List Of North-East States In Nigeria
This is a list of all the States in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria. While these states are made up of many different ethnic groups, the most popular spoken language there, as with all states in Northern Nigeria is the Hausa Language. There are six north-eastern states in the country which make up part of Hausaland and we shall learn more about them as we continue in this article.
NORTH-EASTERN STATES IN NIGERIA: THE FULL LIST
The following is the full list of all North-Eastern States in Nigeria today:
ADAMAWA STATE
Adamawa State was created in the year 1991 and before then, it was known as Gongola State. The name change was necessary when Taraba state was created out of the old Gongola State. The State is one of the largest states in Nigeria by land area and it is from there that the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar hails from.
Adamawa is home to two major universities; the Modibbo Adama University of Technology and the American University of Nigeria, both located in Yola, the State capital. The Former is a Federal university while the latter is a private University owned by Atiku. Other tertiary education institutions in the country include Adamawa State Polytechnic, and Adamawa State college of Nursing and Midwifery.
Adamawa State shares land borders with Borno State to the north-west, Gombe to the west and Taraba to the south-west with its eastern border being shared with the Republic of Cameroon. Vegetation in the state falls between the Sudan and Guinea Savanna vegetation zones and major cash crops that are found in the state include cotton and groundnuts while food crops include maize, yam, cassava, guinea corn, millet and rice. Adamawa State is blessed with mineral resources as well and Islam is the major religion there with a sizeable number of Christian communities situated there as well.
BAUCHI STATE
Bauchi State is another state that is situated in Nigeria’s North-East geopolitical zone and its capital city is Bauchi. The state is also one of the largest states in the country by land mass and this comes as no surprise as most states in the north are usually very vast, having more land mass that their counterparts in southern Nigeria.
Bauchi State was created in 1976 when the old North-Eastern State and it comprises of 20 local government areas. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University which is named as a tribute to a bona fide son of the soil and the only Prime Minister Nigeria ever had is situated in Bauchi, the state capital. Other tertiary institutions of learning in the state include the Bauchi State University and the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
BORNO STATE
Borno State is the largest state in the north-east and one of the largest states by land area in the country. The State was created in 1976 from the old North-Eastern State which used to include Yobe state. Its capital city is Maiduguri, where the prestigious University of Maiduguri is located. Borno State is home to the Kanuri people with the Lamang, Babur/Bura and Marghi and Shuwa Arabs well represented. Religion in Borno State is dominantly Islam. Christianity is also practiced in the state but by fewer populations.
The State has come under public scrutiny in recent years as it is home to the notorious Boko Haram Terrorist Group, also known as ISIS West Africa Province (ISWAP). The group has been responsible for most of the havoc being wreaked in the state and to this day, it continues to do so. Former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Northeast Nigeria including Borno State along with the neighbouring states of Adamawa and Yobe in 2013 to enable the Federal government fight what was known then as an insurgency.
In 2014, Borno State received wide media attention both locally and internationally as over 200 girls were kidnapped from the Chibok area of the state by Boko Haram which prompted #bringbackourgirls campaign. Due to the terrorist activities in the State, serving corps members are relocated to other states and life in Borno has not remained the same.
GOMBE STATE
Gombe State is another north-eastern state in the country. Its capital is a city of the same name, Gombe. The State was carved out of the old Bauchi State in 1996 by the Dictatorship of General Sani Abacha and its slogan is “Jewel In the Savannah”. Gombe State shares land borders with the following states: Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi.
Gombe State is one of the smallest states in Nigeria by land area and it is a multi-ethnic state which has the Fulani as the dominant tribe in its northern part and the Tangale in its southern part with the Hausa, Tera, Waja, Bolewa, and Kanuri well represented in the state. Gombe is made up of 11 local government areas.
TARABA STATE
Taraba State was created in 1991 out of the former Gongola State under the Presidency of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Its capital city is Jalingo. Taraba is bordered to the west by Nasarawa and Benue States, to the north-west by Plateau State, to the north by Bauchi and Gombe States, to the north-east by Adamawa State, and to the east and south by Cameroon. The state takes its name from the Taraba River, one of the Major rivers in Nigeria.
Taraba State is characterized by mountainous features which can be found at the famous Mambilla plateau. The plateau has a lot of mountain ranges around it of which the Chappal Waddi, standing at 2,419m (7,936ft), is the highest point in Nigeria. Major occupation of the people in the state is agriculture and cash crops produced include coffee, tea, groundnuts and cotton as well as maize, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, and yam.
YOBE STATE
Yobe State completes this list of north-eastern states in Nigeria. The state was created out of Borno State in 1991 and agriculture is the major occupation in the state. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu. The state share land borders with Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa States as well as the Diffa Region and the Zinder Region to the north in Niger Republic.
Yobe State is rich in mineral deposits, such as gypsum and kaolin in Fune Local Government and very rich agricultural resources as well. The state’s agricultural produce include gum arabic, groundnuts, beans, and cotton. One of the largest livestock markets in West Africa is located in Potiskum, a town in Yobe State.
On 14 May 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe State as well as Borno and Adamawa States to help combat terrorism in that region of the country. Yobe State is made up of 17 local government areas.
