Yobe State is one of the states that constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is located in the Northeast part of the country. It was created on the 27th day of August 1991 out of Borno State, and earned the nicknamed “Pride of the Sahel”.
- Date of creation: August 27, 1991
- Slogan: Pride of the Sahel
- State capital: Damaturu
- Geopolitical zone: North East
Yobe is mainly an agricultural state and has its capital in Damaturu.
The current Governor of Yobe State is Ibrahim Gaidam of the All Progressives Congress, alongside his Deputy Abubakar Ali.
Geography
Yobe is close to States like Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa State.
Due to the fact that it lies mainly in the dry savanna belt, the State is usually hot and dry for most of the year. However, the southern part of Yobe has a milder climate.
History
The State was created on the 27th of August 1991 after it was carved out of the old Borno State during the era of Babangida.
Yobe came into being because the old Borno State was one of the country’s largest states in terms of land area and was therefore considered to be too huge for swift administration.
Apart from size, another factor that led to the division of the old Borno State was ethnic rivalries.
It is necessary to add that on the 14th of May 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the State along with neighbouring Borno State and Adamawa State, due to the activities of the terrorist network Boko Haram.
Local Government Areas
There are 17 local government areas in Yobe State, and they are:
- Bade
- Bursari
- Damaturu
- Geidam
- Gujba
- Gulani
- Fika
- Fune
- Jakusko
- Karasuwa
- Machina
- Nangere
- Nguru
- Potiskum
- Tarmuwa
- Yunusari
- Yusufari
Economy
There are numerous farmers in the State who also practice fishing. They cultivate crops like gum arabic, groundnuts, beans, and cotton, and also rear cattle.
Apart from agriculture, Yobe also has a lot of mineral deposits of gypsum in Fune LGA, kaolin, and quartz.
Ethnic Groups
Although there are various ethnic groups in the State, the Fulani group is predominant.
Other ethnic groups in Yobe are the:
- Ngizim
- Karai-Karai
- Bolewa
- Bade
- Hausa
- Ngamo
- Shuwa
- Fulani Bura
- Margi
- Maga.
Religion
Majority of the inhabitants of the State are Muslims and they support the usage of the Sharia law. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of Christians in Yobe, with many of them from the Karai-Karai ethnic group.
List of Governors Of Yobe State from 1991 Till Date
Here is a list of past governors of Yobe State (both military and civilian)
- Sani Daura Ahmed: Ahmed was the first military Administrator of Yobe State immediately it was created (28 August 1991 to January 1992)
- Bukar Abba Ibrahim: He became the first civilian governor of the State as soon as democracy came into the country (January 1992 to November 1993)
- Dabo Aliyu: The military came back to power, and Aliyu became the State’s (9 December 1993 to 22 August 1996)
- John Ben Kalio: He succeeded Aliyu as Yobe’s next military Administrator(22 August 1996to August 1998)
- Musa Mohammed: He was the next military Administrator after Kalio (August 1998 to May 1999)
- Bukar Abba Ibrahim: Bukar became the next civilian Governor of the State (29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007)
- Mamman Bello Ali: Ali succeeded Bukar on the 29th May 2007 and died in a Florida Hospital on the 27th January 2009
- Ibrahim Gaidam: January 27, 2009 till May 29, 2019
- Mai-Mala Buni: May 29, 2019 till date