Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, on the

Kaduna River The Kaduna River is a tributary of the Niger River which flows for through Nigeria. It got its name from the crocodiles that lived in the river and surrounding area. Kaduna in the native dialect, Hausa, was the word for "crocodiles". It starts ...

. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern Nigeria, with its rail and important road network. The population of Kaduna was at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census. Rapid urbanization since 2005 has created an increasingly large population, now estimated to be around 1.3 million. The project population of people in Kaduna state as at 2021 is 8.9 million people.

Etymology

The etymology of the word ''Kaduna'' is said to be a corruption of the Hausa word for "crocodiles", ''Kaddani'' in the Hausa language (''kaduna'' being the plural form). Another version of the name proposes a link to the Gbagyi word/name 'Odna', meaning 'river'.

History

Kaduna was founded by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonists in 1900. The first British governor of Northern Nigeria, Sir Frederick Lugard, chose the present site for development due to its proximity to the Lagos-Kano Railway. It became the capital of Nigeria's former Northern Region in 1917, and retained this status until 1967. The city is still influential as the headquarters of various political, military and cultural organizations especially in northern Nigeria.

Economy

River Kaduna and Old Railway Bridge, Another View

Industries

Kaduna is a major industrial centre in Northern Nigeria, manufacturing products like

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s, machinery, steel,

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

products and bearings. However, the textile industry has been in decline due to recent Chinese imports and factory closures caused by years of neglect during the military dictatorship in Nigeria. Other light manufactures include: plastics, pharmaceuticals,

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

goods, furniture, and televisions.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

is also a major industry in Kaduna, and as such, the Bank of Agriculture has its headquarters in the city. Some of the main agricultural exports include: cotton, peanuts, sorghum, and ginger. Kaduna also has a branch of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Automobile manufacturing The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...

also remains an important part of Kaduna's economy. Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria has an

assembly plant A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

in Kaduna. Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), one of Nigeria's four main oil refineries is located in Kaduna. It is supplied by a pipeline from the Niger Delta oil fields. A 2009

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

survey states that Kaduna is one of the top six cities with the highest

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

. 20% of the population was estimated to be unemployed.

Sports and tourism

There is a large

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

named Murtala Mohammed Square, approximately round, inside which is found the Kaduna Polo Club. Kaduna Golf Club is also located within the Kaduna CBD. Other Sports facilities include the Ahmadu Bello Stadium and Ranchers Bees Stadium. There are several hotels in the city.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure network in the city are currently being developed under the administration of Nasir el-Rufai. Kaduna has an inland dry port. The Nigerian military has several installations in the city including the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration of ...

Airport

The city is served by Kaduna International Airport. The airport commenced operations in 1982. The Nigerian Air Force maintains a presence in the city.

Railways

Kaduna is also on the route of the planned Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway, which has been completed between the national capital of Abuja and Kaduna. Trains for Abuja depart from the Rigasa Railway Station in Kaduna. Kaduna is an important junction on Nigeria's Cape gauge railway network. At Kaduna, a branch line connects the

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

–Nguru Railway to the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri railway.

Education

Kaduna is popularly known as the centre of learning, as evident from the numerous educational institutions located in the state. Tertiary Institutions in Kaduna city include: *

Kaduna State University Kaduna State University is located in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was established in 2004. It has seven faculties with over 39 departments and a library that contains over 17,000 volumes of books. It has two campuses: Kafanchan and Kaduna. ...

(NDA), Kaduna * Greenfield University Kaduna * National Open University of Nigeria, Kaduna Study Center *

Air Force Institute of Technology The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air For ...

, Kaduna *

National Teachers Institute The National Teachers' Institute (NTI) is a single-mode distance learning institution focused on teacher education. The institute has satellite campuses in all the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. History The National Teachers' Institute w ...

(NTI), Kaduna * School of Midwifery Kaduna * Kaduna Polytechnic (1968), Kaduna *

National board for Islamic and Arabic studies National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

*Kaduna Business School * Dialogue Institute Kaduna *Institute of Ophthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna. *National board for Arabic and Islamic studies *National center for nomadic education *Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State

Places of worship

Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

, there are churches and mosques. Sultan Bello Mosque is the biggest and a central mosque in Kaduna. There are also churches:

Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of England. it gives its membership as "over 18 mi ...

(

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

), Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

Nigerian Baptist Convention Nigerian Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination, affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, in Nigeria. The office headquarters is in Ibadan, Nigeria. Rev. Dr. Israel Adélaní Àkànjí MFA is the president. History The Nige ...

(

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...

), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna (

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Mountain of fire and miracles ministries, North central 2 Mega Regional HQ A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

(http://www.mountainoffire.org),

Universal Reformed Christian Church, Kaduna Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

(Protestant Church).

Climate

Notable people

* Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the "underwear bomber" suspect of the terrorist arson attempt on Northwest flight 253 in December 2009, grew up here and returned to the city on holiday. *

Tijani Babangida Tijani Babangida (born 25 September 1973) is a Nigerian former professional footballer, who played as a winger. Known for his pace, his playing style was sometimes compared to that of Marc Overmars. Babangida spent the majority of his playing c ...

, footballer who played winger with Ajax * Celestine Babayaro, footballer who played mainly in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

* Michael Eneramo, footballer * Fiona Fullerton, British actress and former

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...

* Leke James, footballer * Shehu Musa Yaradua politician and elder statesman * Zamani Lekwot, statesman *

Umaru mutallab Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab (born 15 December 1939) is a Nigerian businessman and financier, who served under the military government of General Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo. Mutallab was described by ''The New York Times'' as "among ...

Nigerian business mogul * Hassan usman katsina elder statesman. * Magaji Muhammed politician and elder statesman. * Mamman daura elder statesman * Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, politician * Mohammed Namadi Sambo, politician *

Shehu Sani Shehu Sani (born 29 October 1967) is a Nigerian senator, an author, playwright and a human rights activist. He is the President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria - (CRCN). and the Chairman of Hand-in-Hand, Africa. He was a leading figur ...

, politician *

Uba Sani Uba Sani (born 31 December 1970) is a Nigerian politician and the incumbent senator for Kaduna Central senatorial district of Kaduna State at the National Assembly (Nigeria), National Assembly Abuja and also the APC governorship aspirant. He was ...

, politician * Dahiru Sadi, footballer * Adam A Zango,

Kannywood Hausa-language cinema, known informally as Kannywood, is the Hausa-language film industry of Northern Nigeria. It is based in Kano. Kannywood Kannywood is the sobriquet for Hausa-language cinema. It is a part of the larger Nigerian cinema, ...

actor, musician, singer and dancer. * Talib Zanna (born 1990), basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

* Efe Ambrose, footballer who played for the

Nigeria national football team The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in men's international football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners, with their most recent title in 2013. In April 1994, ...

was born and raised here

References

External links

{{Authority control State capitals in Nigeria Populated places in Kaduna State Cities in Nigeria 1913 establishments in the Northern Nigeria Protectorate Populated places established in 1913