Kaduna State

Kaduna, usually referred to as Kaduna State to distinguish it from the city of Kaduna, is a state in Northwest Nigeria. Its capital is Kaduna.

History

The word 'Kaduna' is said to be a corruption of a Gbagyi word/name for a river. Another version of the etymology of the name is a narrative linked to the Hausa word for crocodile - but this is contested by the Gbagyi ethnic group known to have lived in the area for centuries. It is therefore indicative that the name, Kaduna, was taken-up by Lord Frederick Lugard and his colonial colleagues when they moved the capital of the then Northern Region from Zungeru to Kaduna in 1916. This move of the colonial office to Kaduna started 1912-1918/20 with the initial effort having been made in 1902 from Jebba to Zungeru.

At the start of British colonial rule in northern Nigeria the people groups who live in the area became 'Northern Nigerians'- a construct which continues even till date. By 1967 these people groups again were carved into 'North Central State' and this was the case until 1975 that 'Kaduna State' was formerly created by the then military leader, Gen. Murtala Mohammed, with all distinct identities amalgamated into one state without a referendum. The state hence is the successor of the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna which is now the state capital to about 6.3 million people (Nigerian census figure, 2006).

Kaduna

Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-western Nigeria, 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, and this is believed to have grown to over 1.8 million as of 2013. The symbol of Kaduna is the crocodile, called kada in the native Hausa language.

History

Kaduna was founded by the British in 1913 and became the capital of Nigeria's former Northern Region in 1917. It retained this status until 1967. Persons hailing from Kaduna include Efe Ambrose, Emmanuel Babayaro, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab ("the underwear bomber"), Celestine Babayaro and Fiona Fullerton (British actress and former Bond girl). The Nigerian Islamic umbrella association Jama’atu Nasril Islam is based in the city.

Religious strife