Sokoto State

Sokoto State, one of Nigeria’s 36 states, lies in the country’s far northwest. It shares a 363-kilometer border with the Republic of the Niger to the north and west, and is bordered by Zamfara State to the east and Kebbi State to the south and west, partly along the Ka River. The state capital and largest city, also called Sokoto, sits near where the Sokoto and Rima rivers meet. In 2022, its population was estimated at over 6.3 million. As the historic center of the Sokoto Caliphate, the city is overwhelmingly Muslim and serves as a major hub for Islamic scholarship in Nigeria. The Sultan, who leads the caliphate, acts as the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims.

The name Sokoto comes from the Arabic word *suk*, meaning “market,” and is an anglicized version of the local name Sakkwato. It is also known as Sakkwato, Birnin Shaihu da Bello, or “Sokoto, Capital of Shaihu and Bello.”

Sokoto State was created in 1976 when the former North-Western State was split into Sokoto and Niger States. Since then, the state has been governed by a series of administrators, mostly former military officers, who succeeded one another in quick succession. The region itself has a much longer history. During the 19th century, under the Fulani Empire, Sokoto was an important Fula state and city in what was then west-central Nigeria. Around 1900, with British colonization, Sokoto—then covering the entire northwest corner of Nigeria—became a province of the British protectorate. Soon after, Gando was added as a sub-province, forming a double province of about 90,000 square kilometers with an estimated population over 500,000. This territory included the kingdoms of Zamfara and Argungu (or Kebbi).

According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, the British organized the province similarly to other parts of Northern Nigeria. A first-class British resident was stationed in Sokoto, with assistant residents at other centers. British courts and governors were established, and civil police detachments were placed at major stations. The land was assessed for taxes and opened for trade. After British rule began, farmers and herders returned to abandoned areas, and city dwellers rebuilt villages that had been deserted for fifty years. Horse breeding and cattle raising were the main sources of wealth, along with some ostrich farming. Agriculture was widespread except in sandy areas, including rice and cotton, with special irrigated crops in valleys. Weaving, dyeing, and tanning were key local industries. Roads were being built, trade grew, and a cash currency was introduced.

In 1906, a revolt near Sokoto, attributed to religious fanaticism, resulted in the deaths of three British officers. The emir disavowed the uprising’s leader, who claimed to be a Mahdi sent to expel Europeans. British forces defeated the rebels with heavy losses in March 1906. The leader was condemned to death in the emir’s court and executed in Sokoto’s market square. The event was notable for the loyalty shown to British rule by local rulers. After Nigeria’s independence, the region became the Northwestern State in 1967. This was split into Sokoto and Niger States in 1976. Later, Kebbi State (1991) and Zamfara State (1996) were carved out of Sokoto State.

The population is mostly Hausa, with Gobirawa found in Gobir and Isa Local Government Areas (LGAs). The vast majority of residents are Sunni Muslims, with a Shia minority; violence between the two groups is rare. Over 80% of the state’s people work in agriculture.

Hausa and Fulfulde are the dominant languages. The Kainji language Ut-Ma’in is spoken in Kebbe LGA, and Kamuku is spoken in Sokoto LGA. Smaller groups speak Zarma and Tuareg. Languages vary by LGA.

Sokoto State lies in the dry Sahel, with sandy savannah and isolated hills. The average annual temperature is 28.3°C, making it very hot overall, though daytime highs usually stay below 40°C, and the dryness makes the heat tolerable. The hottest months are February to April, when temperatures can exceed 45°C. The rainy season runs from June to October, with daily showers that are brief and far lighter than the torrential rains of wetter tropics. From late October to February, the Harmattan wind blows Sahara dust over the land, dimming sunlight, lowering temperatures, and covering everything in dust. The floodplains of the Sokoto-Rima river system, rich in alluvial soil, are vital for crop farming. Elsewhere, the dryness limits crops; millet is most common, along with rice, corn, other cereals, and beans. Few vegetables, aside from tomatoes, grow in the region.

Sokoto State has twenty-three Local Government Areas. Its tertiary education institutions include [list not provided in source].