North East · Capital: Damaturu
Yobe State
Governor: Mai Mala Buni
Population
2,321,339
Land area
45,502 km²
Created
August 27, 1991
Governance
Mai Mala Buni (APC) has served as Governor of Yobe State since 29 May 2019, re-elected in 2023. He previously served as national Secretary to the APC and, controversially, as the party's Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee chairman from 2020 to 2021 while sitting as governor.
History
Yobe State was created on 27 August 1991 from the former Borno State, under the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida. Its northern reaches border Niger and Chad along the shrinking shores of Lake Chad, and the state has, like neighbouring Borno, faced periodic insurgency-related disruption.
Tourism
A sparsely populated Sahelian state along the Lake Chad basin, with limited formal tourism infrastructure.
- Lake Chad shoreline
- Bade dune landscapes
Agriculture
Millet, cowpea, and groundnut farming dominate, supported by irrigation from the Komadugu Yobe River system.
Millet · Cowpea · Groundnut · Gum arabic
Investment
Priority areas include agro-processing and irrigation expansion along the Komadugu Yobe basin, alongside post-insurgency reconstruction.
Agriculture · Livestock · Reconstruction
Infrastructure
Education
Yobe State University