Zamfara (Hausa: Jihar Zamfara; Fula: Leydi Zamfara; Adlam: 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤶𞤢𞤥𞤬𞤢𞤪𞤢) is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current governor is Dauda Lawal. The state is named after the Zamfara River which flows through the state. Until 1996, the area was part of Sokoto State.
Zamfara is a densely populated area with the Hausa. The Zamfarawa, a section of the Hausa ethnic nationality, cluster mainly in Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum and Talata Mafara Local Governments areas. The Gobirawa, another Hausa sub-group, populate Shinkafi Local Government. The Gobirawa actually migrated from the Gobir Kingdom. The Burmawa sub-group are found in Bakura, while the Fulani are scattered all over the State, with significant concentrations in Bungudu, Maradun, and Gusau. Hausa sub-groups in Chafe, Bungudu and Maru, are mainly Katsinawa, Garewatawa and Hadejawa, while the Alibawa are located at Kaura Namoda and Zurmi. The Alawan Shehu Usmanu Fulani's are found in Birninmagaji.
It is bordered to the north by the Republic of the Niger for 32 km (20 miles), to the south by Kaduna State for 117 km (73 miles) and Niger for 38 km (24 miles), to the east by Katsina State, and to the west by the states of Sokoto and Kebbi. It has a population of 3,278,873 according to the 2006 census and contains fourteen local government areas.
The people of Zamfara have over the years struggled for autonomy, but it was not until 1996 that the then military administration of the late General Sani Abacha detached the Zamfara State from Sokoto State with an area of 38,418 square kilometres. The first Governor was Jibril Yakubu.
The area today called Zamfara state was one of the old Hausa Kingdoms like Kano, Katsina, Gobir, Kabi and Zazzau. The earliest inhabitants of Zamfara were said to have been hunters and giants. They established their first settlement at Dutsi, which was the first capital of Zamfara. It extends up to the bend of River Rima to the north west and River Ka in the south west. Zamfara Kingdom was established in the 11th century and flourished up to 16th century as a city-state. Its capital has shifted with the fortunes of the kingdom from place to place like Dutsi and Birnin Zamfara.
In the first half of the 18th century, its then capital Birnin Zamfara, was destroyed by the Gobir Kingdom and a new capital was established in Anka by the second half of the 19th century. Zamfara had many centres of commerce and scholarship that attracted many scholars like the Yandoto city. It became part of the Sokoto Caliphate after the 1804 jihad by Usman dan Fodio. In fact, Usman Danfodiyo settled in Sabon Gari where Sarkin Zamfara Abarshi had already established a garrison headquarters during the early days of his Jihad as a base from where he fought Gobir and Kabi.
At the wake of British colonialism, the emerging town of Gusau became an important commercial and administrative centre with road and rail networks passing through it. With the creation of states during the Gowon Administration, Zamfara Kingdom became part of the then North West state and later the Sokoto State.
The climate condition of Zamfara is tropical with temperatures rising up to 38 °C (100.4 °F) and above between March and May. Rainy season starts in late May to September while the mild season known as Harmattan lasts from December to April. The hottest months in Zamfara are March and April, and that is just before the first rains. the onset of the rains bring a cooling effect with temperature dropping.
Significant health risks are posed by dust and particulate matter in Zamfara, especially to the deepest parts of the lungs, where they may exacerbate lungs diseases like bronchitis and asthma attacks while weakening the body defences against infections.
Zamfara State consists of fourteen (14) Local Government Areas. They are:
Zamfara State is mainly populated by Hausa.
The state capital is an important commercial centre with a heterogeneous population of people from all over Nigeria. As in all major towns in Nigeria, all the major towns in Zamfara have a large population of other peoples from different parts of Nigeria.
English is spoken by the Zamfara state government as an official language, Hausa and Arabic language is spoken by the Muslim ummah and Islamic clerics.
Agriculture and gold mining are the state's main occupations and the central source of income. Irrigation is required for cereals and legumes, hence the slogan "farming is our pride".
Over 80 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. Major products include millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, tobacco and beans. The State is known as farming is our pride because Agriculture provides foodstuffs, raw materials and employment opportunities for young people in the State.
The state is one of the poorest in Nigeria and has one of the highest incidences of extreme poverty (over 60% of the population) according to World Bank data from 2018.
Zamfara state has many natural resources, some are:
Tertiary institutions in Zamfara state include: