The Beam: Journal of Arts & Science, Vol. 9, (2016) ISSN: 1118-5953

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION OF SOKOTO STATE 1976-2015

Nasiru Haruna and Bello Mohammed Department Of General Studies Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto [email protected] ABSTRACT History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man (Byshe, 1814). Sokoto was established by Sultan Mohammed Bello to serve as Administrative Headquarters in 1804. The availability of water and the fertile valley of the Sokoto Rima are some of the factors that influenced the settlement of Jihad leaders in the choice of Sokoto as the capital of the Caliphate. This paper examines the historical development and transformation of Sokoto Metropolis from 1976 up-to 2015. The focus will be on major social, political and economic changes that took place within the period of the study in Sokoto State. The economic activities of Sokoto people is mainly agriculture which is the major backbone of every economy in the world, the people of Sokoto specializes in both dry and wet season farming which at the end of the year, food and cash crops are been cultivated. The 1960s and 70s was the period in which the modern industries began in Sokoto i.e. Government Experimental Tannery, Zamfara Textile Factory (ZAMTEX), Cement Company of Northern (CCNN) and Sokoto Leather Industry (SOKTAN). Those were among the earlier manufacturing industries established in Sokoto. The paper discusses the contemporary history of Sokoto State.

1. INTRODUCTION Sokoto is located at about eight kilometers northeast of confluence of the Rima and Sokoto Rivers. Rima River Basin which lies between parallels 10o and 14oN of the equator and longitudes meridian has an area of about 102,500 square kilometers. It is situated within the Guinea and Sudan Savannah Zone. The environmental features of the Rima Basin and Rima River system provide surface water, these are some of the reasons for conducive environment that give a greater advantage for human economic activities. Sokoto City, the headquarters of Sokoto State is at the north-west region of Nigeria, the history of the city has been traced to the 19th century Islamic movement which led to the establishment of the Islamic state known as Sokoto Caliphate. The Caliphate was brought under the British colonial rule in March 1903, during the reign of Sultan Attahiru I who was forced to flee with many of his supporters to Burmi in Gombe State. The British Colonial regime transformed the defunct Caliphate into new administrative area called the Sokoto Province, and Sokoto became the Administrative Capital of Sokoto province. The paper, political and economic transformation of Sokoto State analyses the contemporary history of Sokoto State, since the creation in 1976 to 2015; the period in which the state experienced changes in all aspect of developments.

2. POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF SOKOTO STATE SINCE 1976 Following the conquest of Nigeria by the British, the territories of the defunct Sokoto Caliphate were Balkanized into Provinces, which were grouped to form the Northern Region of Nigeria. One of the Provinces was Sokoto Province, Province was another. By 1960 when Nigeria became independent, the country was divided into three regions, Northern, Eastern and Western Regions. In 1963, the Mid-West Region was created out of the Western Region. Details on the colonial conquests of Nigeria and its subsequent divisions have been documented by Michael Crowder, P. K. Tibendrana, etc. In 1967 the four Region-structure of Nigeria was abolished and twelve States structure were created in its place. Among the States was a merger of Sokoto Province and Niger Province to form the North-Western State, with its capital at Sokoto. In February 1976, the number of States in Nigeria was increased to nineteen (19). In this new development the former North Western State became Sokoto and Niger States. Sokoto State in 1976 was made up of Anka, Argungu, Bagudo, Birnin Kebbi, Bodinga, Bunza, Gummi, Gusau, Gwadabawa, Isa, Jega, Kaura-Namoda, Silame, Sokoto, Talata Mafara, Wurno, Yabo, Yauri and Zuru. Further to the above nineteen LGAs, in 1981, the civilian Administration in the State created additional 13 LGAs, thereby making the total number of LGAs to be 32. The Military regime that took over power from the civilians on 31st December 1983 cancelled the 13 additional Local Governments on the grounds that the financial burden was too heavy on the coffers of the State Government. Indeed, they did so to all such additional Local Governments in the country. With a change in policy by the Military junta that came into power in 1985, additional Local Governments were once again created in the country in 1989. Sokoto State was divided into 37 Local Government Areas. These 37 Local Governments were located in Sokoto State, Argungu , Emirate, Yauri Emirate and

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Zuru Emirate. In 1991, Argungu Emirate, Gwandu Emirate, Yauri Emirate and Zuru Emirate were excised from Sokoto State and made to constitute a new State called . Sokoto State was thus reduced to the territorial bounds of Sokoto State. In 1996, Zamfara State was carved out of the then Sokoto State. So, as from 1996, Sokoto State was just half of the former Sokoto State, and was about one-third of the Sokoto State of 1976. It retains this reduced size up to the present. Sokoto State is one of the 36 States in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2006, according to the National Population Commission (NPC), Sokoto State had a population of 3,696,999 people. The State had a land mass of 26,827.43 square kilometers and a population density of 97.7 person per square kilometer. That makes it the 10th State with the lowest population density. The relatively high population, and at the same time the low population density of the State, were good assets in the social, economic and political development of the area, especially if the population is educated and productive, and if the land is good for agriculture. The State currently has 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) that includes: Binji, Bodinga, Dange Shuni, Gada, Goronyo, Gwaddabawa, Gudu, Isa, Illela, Kebbe, Kware, Rabah, Sabon Birni, Shagari, Silame, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Tambuwal, Tangaza, Tureta, Wamakko, Wurno and Yabo. Headquarters is based in Sokoto town, the capital of the erstwhile Sokoto Caliphate as indicated above. Agriculture has been the mainstay of the people in the State. It is the largest employer of labour in the State, with over 80 per cent of the population engaged in both wet and dry season farming activities.

3. THE SOCIAL CHANGES OF SOKOTO STATE The people of Sokoto are predominantly populated by the Hausa people who are farmers and traders as well as fishermen. The Hausa people included Gobirawa, Zamfarawa, Katsinawa, Adarawa, Kabawa, Barebari, and the likes. Many of them were resident and itinerant traders involved in short and long distance trade, search of knowledge, etc. throughout their history. Others were producers and manufacturers involved in various crafts and industries, such as blacksmithing, weaving, leather working, dyeing etc. There were also other ethnic groups that, as a result of their interaction with the Hausa people have absorbed aspects of the Hausa culture. Such people included the Kambari, Shangawa, Bangawa, Fakkawa, Dukkawa, Dakarkari and Achifawa. All of them are now in Kebbi State. Many of them involved themselves in the above trades including fishing and livestock production apart from their traditional agricultural practices. There were also some Fulani people who were predominantly livestock keepers both as resident rearers and as pastoralists. The resident ones did some farming. In fact, the peoples of the State right from the time immemorial were hardworking and enterprising doing all sorts of economic activities to survive, develop and prosper. The people of the Caliphate cut across all ethnic and linguistic groups in what became known as northern Nigeria. The Caliphate flourished for a century (99 years) achieving most of what the founders set out to do. However, during the long period of its existence, the Caliphate faced some internal and external forces that threatened its sovereignty almost to its very foundation. There is no need to go into the aims, details Caliphate here because the history of the Jihad, the establishment of the Caliphate, its administration as well as its demise have been adequately covered by several scholars. Islam remains the major religion of Sokoto people since the establishment of the city by Sultan Muhammadu Bello in 1804 and it continued to be the foundation of the city. The culture of the people has always been governed by the Islamic religious ethics. Tolerance has always been the way of life of the people. All other aspects of life were shaped by the religion of the majority in the State. Sokoto town has always been the seat of governance since 1809 when the Caliphate was established. Right from its creation Sokoto State had been one of the most peaceful States in Nigeria.

4. ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION OF SOKOTO STATE Most societies of the world have, throughout history, regarded agriculture as a prime mover of development. It is by far the most important source of livelihood and a major creator of wealth throughout the Sokoto area, and indeed elsewhere. In Hausa land, the farm, where most of the agricultural activities have been taking place is referred to as the bank. It is the common man's bank. It is where the common man "deposits" and "withdraws" for his daily survival and prosperity. Another Hausa popular saying has it that, a farmer is a servant in the wet season but wealthy during the dry season. This statement shows the importance of wet season farming to the livelihood of the people of the State in the past and to some extent to the present. But that does not mean that wet season farming in the State was free from calamities such as droughts, floods, fire incidences, etc. These calamities have been turning bumper harvests into disasters, i.e. the cases of the 1983/4 Buhariyya and 1998 Shafa

2 Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto, Nigeria The Beam: Journal of Arts & Science, Vol. 9, (2016) ISSN: 1118-5953 droughts, 2010 unprecedented devastating flood, 2006 fire incidence that engulfed the ultra modern Sokoto Central market. Sokoto State is one of the agricultural and livestock production areas of Nigeria. The State has played a very significant role in these areas. For instance, the agricultural production of the State was mainly grains with emphasis on millet, sorghum and rice. It was reported that up to 1979-80 cropping season, the cultivated areas of the whole State amounted to 3,240,000 hectares, of which 2,962,000 hectares were sown with food crops, which accounted for 91.4 % of the total cultivated area. The report further says that the cash crops production was mainly cotton and groundnut from the cultivated land of 278,000 hectares, which made up 8.6% of the total area sown with crops during the same season. The region where Sokoto State is located is called Rima Basin, which is suitable for the cultivation and production of various crops. The most notable crops in the region included varieties of bulrush millet, sorghum, rice and beans. Others included late millet and wheat. The Zamfara area is famous in the Rima Basin region for the cultivation of cereals and was known as one of the leading producers of corn in the whole Hausa land. The alluvial soil that was available in fadama areas of the Rima Basin region also suitable for the cultivation and production of rice especially in the Kebbi area. Other crops cultivated in the region included groundnut, tobacco, cotton, indigo and many other legumes and root crops such as the potato, cassava and cocoyam. Farming in this region was dominated by what is called a grain economy, which was based on the cultivation of most of the crops mentioned above. Millet is the most widely cultivated grain and was often intercropped with sorghum and beans because the last two were often sold to obtain income to meet certain financial commitments. K. Swindle confirmed this when he said the chief areas of tobacco cultivation lied in the northeast of Sokoto State along the middle Rima and Gagare valleys adding that 70-75 per-cent of the State's production came from the Isa Local Government area. However, over the years, cotton, tobacco and indigo were no more significant in the production statistics of Sokoto State particularly from 1976. In the north of the State, even the cereal yields were now very poor and that was why the use of local manure and indeed fertilizer became essential to achieving relative productivity. Agricultural activities in the Sokoto area comprised of the cultivation of crops during the rainy season and the use of irrigation in the flood plains of rivers and streams during the dry season. Along the rivers (Sokoto, Rima, Zamfara, Ka, etc.), food and cash crops have been produced several centuries ago. In other areas of the State, especially in the south of the State, sorghum was cultivated in large quantities while in the northern parts of the State cultivation of millet predominates with a reasonable amount of beans. But in the northern parts of the State the yields of the cereals have been very poor since early 1970s because the yields annually have not been sustaining many households for more than three months after harvesting period. This situation however, was not much pronounced in the east and south of the State, as some of the shortcomings mentioned were minimal there. In almost all the areas of the State that were in the east of Sokoto State land was available for cultivation. The economy of the State is predominantly agricultural as indicated above. This is why crops and livestock form the mainstay of the economy of the State. The large quantities of rice, beans and other foodstuff cultivated in the State were transported and consumed in many parts of Southern Nigeria. Sokoto area was, and still is, endowed with great agricultural opportunities but because of the neglect and abandonment of those opportunities from the 1970s, as well as the climatic and environmental adversities, some aspects of agriculture, such as wet season farming and fishing activities, have dwindled. It is evident that over reliance on petroleum oil, which became significant source of revenue for Nigeria especially between 1973 and 1976 (the oil boom era) has led to neglect and dwindling of the importance of agriculture in the country. Agriculture which contributed in the growth and development of the country since time immemorial was relegated to the background because of easy money from petroleum oil. Other reasons were lack of adequate rainfall, lack of enough fertilizers, reduction in farm land as a result of urbanization in cities (Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi and Gusau) and desert encroachment, and reduction in soil nutrients. It was estimated that desert encroachment in Sokoto State was at the rate of 3 km annually, and that about 20 per cent of the State's land was affected by desertification. Dry season farming activities have been practiced in some parts of the Sokoto area many centuries ago. In some parts of the area, however, the activities were of later development and were seriously being pursued now, yielding fruitful results. There were however, many other areas in Sokoto area where dry season farming was not practiced due to the nature of the land. But still agriculture remained by far the most significant source of livelihoods in Sokoto area. The major types of agricultural activities in the State were upland, flood retreat, fadama and irrigated crop cultivations. The upland cultivation took place during the wet season period. Flood retreat was used to crop upland

3 Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto, Nigeria The Beam: Journal of Arts & Science, Vol. 9, (2016) ISSN: 1118-5953 when it was flooded by rain water, which remained on the land for some months and was utilized by the farmers, while fadama, was mostly the bottom of a valley or naturally flooded land. Fadama has also been defined as flood plains and low-lying areas underlined by shadow aquifers. Indeed there has been small-scale riverside cultivation for centuries in the areas of the Sokoto area, where a hand- operated water lifter was used to water crops (shaduf or kutara). The system continued for generations especially as a result of increase in population. It has been said that the best fadama farmers traditionally were the Hausa people from Sokoto and Kano, considered the most skilled horticulturalists. Not all Hausa societies have fadama lands. In many other places where it was practiced the production was small scale. Some of the usual crops cultivated during the dry season farming included onion, pepper, carrots, water melon, potato, maize, wheat, rice, sugar cane, etc. Local sugar cane factories spread well across the different parts of the Sokoto area especially between the 1950s and 1970s as a result of the mass cultivation of sugar cane. Agricultural activities in some parts of Sokoto State were dominated by onion production, which was an all-year-round activity in many parts of Gada, and in Goronyo LGAs.

Table 1: Major Areas of Wet and Dry Season Farming in Sokoto State Grains Location Tonnage Millet All LGAs 200,000 Maize All LGAs 100,000 Guinea corn All LGAs 50-100,000 Groundnut Isa, Tureta and Kebbe LGAs 20,000 Rice Wumo and Isa Local Government Areas 40,000 Beans/cowpeas All LGAs 60-70,000 Wheat Goronyo LGA 20,000 Tomato and pepper Goronyo, Wurno, Kware, Sokoto, Bodinga, 50,000 Yabo, Tambuwal and Kebbe LGAs Garlic/onions Gada, Wurno, Goronyo, Sokoto, Bodinga and 40,000 Tambuwal LGAs Cashew Tambuwal and Kebbe 10,000 Sugar-cane Yabo, Bodinga, Binji and Kware LGAs 50,000 Calabash/dessert edible Kebbe LGA No figure Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sokoto, 1999.

Livestock resources in the Sokoto area were one of the richest in Nigeria. Animals such as cattle, goats and sheep were the dominant types in the State. In the area of livestock production, the Fulani people dominated the practice up to 1970, while the Hausa people dominated and were still dominating farming in the area. Later many Hausa people also owned livestock just as the large number of Fulani had abandoned their traditional nomadic life to become sedentary cultivators. Livestock production included mobile livestock herding and was also associated with the rearing of animals in homes, particularly cattle, sheep and goats. Poultry were also reared. The economic value of livestock includes meat in form of dietary protein and energy and milk, which can also be processed into some dairy products such as yoghurt, cheese, butter, ice cream, etc. The pastoral Fulani women are traditionally known as sellers of cow milk, who use the income generated to buy other things such as food stuff, ingredients and some items of household use. Another economic benefit is fiber, where a wide range of products are obtained such as hides from cattle and skins from sheep and goats, all of which are used to make leather for use for a number of purposes. Livestock also produce fertilizer in form of manure that is often spread on farmlands to increase crop yields. The keeping of livestock at home is known to have achieved a great deal of success in this area, providing manure for farms in the State. Farmers usually compete to win the support of the pastoralists to stay in the formers' farmlands in the Sokoto area. Other categories of livestock, especially donkeys, camels and horses, provide labour, to plough the farms and to carry heavy luggage including farm produce. In the 1960s and 1970s livestock were the main source of non- human labour. They are still used for this purpose in Sokoto State including tilling the land, transportation, etc. In many areas of the State livestock herders take their animals into the various fadama lands to graze and to help to clear and control weeds and undergrowth. The foregoing listed benefits derived from livestock prove the Hausa proverb right, which says "nagge dadi goma", meaning, the cow has numerous benefits. Animal husbandry has therefore become a profession, and it was also an economic activity, which gave income not only to the Fulani but to all and sundry. In many places bulls were used to till the land. Such bulls were called shanun tarko. There was also the use of farm cart mounted on wheels

4 Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto, Nigeria The Beam: Journal of Arts & Science, Vol. 9, (2016) ISSN: 1118-5953 pulled by cattle or bulls for transportation in many areas called molar share. Other categories of livestock were kept in the various homes for fattening. There were thousands of livestock particularly sheep and goats, for sale in the various markets in the Sokoto area. As at 2009, livestock population hi Sokoto State was over 6 million. The roles of livestock production in reducing poverty in Sokoto State and elsewhere are very important. Livestock production from 1999 has become a major business in Sokoto State because many people now depend on it for income generation while some people regard it as a means for survival. Many businessmen, farmers, civil servants, etc. now combine their jobs with some livestock production. Women in particular seem to excel the men in the act of keeping livestock for income generation in Sokoto State. The main idea is to use the proceeds from livestock in solving some societal financial problems.

Table 2: The Number of Livestock in Sokoto State as at 1999 S/N LGA Cattle Sheep Goats Camel Horse Donkey 1 Binji 30,919 20,586 41,324 1,107 1,123 2,060 2 Bodinga 60,043 82,532 87,832 1,231 1,236 3,102 3 Dange-Shuni 12,116 82,413 103,206 1,012 2,061 4,058 4 Gada 46,387 16,373 18,639 1,747 524 1,124 5 Goronyo 41,202 51,516 57,769 986 2,061 2,669 6 Isa 64,067 99,911 1,030,202 1,129 2,882 4,121 7 Kware 56,668 74,028 73,229 5,946 2,577 3,091 8 Rabah 41,310 47284 47,160 924 1,852 2,172 9 Sabon Birni 54,297 927,018 803,408 2,040 2,160 3,091 10 Silame 51,620 26,766 83,130 2,159 2,060 4,250 11 Sokoto N/S 67,003 61,819 80,351 4,734 1,876 1,032 12 Tambuwal 123,712 70,164 77,263 3,720 2,149 3,994 13 Tangaza/Gudu 51,500 41,201 88,355 3,968 3,189 4,656 14 Wamakko 72,333 66,962 77,303 5,007 1,237 3,043 15 Wurno 37,602 41,407 43,994 929 1,129 1,546 16 Gwadabawa 51,507 20,493 20,416 3,069 1,131 2,624 17 Yabo/Shagari 128,767 69,122 71,950 2,896 2,147 4,104 18 Illela 41,941 20,516 18,559 1,017 1,016 1,083 19 Tureta 21,108 22,000 23,648 1,033 674 1,491 20 Kebbe 67,373 46,490 66,389 1,070 1,448 2,069 Total 1,186,473 1,988,629 2,909,141 45,544 34,232 51,387 Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sokoto 1999 records.

Fish is an important source of animal protein that ought to be taken seriously in Sokoto State. Fishing activity in the Sokoto area was not new. In 2009 there were 60,000 people engaging in both full time and part time fishing activities in Sokoto State, which represented 1.6 per cent only of the population of the State. But many of the people who engaged in fishing activities in Sokoto State were able to reduce poverty, through the proceeds, despite the increasing scarcity of the commodity consequent upon reduction of rain and water generally. On the average the fishermen in Sokoto State sold fish worth 12 Billion Naira annually. Increase in population in Sokoto State led to high demand on natural resources such as fish, which subsequently led to over-fishing, among others. The major rivers in Sokoto State are River Sokoto and River Rima. There are River Zamfara and River Ka also. All of them empty in the River Niger in Yauri Emirate. There were also some tributaries of these major rivers. It is on the major rivers in Sokoto State that the famous Kainji, Bakolori, Goronyo and the Shagari Dams were constructed in 1968, 1983, 1984 and 2006 respectively. 90 percent of the waters of the KanjI Dam are in Yauri Emirate of the former Sokoto State presently in Kebbi State. The Kainji Dam is till date the flagship of hydro electric power generation in Nigeria.

5. BUSINESS ACTIVITIES AND INDUSTRIES IN THE SOKOTO STATE The main economic activities of the people of Sokoto area ever since included. Farming, blacksmithing, weaving, tanning, dyeing, carving, etc. The economic activities still exist in Sokoto State and a number of academic works have been done on them. Business activities in the Sokoto area were also conducted along these economic activities. Most of the business activities of the people were of small-scale and many of them insignificant in generating substantial incomes. A major feature of the business activities in the Sokoto area has been trading. Manufacturing activities and the provision of services were negligible in the area until fairly recently.

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Trading in the area involved various items of trade, particularly agricultural produce mainly grains and livestock. These two items have been traded in all the parts of the Sokoto area since time immemorial. Large scale commerce in grains, fruits, vegetables and livestock was not unexpected because the Sokoto area was one of the areas that produced them in abundance. The commerce in them was brisk. Various markets existed in the area where these items were marketed. Some of the major markets in the Sokoto area included Illela, Gwadabawa, Gada, Tangaza, Achida, Tambuwal, etc. where grains and livestock, as well as other items, were traded. These markets compliment the large scale businesses going on in the Sokoto Metropolis. Indeed, Sokoto town has been the Headquarters of various administrative units, right from the period of the Jihad of 1804 to the present. The history of the town from 1804 needs no special mention here because it has already been studied by such scholars as Saleh Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman, etc. But the fact remains that the town is expected to have grown more than any other part of the Caliphate or at least the State. It is said that the designation of Sokoto as the seat of the State Capital in 1976 should have acted as "powerful stimulant for the formation of limited liability companies and the emergence of a particularly energetic commercial class in the larger urban centres of the State” On the contrary, the State has not recorded that feat as expected but continued to lag behind, several decades after the State was created. There were no substantial heavy-duty or even medium sized industries in the State for a number of years. This situation was witnessed throughout the State until later when some industries started to emerge. Many of these newly established industries also crumbled one after the other.

Table 3: Industrial establishment in Sokoto in 1970s and 1980s Name of Industry Products Ownership Location Cement Company of Cement Fed/State/Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Northern Nigeria Sokoto Tannary Hide & Skin State/Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Dange Leather Factory Hide & Skin Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Government Hide & Skin Federal Government Aliyu Jedo Road, Experimental Tannary Sokoto Bawan Jallah Leather Hide & Skin Private Ahmadu Bello Way, Works Sokoto Zamfara Textile Factory Cotton State/Private Gusau Textile Gusau Sheet Factory Cotton Private Gusau Textile Sokoto Furniture Furniture State/Private Abdullahi Fodiyo Rd., Factory Sokoto Consolidated Industries Matches & State/Private Abdullahi Fodiyo Rd., Ltd Allied Sokoto Products Gusau Oil Mill Vegetable State/Private Gusau Oil Sokoto Ilmi Industry Chalk & State/Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Books British Cotton Growers Cotton Bated Private Mayanci Association (BCG) Labella Ceramic Ceramics Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Industries (Ltd) Sokoto Soft Drink Soft Drinks Private Bye Pass Rd., Sokoto Factory Sokoto Foam Factory Foams Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Habib Foam Foams Private Kalambaina Rd., Sokoto Burnt Bricks Blocks Blocks Private Wurno Source: Sokoto State Ministry of Commerce and Industries 1990 record.

Between 1960 and 1975, an area in Sokoto metropolis known as Kalambaina was carved out as an industrial layout for future industrial development in the area. Subsequently, the only major industry in the area, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) was established at the layout in 1964. According to many sources, the company was never in full production until much later due to

6 Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto, Nigeria The Beam: Journal of Arts & Science, Vol. 9, (2016) ISSN: 1118-5953 certain factors. The industry was still operating producing large quantities of cement for sales in Nigeria. Between I960 and 1975 some industries were established in Sokoto area such as SOKOTAN for leather goods, Sokoto Experimental Tanning in 1963, Dange Leather Factory in 1986, Labela Ceramics in 1987, Sokoto Furniture Factory Limited and others such as matches and foam industries. In Gusau town, which was second in place after Sokoto town in terms of the location of industries in the Sokoto area, some companies were also established, such as Zamfara Textile Industries (ZTIL), Gusau Oil Mills, Ginneries, Gusau Sweet industries etc. The Gusau Oil Mills was adjudged as the first vegetable oil mill in Nigeria to extract oil from cotton seeds for both animal and human consumption. There was also a factory for making sweets in Gusau town. It was one of the oldest sweets making companies in Nigeria. The factory was known as Abdalla Sweet Factory. From 1999 to 2015, many different commercial activities were taking place in the metropolis of Sokoto that shaped the economic activities in the State.

6. CONCLUSION Sokoto has a long and rich history with an impressive culture and a viable economic that is mainly agricultural resources, which if harnessed, could transform the state and the country in general to a developed society. Favorable economic policies may invite investors from all parts of the country and beyond to come and exploit the available resources for the state to industrialize and to create more job opportunities and reduce poverty among the people of the state. What the state needs is basically good leadership which has the people at heart, one that believes in justice and fair play to all more especially the youth who are the vanguard of social and economic change and development.

7. REFERENCES Abubakar, S., (1982). Birnin Shehu, The City of Sokoto: A Social and Economic History, Unpublished PhD Thesis, ABU Zaria. Adamu, M., (1990). A General History of the Sokoto Caliphate, in A. M. Kani, and K.A. Gandi (eds.) State and Society in the Sokoto Caliphate, published by Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, p. 10. Adeleye, R.A., (1971). Power and Diplomacy in Northern Nigeria 1804-1906, London: Longman. Arnett, E.J., (1920). Resident, Sokoto, Gazetteer of Sokoto Province, London: Waterloo and Sons Ltd, for more p. 9. Augie, A.R., (1984). “The Factor in the Social and Political History of the Rima Basin, 1650 to 1808 AD”, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Blench, R., (2004). Natural Resource Conflicts in North-Central Nigeria, London: Malam Dendo Limited, p. 1 Blench, R., (2004). Natural Resource Conflicts in North-Central Nigeria, London: Malam Dendo Limited, p. 70. Bobboyi, H., and Yakubu, A.M., (eds.) (2006). The Sokoto Caliphate: History and Legacies, 1804- 2004, Volumes One and Two, Kaduna: Arewa House. Byshe, S., (1814). An hour of History: Poem, London. China Agricultural Study Team, (1982). Agricultural Report of Sokoto State, Nigeria, Produced by China Agricultural Study Team to Sokoto State, Pp. 1-11. China Agricultural Study Team, (1982). Agricultural Report of Sokoto State, Nigeria, p. 1. Crowder, M., (1978). The Story of Nigeria, London: Faber and Faber. Dunmoye, R.A., (1987). Agriculture and Economic Growth with Special Reference to the Developing Countries: A survey of Relevant Theories, in O. Oculi (ed.), Nigerian Alternatives, Zaria, p. 148. Gamji Bank of Nigeria Plc. (1991). Investment Potentials in Sokoto and Kebbi States, a Publication of Gamji Bank of Nigeria Plc. Integrated Research Group, (2000). Tackling environmental Problems for Sustainable Development by a research report written by Integrated Research Group for Senior Executive Course, No. 22, being a Local Study tour Report of Sokoto State, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, p. 15. Jabo, M.K., (1992). “Modern Manufacturing Industries in Metropolitan Sokoto 1960-1990”, Unpublished M. A. History, Department of History, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, pp. 116-197. Khalid, S.A., (1997). Socio-Economic Study of the Transformation of Migrant Qur’anic School System (Almajirci) in Sokoto Metropolis 1976-1995, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Sociology, Bayero University, Kano, p. 38.

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Kwaire, M., (1992). A Historical Study of Cloth and Leather Dyeing in Sakkwato, 1960-1990, Unpublished M. A. History, U.D.U. Sokoto. Last, M., (1968). The Sokoto Caliphate, London. Main, H.A.C., (1981). Time-space Study of Daily Activity in Urban Sokoto, Nigeria, Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Liverpool, June 1981. Maishanu, H.M., (2006). Five Centuries of Historical Writing in Hausa land and Borno, 1500-2000, Nigeria: Macmillan. Mansur, A.A., (2011). Oral Interview, aged 44, on 28/12/2014 in his office. Ministry of Information, Home Affairs and Culture, Sokoto, (1988). Sokoto State: Its people and Environment. A Government publication, p. 2. National Population Commission, (2006). Statement given by the Chairman of NPC in Abuja and obtained from the State Director of the Commission, Sokoto State Office. Okongwu, C.S.P., (1987). The Nigerian Economy: Anatomy of a traumatized Economy with some proposal for stabilization, Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishing company, Ltd. 1986, O. Oculi (ed.), Nigerian Alternatives, Zaria. Sokoto State Government’s Diary, (2005). Obtained at the Sokoto Agricultural Development Project (SADP), Sokoto. Sokoto State Government of Nigeria, (2008). Investors Guide to the Agro and Minerals Resources of Sokoto State, a Publication of the Sokoto State Government of Nigeria. Sokoto State Government, (1998). Report of the Committee to Project the Future of Sokoto State, a Publication of the Sokoto State Government. Sulaiman, A., (1987). The Islamic State and the Challenge of History: Ideals, Policies and Operation of the Sokoto Caliphate, London. Swindle, K., (1982). Sokoto State in Maps: an atlas of physical and human resources, University Press Limited. Swindle, K., (1982). “Tobacco” in Sokoto State in Maps: An Atlas of Physical and Human Resources, University Press Limited, p.42. Udo, R. K., (1970). The Nigerian Sudan and the Eastern borderlands, in Reuben K. Udo, Geographical Regions of Nigeria, London, Heinemann, p. 170. Usman, I., (2010). The History of Growth and Development of Metropolitan Sokoto, 1960 to 2007, A History PhD Thesis, Department of History, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. Usman, Y.B., (ed.) (1979). Studies in the History of the Sokoto Caliphate Sokoto Seminar Papers, Zaria: A.B.U. Wali, M.A., (1984). The Medicalization of Health in Sokoto State, Unpublished MPA Dissertation, submitted to the Department of Political Theory and Institution, Faculty of Social and Environmental Studies, University of Liverpool, p. 27.

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