Ethnic/Language Groups:

There are many ethnic groups in the state. The major ones are the Gerawa, Ningawa (Tera Ningawa), Hausa, Fulani and the Tangale. Several smaller groups exist, including the Bajar people in Dass LGA; the Sawaya tribe in Tafawa Balewa LGA; the Ganji Makwi/Kare-Kare people in Misau LGA; the Badawa people in Gamawa LGA; the Zilawa and the Zarandawa peoples, both in Bauchi LGA.

Population Structure and Distribution:

Inland Bank Headquaters,Bauchi

According to the 1991 census figures, Bauchi State recorded a total of 3,295,337 people (or 3.7 per cent of Nigeria's total), made up of 1,448,526 males and 1,377,578 females. This is a sex ratio of 105 males to 100 females (or 100 males to 95.17 females); and a crude density of 57.36 persons per sq.km in the state. As shown in Table 5.4, out of the twenty LGAs, Bauchi LGA which contains the state capital had, expectedly, the highest population (about 9.7 per cent of the state's total population). It was followed by Ningi (8.5 per cent), and Alkaleri (7.7 per cent) LGAs.

Urban and Rural Development: Several major towns and small urban centres exist in the state. The most important one is Bauchi town, the state capital. Others are essentially the relatively older or newer LGA headquarters which have also received considerable in-migrants. They include Azare, Misau, Jama'are, Ningi, Toro, Dass, Darazo, Alkaleri, Tafawa Balewa, Shira, Gamawa, Hardawa, Chinede and Giade.

Bauchi town, located at latitude 10°17' North and longitude 9°49" North, is the dominant urban centre in the state. It covers an area of over 35,400 sq.km, and most of the 398,190 inhabitants of Bauchi LGA live within the city and its environs. It enjoys a rainfall total of up to 1091.4mm annually; its hottest month is usually April (with 40.56°C), while the coldest months are December and January with typically 6.11°C and 7.22°C, respectively. The minimum and maximum annual temperatures in the city are, respectively, 18.33°C and 32.39°C.

The city is said to have been founded about the year 1753 by one Yakubu, the first Emir of Bauchi. The name of the town is said to have been derived from a famous hunter, Baushe. The pace of urbanisation has increased substantially in the city and in the state in general, over the years, as more and more people move to the urban centres, even from other parts of Nigeria.

The population of the state is, however, predominantly rural and agricultural. About eighty percent of the people in most of the LGAs are still dependent on farming.Maize, rice, cassava, groundnut and cotton cultivation is widespread, largely in small peasant farms, but also in some large farms owned by a few big farmers. In recent years, the Agricultural Development Project (ADP), established in the state through World Bank assistance, as well as the Hadejia-Jama'are River Valley project, have helped to increase agricultural production and rural development generally.

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi

It was estimated that during the 1988/89 crop year, Bauchi State produced about 28,000 metric tonnes of maize, 5,000 metric tonnes of rice, and 5,000 metric tonnes of cassava. Of considerable importance in parts of the state, particularly Toro and Bauchi LGAs, are tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and other market-gardening products, which are sent to markets within and outside the state.

The state is an area of in-migration of persons from Kano, Katsina and Sokoto states involved in rural-rural movement in the country. In addition, many lgbos, Yorubas and other southern ethnic groups also migrate into the state, especially to the urban centres.