Gombe
Sokoto jihad emirate founded in 1804 that survived three capital relocations and British conquest to become a state fusing Islamic north with diverse ethnic south.
Gombe State exists because the Sokoto jihad's eastward march created an emirate that outlasted the caliphate. Buba Yero (Abubakar), a follower of Usman dan Fodio, founded Gombe Emirate in 1804 as the jihad swept across Hausaland. The emirate moved its capital three times - from Gambe (1824) to Nafada (1913) to Doma/Gombe (1919) - adapting to religious warfare and British colonial encroachment. The 1902 Battle of Tongo marked British conquest, but emirate traditions persisted. When Gombe State emerged from Bauchi in 1996, it unified the old emirate with ethnically distinct southern areas - Tangale, Waja, Bolawa, Lunguda, and others. This north-south fusion shapes everything: the emirate's Islamic governance traditions meet diverse ethnic groups with their own customs. Agriculture employs 70% of the population, with Gombe ranking among Nigeria's largest groundnut and cotton producers. The savannah belt supports sorghum, maize, millet, beans, rice. Uranium, gypsum, and limestone deposits represent untapped mineral wealth. The cement factory at Ashaka, built near limestone deposits in the early 1970s, demonstrates industrial potential. By 2026, agricultural intensification and mineral extraction will define growth as the emirate's administrative structures absorb multi-ethnic governance demands.