Bauchi State
“Pearl of Tourism”
- Capital
- Bauchi
- Created
- 1976 3 Feb
- Population
- 8.3M 2022 est.
- Land area
- 49,119 km²
- Density
- 169 people / km²
- LGAs
- 20 local governments
- IGR
- ₦30.6bn 2023
Overview
Bauchi State is in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, with its capital at Bauchi. It was created on 3 February 1976 from North-Eastern State. It has an estimated population of 8,308,800 (2022) across 49,119 km², administered through 20 local government areas.
Major towns
- Bauchi
- Azare
- Misau
- Jama'are
- Ningi
- Katagum
- Tafawa Balewa
- Alkaleri
- Darazo
- Dass
Leadership
His Excellency Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed
APM In office since 29 May 2019 · 2nd term
View profileDeputy Governor
Mohammed Auwal Jatau
History
According to tradition, Bauchi takes its name from Baushe, a hunter who settled in the area before the arrival of Yakubu, the first ruler of the Bauchi Emirate. In the early nineteenth century the Fulani jihad brought much of the area under the Sokoto Caliphate, and Yakubu established the Bauchi Emirate (founded around 1800–1810). Other emirates such as Katagum, Misau and Jama'are also emerged in this period.
British forces occupied the emirate at the beginning of the twentieth century, and it became Bauchi Province of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. After independence the area was part of the Northern Region and, from 1967, the North-Eastern State. Bauchi State was created on 3 February 1976; it originally included present-day Gombe State, which was carved out on 1 October 1996.
Bauchi is the home state of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria's first and only Prime Minister, whose tomb is in Bauchi city. The state has about 55 ethnic groups and is known for Yankari National Park, one of West Africa's most important wildlife reserves.
People & Culture
Ethnic groups
- Hausa
- Fulani
- Kanuri
- Gerawa
- Sayawa (Zaar)
- Jarawa
- Bolewa
- Karai-Karai
- Butawa
- Warjawa
- Kirfawa
Languages
- Hausa
- Fulfulde
- English
- Kanuri
- Jarawa
- Zaar (Sayawa)
- Gerawa
- Bolewa
- Karai-Karai
- Warji
Traditional institutions
- Bauchi Emirate
- Katagum Emirate (Azare)
- Misau Emirate
- Jama'are Emirate
- Ningi Emirate
- Dass Emirate
Economy & Natural Resources
Bauchi is an agriculture-based state. Major crops include maize, sorghum, millet, rice, groundnut, cowpea, cotton, tomatoes and yam, supported by the Hadejia-Jama'are river basin, fadama floodplains and irrigation dams such as Gubi and Tilde-Fulani. Livestock rearing is widespread, and the state also has food processing, tin and columbite mining and a growing tourism sector centred on Yankari National Park and the Wikki Warm Springs.
The Kolmani oil and gas field on the Bauchi–Gombe border, where the federal government flagged off development in 2022, is the North-East's main hydrocarbon prospect. NBS data put Bauchi's internally generated revenue at about N30.6 billion in 2023, the highest in the North-East.
Key sectors
- Agriculture
- Livestock
- Tourism
- Solid minerals
- Oil and gas (Kolmani)
- Commerce
Agricultural produce
- Maize
- Sorghum
- Millet
- Rice
- Groundnut
- Cowpea
- Cotton
- Tomatoes
- Yam
- Cattle
Solid minerals
- Tin
- Columbite
- Crude oil and gas (Kolmani field)
Raw materials
- Cotton
- Groundnut
- Hides and skins
- Tomatoes
- Tin ore
Internally generated revenue: ₦30.6bn (2023) · Source: NBS, Internally Generated Revenue at State Level 2023 (https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/download/1241579)
Investment Opportunities
Tourism and hospitality
Yankari National Park, Wikki Warm Springs and the Sumu Wildlife Park offer scope for lodges, eco-tourism and safari services.
Agro-processing
Large outputs of grains, tomatoes and cotton support milling, processing and storage investments.
Oil and gas
Development of the Kolmani field creates opportunities in upstream support services and downstream processing.
Livestock
Extensive herds create openings in ranching, dairy and meat processing.
Interested in Bauchi?
Submit your proposal and the Secretariat will connect you with the state's investment agency.
Tourism & Heritage
Yankari National Park
Major wildlife reserve in Alkaleri LGA with elephants, buffalo, hippopotamus and antelope species.
Wikki Warm Springs
Crystal-clear thermal spring inside Yankari National Park with a near-constant temperature of about 31°C.
Sumu Wildlife Park
Wildlife park in Ganjuwa LGA stocked with giraffe, zebra and antelope.
Tomb of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Mausoleum in Bauchi city of Nigeria's first Prime Minister.
Bauchi Durbar
Colourful horse-riding festival held during Sallah celebrations at the Emir's palace.
Gallery
Local Government Areas
20 local government areas
- Alkaleri
- Bauchi
- Bogoro
- Damban
- Darazo
- Dass
- Gamawa
- Ganjuwa
- Giade
- Itas/Gadau
- Jama'are
- Katagum
- Kirfi
- Misau
- Ningi
- Shira
- Tafawa Balewa
- Toro
- Warji
- Zaki