers, but generally the vegetation is less uniform and grasses are shorter than what grows even farther south, that is, in the forest zone of the middle belt.

The Sahel type of savannah, also known as semi-desert vegetation, becomes manifest from the middle of the state as one moves from the state's south to its north. This type of vegetation comprises isolated stands of thorny shrubs.

On the other hand, the southwestern part of the state is mountainous as a result of the continuation of the Jos Plateau, while the northern part is generally sandy.

The vegetation types as described above are conditioned by the climatic factors, which in turn determine the amount of rainfall received in the area. For instance, the rainfall in Bauchi state ranges between 1300 mm per annum in the south and only 700 mm per annum in the extreme north. This pattern is because in the West Africa sub-region, rains generally come from the south as they are carried by the southwesterlies. There is therefore a progressive dryness towards the north, culminating in the desert condition in the far north. So also is the case in Bauchi state.

Consequently, rains start earlier in the southern part of the state, where rain is heaviest and lasts longer. Here the rains start in April with the highest record amount of 1300 mm per annum. In contrast, the northern part of the state receives the rains late, usually around June or July, and records the highest amount of 700 mm per annum.

In the same vein, the weather experienced in the south and the north varies considerably. While it is humidly hot during the early part of the rainy season in the south, the hot, dry and dusty weather lingers up north.

In addition to rainfall, Bauchi state is watered by a number of rivers. They include the Gongola and Jama'are rivers.

The Gongola River crosses Bauchi state in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in the south and in Kirfi and Alkaleri Local Government Areas in the eastern part of the state, while the Jama’are River cuts across a number of Local Government Areas in the northern part of the state. Moreover, a substantial part of the Hadeja-Jama'are River basin lies in Bauchi state, which along with various fadama (floodplain) areas in the state provides suitable land for agricultural activities. These are further supported by the number of dams meant for irrigation and other purposes. These include the Gubi and Tilde-Fulani dams. There also lakes such as the Maladumba Lake in Misau Local Government Area that further provide the necessary conditions to support agriculture.

Population

Bauchi State has a total of 55 tribal groups in which Hausa, Fulani, Gerawa, Sayawa, Jarawa, Kirfawa, Turawa Bolewa, Karekare, Kanuri, Fa'awa, Butawa, Warjawa, Zulawa, and Badawa are the main tribes. This means that they have backgrounds, occupational patterns, beliefs and many other things that form part of the existence of the people of the state.

There are cultural similarities in the people's language, occupational practices, festivals, dress and there is a high degree of ethnic interaction especially in marriage and economic existence. Some of the ethnic groups have joking relationships that exist between them, e.g. Fulani and Kanuri, Jarawa and Sayawa, etc.

Name

According to tradition, it was named for a hunter known as Baushe, who settled in the region before the arrival of Yakubu, the first traditional ruler of Bauchi emirate (founded 1800–10).

In Hausa the word Bauchi means the land of freedom and tourism. Bauchi and Adamawa were the two main sources of freedom and tourism for the Fulani empire of Sokoto.

See also

• Bauchi Light Railway

External links

• Official website