The Slogan

Seat of the Caliphate

Date Of Creation

3 February 1976

Geography

The state lies to the north-western part of the country and shares common borders with Niger Republic to the North, Kebbi State to the southwest and Zamfara State to the east. The state falls on the boundary between semi-arid region and the Sahel savanna

Brief History

Since its creation as a state in 1976 (from the bifurcation of the erstwhile North-Western State (Map) into Sokoto and Niger States, Sokoto state has been ruled by governors, most ex-military officers, who succeeded each another at short intervals.

Sokoto, as a region, knows a longer history. During the reign of the Fulani Empire in the 19th century Sokoto was an important Fula state, in addition to being a city, of what was then west central Nigeria.

From ca. 1900, with the British take-over, Sokoto, which then encompassed the entire north-west corner of Nigeria, became a province of the British protectorate of Nigeria. Not long after Gando was added as a sub-province. This double province then covered an area of 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi) with an estimated population over 500,000. It included the then Zamfara and Argungun, or Kebbi, kingdoms

The Local Government area

Sokoto State consists of twenty-three (23) Local Government Areas. They are:

Binji
Bodinga
Dange Shuni
Gada
Goronyo
Gudu
Gwadabawa
Illela
Isa
Kebbe
Kware
Rabah
Sabon Birni
Shagari
Silame
Sokoto North
Sokoto South
Tambuwal
Tangaza
Tureta
Wamako
Wurno
Yabo

The Governor

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP)

The Deputy governor

Munir Daniya (PDP)

The Senators

E: Abdullahi Ibrahim Gobir (APC)
N: Aliyu Wamakko (APC)
S: Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba (PDP)

Representatives

Constituency	Member
Binji/Silame	Mani Maishinko Katami	PDP
Dange-Shuni/Bodinga/Tureta	Shehu Balarabe Kakale	PDP
Goronyo/Gada	Musa Sarkin-Adar	APC
Illela/Gwadabawa	Abdullahi Salame	APC
Isa/Sabon Birni	Mohammed Saidu Bargaja	PDP
Kebbe/Tambuwal	Bala Kokani	APC
Kware/Wamakko	Ahmad Abdullahi Kalambaina	APC
Sokoto North/Sokoto South	Abubakar Abdullahi Ahmed	PDP
Tangaza/Gudu	Yusuf Isah Kurdula	APC
Wurno/Rabah	Ibrahim Almustapha Aliyu	APC
Yabo/Shagari	Abubakar Umar Yabo	APC

The Website

www.sokotostate.gov.ng

Major Cities

 major cities and towns in the state include Yabo, Guddu, Ilela, Binji, Gwada Bawa, Bogingo, Tambulwal, and Wurno.

Prominent Places

Tomb of Usman Dan Fodio

Sultan of Sokoto Palace

Sokoto Museum

Shukura Hotel

Giginya Hotel

Mineral Resources

Kaolin, Limestone, Gypsum, Phosphate rock, Gold, Potash, Clay, Copper, Iron ore and Coal

The population

Sokoto state has a population of 3,696,999 million people based on the 2006 general census

Postal Code

840001

Culture and tourism

Tomb of Usman Dan Fodio
Located a few metres southwest of the palace on Sultan Bello road near Shehu’s Mosque, in the Hubbare lie the tombs of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio and his relatives.

Sokoto Museum
This is a national museum that houses artifacts and monuments of the old Sokoto caliphate. The museum is dedicated to Usman Dan Fodio and many of his personal items such as thrones, scriptures, maps and copies of his Koran are on display.

Heritage Museum
Located at the Department of Fine, Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, the museum showcases the rich cultural artifacts of the Sokoto kingdom.

Gilbadi Rocks
Located in Gada LGA, these rocks contains ancient fossil remains that are said might provide clue to the origin of life in general.

Shehu Kangiwa Square
Formerly known as Ginginya, it was the site of the battle between British troops and the forces of Sokoto led by Sultan Attahiru in 1903. The area was formerly an open square outside the city wall, and on the northern side there used to be a Gingiya tree – palm tree.

Goronyo Dam
Located in Goronyo, the dam is one of the largest in the West African sub-region and was built in 1981 along River Rima to boost the irrigation in the area.

Waziri Junaidu History & Culture Museum
Established in 1973 to collect, preserve and display all relics, artifacts and archives relating to the history of Sokoto people. The museum houses more than 500,000 volumes of assorted materials and other historical treasures.
Surame
Surame is the ruins of the old headquarters of Kebbi Kingdom built in the early 16th Century by its famous King Muhammadu Kanta. The total circumference of the walls of Surame has been estimated to be about 19 kilometres and it is presently located about 4km from Binji Local Government of the state.

Akalawa
Akalawa the ruins of the capital city of Gobir Kingdom. The Gobirawa were believed to have originally come from Arabia around 10th century through Borno and they lived in the area largely now in Niger Republic. Alkalawa Ruins is presently located in Sabon Birnin Local Government Area of the state.

Sultan of Sokoto Palace
The significance of the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto goes beyond cultural and artistic excellence. The palace is also the cohesive symbol of the Nigerian Muslim world which guides believers in the faith. The Sultan’s palace has lavish modern architecture and protected by palace guards in their multi coloured regalia, robes and turbans

Notable People

Languages

it is dominated by Hausa and Fulani people. Other minority groups include the Zabarmawa and Tuareg who also speak Hausa as a common language.

Institutions

Usman Danfodio University of Sokoto
Sokoto State University
Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto
Shehu Shagari College of Education