Kaduna youth association

KADUNA STATE

The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part of Katsina State. Under the governance of Kaduna is the ancient city of Zaria.

Kaduna State occupies part of the Central position of the Northern part of Nigeria (with Kaduna as its capital) and shares common borders with Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kano, Bauchi and Plateau States. To the South-West, the State shares a border with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The global location of the State is between longititude of 30’’ east of the Greenwich meridian and also between latitude 0900 and 11 30’’ North of the equator. The State occupies an area of approximately 48,473.2 square kilometers and has a population of more than 6 million (2006 census).

The entire land structure consists of an undulating Plateau with major rivers in the State including River Kaduna, River Wonderful in Kafanchan, River Kagom, River Gurara and Galma.

There are two marked seasons in the State, the Dry windy season and the Rainy (wet) Seasons. The wet season is usually from April through October with great variations as you move North-Wards. On the average, the State enjoys a rainy season of about five (6) months. There is heavy rainfall in the southern parts of the state like Kafanchan and northern parts like in Zaria with an average rainfall of about 1016mm.

The State extends from the tropical grassland known as Guinea Savannah to the Sudan Savannah in the North. The grassland is a vast region covering the Southern part of the State to about Latitude 1100’’ North of the equator. The prevailing vegetation of tall grass and big trees are of economic importance during both the wet and dry season



Administrative divisions

Kaduna State is divided into 23 Local Government Areas. They are:

Birnin Gwari
Chikun
Giwa
Igabi
Ikara
Jaba
Jema’a
Kachia
Kaduna North
Kaduna South
Kagarko
Kajuru
Kaura
Kauru
Kubau
Kudan
Lere
Makarfi
Sabon Gari
Sanga
Soba
Zangon Kataf
Zaria

Demographics

Kaduna State is mostly populated by Hausa, Gbagyi, Adara, Ham, Atyap, Bajjuu, Ninkyob, Kurama, Koro, zango kataf, mada and Agworok ethnic communities.



Mineral Resources

Kaduna state is blessed with minerals which include clay, serpentine, asbestos, amethyst, gold, graphite and siltimanite graphite, which is found in Sabon Birnin Gwari, in the Birnin Gwari local government. This is an important raw material used in the manufacture of pencils, crucibles, electrodes, generator brushes and other sundry parts



Education

A number of notable educational institutions in the country are located in the State. They are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, School of Health Technology, the Federal Fishery Training Institute, Kaduna, College of Advanced Studies, Zaria and College of Education, Kafanchan.



GENERAL INFORMATION

Kaduna was created on 27th May, 1967 out of the former Northern region by the then regime of General Murtala Mohammed. Katsina State was created out of it in the state creation exercise of 1987. Its capital is Kaduna.

Kaduna state is located at the centre of Northern Nigeria. It has a political significance as the former administrative headquarters of the North during the colonial era. The state shares boundaries with Niger State to the west, Zamfara, Katsina and Kano states to the north, Bauchi and Plateau States to the east and FCT Abuja and Nasarawa state to the south. Kaduna State occupies 46,053 square kilometers.

Zaria is one of the major towns in Kaduna state and is very rich in history. Queen Amina ruled Zaria and was known as a great warrior, her territories stretching as far to Bauchi in the east and extending as far south as the River Niger. She build a walled town wherever she conquered.

Kaduna State provides the meeting point of the earliest histories of Nigeria. It is the home of Nok which gave its name to the oldest culture of Nigeria – the Nok culture.

ECONOMY

Agriculture is the main stay of the economy of Kaduna state with about 80% of the people actively engaged in farming. Cash and food crops are cultivated and the produce includes: yam, cotton, groundnut, to***co, maize, beans, guinea corn, millet, ginger, rice and cassava. Over 180,000 tonnes of groundnut are produced in the state annually. The major cash crop is cotton which the state has a comparative advantage in as it is the leading producer in the country.

Another major occupation of the people is animal rearing and poultry farming. The animals reared include cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

Kaduna state is blessed with minerals which include clay, serpentine, asbestos, amethyst, gold, graphite and graphite, which is found in Sabon Birnin Gwari, in the Birnin Gwari local government. This is an important raw material used in the manufacture of pencils, crucibles, electrodes, generator brushes and other sundry parts.

Kaduna state is a metropolitan as well as a cosmopolitan industrialized state with over 80 commercial and manufacturing industries. Goods ranging from carpets, textiles, reinforced concrete materials, bicycles assembly, toiletries and ci******es in the state. Consumer goods produced range from dairy products to soft drinks, flour and groundnut oil.

Major industries in the state are the Federal Super Phosphate Fertilizer Company PLC, Ideal Flour Mills PLC, New Nigerian Packaging Company PLC, PAN Nigeria Limited, United Wire Products Limited, Kaduna Furniture and Carpets Company Limited, NOCACO, Queensway Aluminium Ltd, Rigid Pack Containers Limited, Zaria among several others

There is also the National Leather Research Institute, Zaria, the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria and the nation’s third petroleum refinery are also located in Kaduna State.

TOURISM

Kaduna state has numerous tourist attractions and comfortable five star hotels such as Durbar and Hamdala Hotels, among others, Tourist attractions include the Nok Cultural Safe at Kuwi in Jema’s Local Government Area, the Maitsirga Water falls in Kafanchan, the Legendary Lord Lugard bridge in Kaduna town, the Kerfena Hills in Zaria and the Palace of the Emir of Zaria.

Some of the Educational Institutions in Kaduna State Include;

Nigerian Defense Academy
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria
Federal College of Education, Zaria
Kaduna State University
Kaduna State Polytechnic
Nigerian College of Aviation, Zaria
Kaduna State College of Education

Languages of Kaduna State

There are 57 languages spoken as first languages in Kaduna State. Gbari and Hausa are major languages; most other languages are small and endangered minority languages, due to the influence of Hausa

Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna was at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census. The symbol of Kaduna is the crocodile, called kada in the native Hausa language.