Gwandu
Overview
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
in Kebbi State
Kebbi State
Kebbi State is a state in north-western Nigeria with its capital at Birnin Kebbi. The state was formed from part of Sokoto State in 1991. Kebbi State is bordered by Sokoto State, Niger State, Dosso Region in the Republic of Niger and the nation of Benin. It has a total area of...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The seat of government for the emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
and district of this name is in Birnin Kebbi
Birnin Kebbi
Birnin Kebbi is a city located in northwestern Nigeria. It is the capital city of Kebbi State and headquarters of the Gwandu Emirate. As of 2007 the city has an estimated population of 115,547....
, which is the capital of Kebbi State and was capital of the historical Kingdom of Kebbi. Originally founded in the sixteenth century by the Kebbawa, a Hausa-speaking
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
people, Gwandu today acts as one of the four emirates composing Kebbi State. The Emir of Gwandu is, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Iliyasu, who replaced Alhaji Al-Mustapha Muhammadu Jokolo the Emir that was deposed by the governor on June 3, 2005, and is currently seeking reinstatement to the position in the Kebbi State high court.