Katsina State ( جىهر كثينا; 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢) is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Katsina State borders the Republic of Niger to the north for 250 km (155 miles) and the States of Jigawa for 164 km (102 miles) and Kano to the east, Kaduna to the south for 161 km (100 miles) and Zamfara to the west. States. Nicknamed the "Home of Hospitality", Both the state capital and the town of Daura have been described as "ancient seats of Islamic culture and learning" in Nigeria. Katsina State was created in 1987 when it was split from Kaduna State. With over 5,800,000 residents as of 2006, Katsina State is the fifth most populous state in the country, despite the fact that it only ranks 17th out of 36 states in terms of area. Demographically, the Hausa people are the largest ethnic group in the state, and Islam is the most practised religion. In 2005, Katsina became the fifth state in Nigeria to adopt Sharia law. The current Governor of Katsina State is Dikko Umar Radda, a member of the All Progressives Congress and ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The state is considered a political stronghold of Buhari, a native of Daura, who won the state in the 2019 presidential election with almost 80% of the vote. In recent years, Katsina has been one of the Nigerian states hit hardest by local banditry and terrorism. In 2020, over 300 children were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram in the town of Kankara.

Demography

Hausa are the largest ethnic group in the state

Religion

The state is predominantly Muslim and the Gobarau Minaret is an important building therein. Sharia is valid in the entire state but mainly for the Muslims. The Church of Nigeria has a Diocese of Katsina. The Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Roman Catholic Church and many other churches are present in the state.

History

Geography

Katsina State is about 23,938 km2. It is situated between latitude 11°07'49" and 13°22' 57" N and longitude 6°52'03" E and 9°9'02" E. The state is from the tropical grassland known as savannah to the north and the state has two major seasons which are the rainy season and dry season.

Climate

Katsina has a tropical steppe climate, bordering on a tropical savanna climate. The city's yearly temperature is 30.89 °C (87.6 °F) and it is 1.43% higher than Nigeria's averages. Katsina typically receives about 791.61 millimeters of precipitation and has 54.63 rainy days (14.97% of the time) annually.

Local government areas

Katsina State comprises 34 local government areas:

Education

Katsina State is a centre of both formal and informal education. Umaru Musa Yar'adua University is a public university owned by the state government. Al-Qalam University, the first Islamic university in Nigeria is privately owned. Federal University, Dutsin-Ma and Federal University of Transportation, Daura are owned by the federal government as well as Federal College of Education, Katsina (affiliated to Bayero University Kano ). National Open University of Nigeria, Isa Kaita College of Education Dutsinma (affiliated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria), a state-owned college of education. Cherish Institute Batsari is a privately owned university awarding degrees in health courses.

Transport

Federal highways

Eight roads to the Republic of Niger

Other major roads

Airport

Katsina State is serviced by the Katsina Airport which has regular services to Abuja and Lagos.

Notable people

Politics

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 Katsina.

Electoral system

The governor of each 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's 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.