Sokoto State

Lore & Background

Sokoto State was created in 1976 from the bifurcation of the erstwhile North-Western State into Sokoto and Niger States. Since then, it has been ruled by governors, most of whom were ex-military officers, succeeding each other at short intervals. The region has a longer history: during the Fulani Empire in the 19th century, Sokoto was an important Fula state. From around 1900, with the British takeover, Sokoto became a province of the British protectorate of Nigeria, later including Gando as a sub-province, covering 90,000 square kilometres with an estimated population over 500,000.

Reader's Guide

Sokoto State is significant as the seat of the former Sokoto Caliphate, making it a key center of Islamic learning and spiritual leadership in Nigeria. The Sultan, who heads the caliphate, is effectively the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims. The state's economy is dominated by agriculture, employing a majority of the working population, yet it is one of the poorest in Nigeria with one of the highest incidences of extreme poverty (around 80% of the population) according to 2018 World Bank data. The state is in the dry Sahel, with an annual average temperature of 28.3°C, and its lifeline for crops is the floodplains of the Sokoto-Rima river system. The population is mainly Hausa and Fulani, with Hausa and Fulfulde as dominant languages. The state has produced several tertiary institutions, including Usman Danfodio University.

Did You Know?

• The name Sokoto is of Arabic origin, representing suk, meaning 'market'.
• In 1906, a rising attributed to religious fanaticism occurred near Sokoto, and the leader was executed in the market place of Sokoto.
• Over 80% of people living in Sokoto State practice agriculture.
• The state is bounded by the Republic of the Niger for 363 km (226 miles).