State: Kebbi

Kebbi State sits in Nigeria’s far northwest, with Birnin Kebbi as its capital. It was created on 27 August 1991, carved out of the old Sokoto State.

The state borders Sokoto and Zamfara to the east and north, and Niger State to the south, with international borders against both Benin Republic and Niger Republic to the west.

Hausa and Fulani communities make up most of the population, alongside smaller Zarma, Dakarkari, Dukawa, Kambari, and Kamuku groups spread across the state’s four traditional emirates: Gwandu, Argungu, Yauri, and Zuru.

Kebbi is one of Nigeria’s leading rice producing states, and fishing along the Sokoto and Niger Rivers supports many households too. Sorghum, groundnuts, millet, and onions round out the main crops, alongside livestock herding and trading.

The Argungu Fishing Festival, held on the Sokoto River, draws thousands of spectators each year to watch hundreds of fishermen compete to catch the largest fish by hand, a tradition that has become one of northern Nigeria’s best known cultural events.

Former governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who later chaired the National Task Force on Rice and Wheat Production, comes from Kebbi, and Nasir Idris currently serves as governor.