Yobe is a
state located in northeastern
Nigeria. A mainly
agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of
Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is
Damaturu, and its largest city by population is
Potiskum. While by the largest by land area is
Fune,
Potiskum Local Government Area is a place of Farmers and marketers, the largest cattle market in
Africa is located in
Potiskum.
Geography
The state borders four states:
Bauchi,
Borno,
Gombe, and
Jigawa. Yobe State shares borders with
Borno State to the east for about 421 km,
Gombe State to the south for 140 km (in the vicinity of Gongola River), Bauchi State for 188 km (117 miles) and
Jigawa State for 193 km (120 miles) to the west and
the Republic of Niger to the north for about 352 km.[5]It
borders to the north the
Diffa and
Zinder Regions of
Niger. Because the state lies mainly in the dry
savanna belt, conditions are hot and dry for most of the year, except in the southern part of the state which has more annual rainfall.
Climate
The
climate condition of Yobe is warm with daily temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F). November being the sunniest month and rainy day is between August and December[6]
History
Yobe State came into being on 27 August 1991. It was carved out of the old Borno State by the
Babangida administration. Yobe State was created because the old Borno State was one of Nigeria's largest states in terms of land area and was therefore considered to be too large for easy administration and meaningful development.
Ethnic rivalries within the old Borno State also contributed to the decision.[7]
While Yobe state is an agricultural state, it also has rich mineral deposits, including
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. The State also has one of the largest
cattlemarkets in
West Africa, located in Potiskum.[10]
Governor
On 29 May 2019,
Mai Mala Buni assumed office as the governor of Yobe State under the Party APC (All Progressive Congress) and
Idi Barde Gubana is the Deputy-Gorvenor of the state.[11][12]
The inhabitants of Yobe are mainly
Muslims and
Sharia law was established in the state in 2000 by governor
Bukar Abba Ibrahim. However, there are Christians in the State although no Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in the state.
Politics
The state government is headed by a governor who is elected through a democratically process. The governor works closely with the
State House of Assembly, which is the law-making arm in the state.
Just like every other state in the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, the electoral system of Yobe State is that of a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.[21]
The state's administration has improved healthcare delivery lifted a moratorium on hiring and provided incentives for staff retention. The free-drugs policy and decentralised drug supply have increased access to healthcare, underscoring the state's dedication to renovating and building new primary healthcare facilities to make healthcare more widely available and reasonably priced.[23][24][25]
Desertification
Residents of Yobe State in northern Nigeria are worried about
desertification because it could have a negative impact on their quality of life.[26][27][28]
Notable people
Uwani Musa Abba Aji - CFR (born 7 November 1956) is a Nigerian
Jurist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria[29]
Usman Albishir - (15 June 1945 – 2 July 2012) former senator and Senate Minority Leader[30]
Mamman Bello Ali - (1958 – 26 January 2009) former senator Yobe Zone B and former governor of Yobe State.
Idris Alkali - former chief of administration, army headquarters[31]
Usman Alkali Baba (born 1 March 1963) current Nigerian inspector-general of police[32]
Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai - (born 10 February 1960) a politician and the Senator representing Yobe South Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly[33]
^
abOkeowo, Gabriel; Fatoba, Iyanuoluwa, eds. (13 October 2022).
"State of States 2022 Edition"(PDF). Budgit.org. BudgIT. Retrieved 7 March 2023.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^"USCOEGA". www.uscoegaonline.com.ng. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
^"An Analysis of University Courses Offered through AVU Satellite". 1 January 2001.
doi:
10.14217/9781848597426-7-en (inactive 21 January 2024). {{
cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (
help)CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (
link)