Bauchi State

According to tradition, it was named after a hunter known as Baushe, who settled in the region before the arrival of Yakubu, the first traditional ruler of the Bauchi emirate (founded 1800–10).{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56324/Bauchi|title=Bauchi - state, Nigeria|website=britannica.com|access-date=30 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018232704/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56324/Bauchi|archive-date=18 October 2014}}

Bauchi and Adamawa were the two main sources of freedom and tourism for the Fulani empire of Sokoto.{{cite book

| last = Johnston

| first = Hugh A.S.

| title = The Fulani Empire of Sokoto

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| year = 1967

| isbn = 0-19-215428-1

| page = 161 }}

{{See also|Bauchi Emirate}}

What is now known as Bauchi was until 1976 a province in the then North-Eastern State of Nigeria. According to the 2006 census, the state has a population of 4,653,066.{{Cite web |title=Member Countries {{!}} Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region |url=https://www.cpaafricaregion.or.tz/member-countries/76#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202006%20census,tremendous%20transformation%20over%20the%20years. |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=www.cpaafricaregion.or.tz}}

In the early 1800s, the Fulani jihad seized much of modern-day Bauchi State and formed the Bauchi Emirate under the Sokoto Caliphate. About 90 years later, a British expedition occupied the Emirate and incorporated it as Bauchi Province into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. Originally, modern-day Bauchi State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the North-Eastern State.{{Cite web |date=2019-01-07 |title=Bauchi State |url=https://www.nipc.gov.ng/nigeria-states/bauchi-state/ |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission |language=en-US}} After the North-Eastern State was split, Bauchi State was formed on 3 February 1976 alongside ten other states.

Twenty years after statehood, a group of LGAs in the state's west was broken off to form the new Gombe State.{{Cite journal |last1=Sani |first1=Adamu |last2=Saleh |first2=Yuguda |last3=Abdulmalik |first3=Sulaiman |last4=Raymond |first4=Tabale P. |last5=Mshelia |first5=Dahiru S. |date=2022-02-15 |title=Heavy Metal Contents of Sachet Water in Gombe, Nigeria. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.36020/kjms.2021.1502.002 |journal=Kanem Journal Medical Sciences |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.36020/kjms.2021.1502.002 |doi-broken-date=24 January 2025 |issn=2006-4772}}

With the creation of Bauchi State in 1976, then comprising present Bauchi and Gombe State, it included 16 local government areas. The number of local government areas in the then Bauchi State was increased to 20 and later to 23. However, in 1997 when Gombe State was created out of Bauchi and additional local governments were created in the country, Bauchi State was left with 20 local government areas as shown below.{{Cite web |title=History – BASG |url=https://www.bauchistate.gov.ng/history-2/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |language=en-US}}

Bauchi State has gone through a tremendous transformation over the years. The Ajawa language was spoken in Bauchi State, but became extinct by 1940 as speakers shifted to Hausa.{{e25|ajw|Ajawa}} Sharia law was adopted in June 2001.{{cite web|url=http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/publications/index_e.htm?docid=70&cid=161&version=printable&disclaimer=show&sec=CH05 |title=Issue Paper:Nigéria / Protection offerte par l'état |access-date=2008-07-08 |work=irb-cisr.gc.ca |publisher=Research Directorate of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, April 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320131003/http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/publications/index_e.htm?docid=70&cid=161&version=printable&disclaimer=show&sec=CH05 |archive-date=20 March 2005 }}

{{See also|List of villages in Bauchi State}}

Bauchi State consists of twenty Local Government Areas (LGAs). They are:

File:Water buck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) -Yankari game reserve, Bauchi State (1).jpg]]

Bauchi State occupies a total land area of {{convert|49119|km2|abbr=on}} representing about 5.3% of Nigeria's total land mass and is located between latitudes 9° 3' and 12° 3' north and longitudes 8° 50' and 11° east.

The state is bordered by seven states, Jigawa to the north, Taraba for 54 km and Plateau for {{cvt|360|km}} to the south, Gombe for {{cvt|277|km}} to the east, Yobe for {{cvt|188|km}} to the north-east, Kaduna to the west for {{cvt|32|km}}, and Kano for {{cvt|131|km}} to the north-west.distances from Google Maps

Bauchi state is one of the states in the northern part of Nigeria that span two distinctive vegetation zones, namely, the Sudan savannah and the Sahel savannah. The Sudan savannah type of vegetation covers the southern part of the state. Here, the vegetation gets richer and richer towards the south, especially along water sources or rivers, but generally, the vegetation is less uniform and grasses are shorter than what grows even farther south, that is, in the forest zone of the middle belt.

The Sahel type of savannah, also known as semi-desert vegetation, becomes manifest from the middle of the state as one moves from the state's south to its north. This type of vegetation comprises isolated stands of thorny shrubs.

On the other hand, the southwestern part of the state is mountainous as a result of the continuation of the Jos Plateau, while the northern part is generally sandy.

The vegetation types as described above are conditioned by the climatic factors, which in turn determine the amount of rainfall received in the area. For instance, the rainfall in Bauchi state ranges between {{convert|1300|mm}} per annum in the south and only {{convert|700|mm}} per annum in the extreme north. This pattern is because in the West Africa sub-region, rains generally come from the south as they are carried by the south-westerlies. There is therefore a progressive dryness towards the north, culminating in the desert condition in the far north. So also is the case in Bauchi state.

File:Sumu wildlife park002.jpg

Consequently, rains start earlier in the southern part of the state, where rain is heaviest and lasts longer. Here the rains start in April with the highest record amount of {{convert|1300|mm}} per annum. In contrast, the northern part of the state receives the rains late, usually around June or July, and records the highest amount of {{convert|700|mm}} per annum.

In the same vein, the weather experienced in the south and the north varies considerably. While it is humidly hot during the early part of the rainy season in the south, the hot, dry and dusty weather lingers up north.

In addition to rainfall, Bauchi state is watered by a number of rivers. They include the Gongola and Jama'are rivers.

The Gongola River crosses Bauchi state in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in the south and in Kirfi and Alkaleri Local Government Areas in the eastern part of the state, while the Jama’are River cuts across a number of Local Government Areas in the northern part of the state. Moreover, a substantial part of the Hadeja-Jama'are River basin lies in Bauchi state, which along with various fadama (floodplain) areas in the state provides suitable land for agricultural activities. These are further supported by the number of dams meant for irrigation and other purposes. These include the Gubi and Tilde-Fulani dams. There are also lakes such as the Maladumba Lake in Misau Local Government Area that further provide the necessary conditions to support Agriculture.

Bauchi has an oppressive wet season while the dry season is partly cloudy, and it is hot year-round. Over the year, the temperature also varies.{{Cite web |title=Bauchi Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Nigeria) - Weather Spark |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/61868/Average-Weather-in-Bauchi-Nigeria-Year-Round |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=weatherspark.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Bauchi Annual Weather Averages |url=https://www.worldweatheronline.com/bauchi-weather/bauchi/ng.aspx |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=WorldWeatherOnline.com |language=en}}

Like every other state in Nigeria, Bauchi state has not been spared in devastating effects of climate change. On 11 July 2022, the acting Director-general of the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (BASEMA), Mr Bala Lame, said "No fewer than 100 houses and several farmlands have been destroyed by devastating floods in Darazo LGA of the state". This he attributed to flooding after three days of persistent rainfall in the area.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-18 |title=Climate Watch: Flood destroys 100 houses, farmlands in Bauchi |url=https://www.thecable.ng/climate-watch-flood-destroys-100-houses-farmlands-in-bauchi |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=TheCable |language=en-US}} The average annual temperature ranges from 57 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with occasional exceptions when it falls below 51 or rises over 104.

The greatest time of year to visit Bauchi for warm-weather activities, according to the tourist score, is from early December to early February.

From 28 February to 10 May is the hot season, which lasts 2.5 months and has an average daily high temperature of over 96 °F. Averaging a high of 99 °F and a low of 74 °F, April is the hottest month of the year in Bauchi.

From 15 July to 1 October, the cool season, which has an average daily high temperature below 86 °F, lasts for 2.6 months. With an average low of 58 °F and high of 90 °F, January is the coldest month of the year in Bauchi.

Particulate matter, which has a diameter of less than 10 microns and is 1/7th the thickness of a human hair, is a significant source of air pollution in Bauchi. These particles, which can include smoke, soot, dust, salt, acids, and metals, pose a serious threat to health because they may be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs.{{Cite web |title=Air Quality & Pollen Forecast for Bauchi |url=https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/outdoorsports/airquality/bauchi_nigeria_2347470 |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=meteoblue |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-09-21 |title=Bauchi Air Quality Index (AQI) and Nigeria Air Pollution {{!}} IQAir |url=https://www.iqair.com/ae/nigeria/bauchi |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=www.iqair.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Air Quality and Pollen in Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria {{!}} Tomorrow.io |url=https://www.tomorrow.io/weather/NG/BA/Bauchi/076796/health/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Tomorrow.io Weather |language=en}}

Gully erosion, which has swept away bridges, culverts, and homes, is causing alarm among residents of the settlements of Alkaleri and Kirfi in Bauchi State.{{Cite web |last=Nabordo |first=Muhammad Alabira |date=2023-08-28 |title=Residents of Bauchi communities panic as erosion washes away bridges, threatens houses |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nnorth-east/618306-residents-of-bauchi-communities-panic-as-erosion-washes-away-bridges-threatens-houses.html |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Premium Times Nigeria |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Abdulhamid |first=Hafsat |date=2020-08-04 |title=Erosion threatening our lives - Bauchi community |url=https://dailypost.ng/2020/08/04/erosion-threatening-our-lives-bauchi-community/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Daily Post Nigeria |language=en-US}}

Bauchi State has a total of 55 tribal groups which include Gerawa, Sayawa, Jarawa, Kirfawa, Turawa Bolewa, Karekare, Kanuri, Fa'awa, Butawa, Warjawa, Zulawa, Boyawa MBadawa.

There are cultural similarities in the people's language, occupational practices, festivals, dress and there is a high degree of ethnic interaction especially in marriage and economic existence. Some of the ethnic groups have joking relationships that exist between them, e.g. Fulani and Kanuri, Jarawa and Sayawa, etc.

The Durbar Festival is a major annual attraction.{{cite web |title=A 100-Year-Old Muslim Festival of Horse Riding |url=https://folio.ng/a-100-year-old-muslim-festival-of-horse-riding/ |website=Folio Nigeria |access-date=17 August 2020}}

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University{{Cite web|last=keetu|date=2018-03-08|title=List Of Accredited Courses Offered In ATBU Bauchi|url=https://schoolings.org/list-of-accredited-courses-offered-in-atbu-bauchi/|access-date=2021-08-06|language=en-US}} is located in the capital city Bauchi. Other educational institutions located in the state include Bauchi State University,{{Cite web|date=2020-10-09|title=List Of BASUG Courses and Programmes Offered - MySchoolGist|url=https://www.myschoolgist.com/ng/basug-courses/|access-date=2021-08-06|website=www.myschoolgist.com|language=en}} Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic,{{cite web|date=16 January 2018|title=Bauchi poly secures accreditation for 53 courses|url=http://thenationonlineng.net/bauchi-poly-secures-accreditation-53-courses/|access-date=2019-03-27|work=The Nation}} Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi{{Cite web|last=keetu|date=2017-11-23|title=List Of Accredited Courses Offered In Federal Poly Bauchi|url=https://schoolings.org/list-of-courses-offered-in-federal-poly-bauchi/|access-date=2021-08-06|language=en-US}} and Federal university of health science Azare.{{Cite web |title=Federal University Of Health Sciences Azare Matriculate 760 Pioneer Students {{!}} Independent Newspaper Nigeria |url=https://independent.ng/federal-university-of-health-sciences-azare-matriculate-760-pioneer-students/ |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=independent.ng|date=18 January 2023 }}

Federal Highways:

• A3 northeast from Plateau State at Rafin Jaki for 294 km via Bauchi, Darazo, and Lanpo to Yobe State at Baino as part of the Dakar-Ndjamena Trans-Sahelian Highway (Trans-African 5).
• A237 (as part of the Dakar-Ndjamena Trans-Sahelian Highway or TAH 5) east from Jigawa State near Garwa for 90 km as the Kano-Kari Rd via Zigau, Yana, Giade and Misau to A3 at Kari.
• A345 as the Bachi-Bara-Gombe Rd east from Bauchi for 117 km via Alkaleri and Bara to Gombe State at Lariski.

Other major roads:

• the Yana-Azare Rd north from A237 at Yana to Azare.
• the Azare-Katagum Rd north from Azare via Gadau, Chibiyyi and Sakwa to Katagum.
• southeast from Katagum via Gamawa and Lafia to Yobe State at Zindiwa.
• the Azare-Potiskum Rd east from Azare via Bulkachuwa, Damban and Dagauda to Yobe State.
• the Alkeleri-Kirfi Rd north from A345 at Budawaire along the east bank of the Gongola River to Gombe State as the Kunde-Riban-Gau Rd.
• the Ningi Rd north from A3 in Bauchi via Kafin Madaki to Miya.
• The Miya-Warji Rd north from Miya via Baima
• the Warji-Gwaram Rd east to Jigawa State
• the Jengre-Ningi Rd north from Plateau State at Zarya to Ningi.
• the Ningi-Zakara Rd east to Zakara where the Zakara-Miya Rd continues east.
• the Ningi-Shamaki Rd north to Jigawa State at Shabaki.
• the Munchia-Zanabi-Jerkoya-Matugiwa Rd.
• The Lumbu-Fulani Rd east via Jigawa and Gwom to Shabaki.
• northeast from A3 at Darazo to Jigawa State at Basirka.

Railways:

• The 1067 mm Cape gauge Eastern Line east from Jos in Plateau State to Gombe State.

Airport:

• Bauchi Airport Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, 23 km north of Bauchi, near the village of Durum, replaced Bauchi Airport in 2014, with regular services to Abuja.

West Chadic language groups spoken in Bauchi State:{{Cite book|title=An Atlas of Nigerian Languages|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation|year=2019|edition=4th|location=Cambridge}}

• North Bauchi languages
• South Bauchi languages

Languages of Bauchi State listed by LGA:[https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NG Nigeria] in {{e25}}

Other languages of Bauchi State are Ajawa, Beele, Berom, Kanuri, Kwaami, Manga, Pero, and Piya-Kwonci.

See also: List of governors of Bauchi State

Like all Nigerian states, the executive arm of the state government is headed by a governor who is eligible for a re-election once.

As at 2019, the governor of Bauchi State is Bala Mohammed, who emerged victorious in the 9 March 2019 Governorship election with the political party PDP. He was sworn in on 29 May 2019, making him the 6th democratic governor of Bauchi State and the 16th governor of Bauchi State overall. Baba Tela serves as the deputy governor of Bauchi State.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-29 |title=Huge Crowd Gather for Bala Mohammed's Inauguration in Bauchi |url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/05/29/huge-crowd-gather-for-bala-mohammeds-inauguration-in-bauchi/ |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=THISDAYLIVE |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Nigerian States |url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Nigeria_federal_states.htm |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=www.worldstatesmen.org}}

The State government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state's House of Assembly. The Capital city of the State is Bauchi.{{Cite web |last=Oguntola |first=Tunde |date=2022-09-27 |title=2023: Next President, Govs Must Get Two-thirds Spread, Says INEC |url=https://leadership.ng/2023-next-president-govs-must-get-two-thirds-spread-says-inec/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |language=en-US}}

The electoral system of to the state is selected using 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-thirds of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes the 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.{{Cite web |last=Oguntola |first=Tunde |date=2022-09-27 |title=2023: Next President, Govs Must Get Two-thirds Spread, Says INEC |url=https://leadership.ng/2023-next-president-govs-must-get-two-thirds-spread-says-inec/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |language=en-US}}

• Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria
• Jude Rabo, vice-chancellor of Federal University, Wukari
• Sa'adu Zungur, poet and revolutionary
• Bala Muhammed, (born 1958) Nigerian politician and the Bauchi state Governor since 2019.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-23 |title=Bauchi: Gov Mohammed Grants Pardon To 96 Inmates {{!}} Independent Newspaper Nigeria |url=https://independent.ng/bauchi-gov-mohammed-grants-pardon-to-96-inmates/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |language=en-GB}}
• Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar (born 1956) former Bauchi state Governor from 2015 to 2019.{{Cite web |last=Ayo-Aderele |first=Adesola |date=2019-03-18 |title=Bauchi Gov Abubakar visits Aso Villa, meets Buhari over governorship polls results |url=https://punchng.com/breaking-bauchi-gov-abubakar-visits-aso-rock-meets-president-buhari/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}
• Isa Yuguda, (born 1956) a Nigerian politician and former Bauchi State Governor from 2007 to 2015.{{Cite web |last=Ibrahim |first=Kamal |date=2023-12-17 |title=Gov Mohammed, Yuguda Receive Honorary Degrees From State Varsity |url=https://leadership.ng/gov-mohammed-yuguda-receive-honorary-degrees-from-state-varsity/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |language=en-US}}

• Bauchi Light Railway

{{Reflist}}

• {{official website|http://www.bauchistate.gov.ng/}}

{{Bauchi State}}{{BauchiStateGovernors}}

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Category:1976 establishments in Nigeria