Maidaguri
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Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of
Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border ...
in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal
Ngadda River The Ngadda River is a seasonal river in Nigeria that flows into Lake Chad and the Chad Basin. The Alau Dam built on the river has interfered with fertile seasonal floodplains in the region of Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the large ...
which disappears into the ''Firki'' swamps in the areas around
Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...
. Maiduguri was founded in 1907 as a military outpost by the British and has since grown rapidly with a population exceeding a million by 2007.


History


Early period

The region was home to the Kanem-Bornu Empire for centuries. Maiduguri actually consists of two cities: Yerwa to the West and Old Maiduguri to the east. Yerwa was founded in 1907 by
Abubakar Garbai of Borno Abu Bakr bin Ibrahim al-Kanemi (Bukr Garubai, or Abubakar Garbai) ibn Ibrahim was the Shehu of Borno from 1902 to 1922. Reign Bukar Garbai (or Abubakar Garbai) ibn Ibrahim was the Shehu of Bornu from 1902 to 1922 and previous to that served as ...
as the capital of the Bornu Kingdom. The location had before that been a small village known as Kalwa. This involved the transfer of the capital of the Kanuri people from Kukawa. Old Maiduguri was selected by the British as their military headquarters in 1908 replacing Mafoni. The same year it became the location for the British Resident Commissioner over British Bornu. Maiduguri was not a City until 1960 when Nigeria became gained independence. In 1957 Yerwa became the designated name for the urban centre while Maiduguri was officially applied as the name of the surrounding rural area. In 1964 the railway was extended here which led to its rise as a major commercial center in the region. The city was once known as a "hub of Islamic scholarship in West Africa that ...
aught "Zero" is the usual name for the number 0 in English. In British English "nought" is also used. In American English "naught" is used occasionally for zero, but (as with British English) "naught" is more often used as an archaic word for nothing. "N ...
tolerance and hospitality like its welcoming neem trees." Maiduguri is one of the fifteen LGAs that constitute the Borno Emirate, a
traditional state Traditional authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that " things have always been that way".Reinhard Bendi ...
located in Borno State, Nigeria.


Islamist violence

Since the mid-1960s, Maiduguri has witnessed outbreaks of large inter-religious riots. Members of religious sects led intercommunal violence in 1982 and 2001. On 18 February 2006, riots related to the Muhammad cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten left at least 15 people dead, and resulted in the destruction of approximately 12 churches. Soldiers and police quelled the riots, and the government temporarily imposed a curfew. In 2002,
Muslim cleric In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
Mohammed Yusuf founded the Islamist group
Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...
in Maiduguri, establishing a mosque and a madrasa that attracted children from poor Muslim families from both Nigeria and neighboring countries.


Boko Haram attacks

The city is the heart of the Boko Haram insurgency and is the city which is most often attacked by the group.Blasts kill 4, injure 18 in northeastern Nigeria
/ref> In late July 2009, Maiduguri was the worst-hit location of major religious violence in northern Nigeria committed by Boko Haram, which left over 700 people dead. On 14 May 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
in northeast Nigeria, including Borno State, due to the militant activity of Boko Haram. The entire city was under overnight curfew, and trucks have been prevented from entering the city. Twelve areas of the city that are known to be strongholds of Boko Haram are under permanent curfew. On 18 June 2013, Boko Haram militants attacked a school as students were taking an exam; nine students were killed. In 2014, Boko Haram bombed Maiduguri in
January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...
, July and
November November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars, the fourth and last of four months to have a length of 30 days and the fifth and last of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. No ...
. On 10 January 2015, a bomb attack was executed at the Monday Market in Maiduguri, killing 19 people. In the early hours of 25 January, Boko Haram launched a major assault on the city. On 26 January, CNN reported that the attack on Maiduguri by "hundreds of gunmen" had been repelled, but the nearby town of
Monguno Monguno is one of the LGAs Local Government Area of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. Landscape Monguno has a total landscape area of 1,913 km Population Monguno has a population of 109,851 at the 2006 census. Postal Code The po ...
was captured by Boko Haram. The Nigerian Army claimed to have successfully repelled another attack on Maiduguri on 31 January 2015. On 17 February 2015, Monguno subsequently fell to the Nigerian military in a coordinated air and ground assault. On 7 March 2015, five suicide bomb blasts left 54 dead and 143 wounded. On 30 May 2015, Boko Haram launched another attack on the city, killing thirteen people. In March 2017 Boko Haram again bombed Maiduguri.


Giwa barracks

The Giwa barracks and detention centre in Maiduguri has been subject to multiple attacks by Boko Haram. In 2014, reports suggested that 600 people were killed in an attack, though most were detainees killed by soldiers. It was attacked in January/February 2015, bombed in March 2015, and attacked again in May 2015. In May 2016,
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
released a report on the Giwa barracks detention centre, calling it a "place of death." The report alleges the facilities house about 1,200 people (including 120 children) and that many of these were detained arbitrarily. It further claims that 149 detainees had died in the first half of 2016, including 11 children. In 2019, Amnesty International (AI) and Concerned Nigerians (CN) called for investigation into alleged abuse of women and children in the facility. Tramadol addiction has become a concern in the Maduguri region, as Boko Haram fighters and local residents turn to the drug to cope with physical pain, personal loss, and the emotional consequences of violence.


Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as
hot semi-arid Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a wine tasting descriptor Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand **Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot District ...
(BSh). The highest record temperature was on 28 May 1983, while the lowest record temperature was on 26 December 1979. Tree planting was a priority of the city's colonial administration, and large trees along major roads give protection from intense sun.


Normal Temperature in Maiduguri

The hot season goes on for 2.4 months, from March 13 to May 26, with a typical everyday high temperature above 102°F. The most blazing month of the year in Maiduguri is May, with a typical high of 103°F and low of 79°F. The cool season goes on for 2.1 months, from July 20 to September 23, with a typical everyday high temperature underneath 92°F. The coldest month of the year in Maiduguri is January, with a typical low of 59°F and high of 92°F


Demographics

Maiduguri is estimated to have a population of 1,907,600, as of 2007. It grew in size by between 2002 and 2012. Its residents are mostly
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
including Kanuri, Hausa, Shuwa,
Bura Bura may refer to: Places * Bura (Achaea), a city in Greece * Boura, Burkina Faso (disambiguation), also spelled Bura * Bura, Iran (disambiguation) * Bura, Taita-Taveta District, Kenya * Bura, Tana River District, Kenya People and civilizatio ...
, Marghi, and Fulani ethnic groups. There is also a considerable
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
population and people from Southern states such as the Igbo, Ijaw, and
Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...
. Miduguri had 22 internally displaced persons camps in 2019, including Shagari camp with 48 households, and Cherubim & Seraphim camp with 65 households. The NYC (National Youth Service) in Maiduguri housed 4,800 displaced people in 2016. Goni Kachallari had 340 families in 2016. Languages spoken in the camps include Fulani, Fulfulde, Gamargu, Hausa (8.4% native speakers), Kanuri (53.5% native speakers), Shuwa Arabic, and Marghi (15.6%). About a third of survey respondents had comprehension of a simple English audio sample; close to 100% had comprehension of audio messaging in either Hausa or Kanuri.


Transport

The city lies at the end of a railway line connecting Port Harcourt,
Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...
, Kafanchan,
Kuru Kuru may refer to: Anthropology and history * Kuru (disease), a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with the cannibalistic funeral practices of the Fore people * Kuru (mythology), part of Meithei mythology * Kuru Kingdom, ...
,
Bauchi Bauchi (earlier Yakoba) is a city in northeast Nigeria, the Administrative center of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. It is located on the northern edge of the Jos Plateau ...
, and finally Maiduguri. The city is served by the Maiduguri International Airport.


Economy

Maiduguri is the principal trading hub for north-eastern Nigeria. Its economy is largely based on services and trade with a small share of manufacturing. Maiduguri is home to three markets which include a modern "Monday market". that has a spectacular image view. The city has an appealing layout, with wide, well-maintained streets, sidewalks and flood management ditches. Electricity is provided by grid connections, solar power and by generators. The values of land and properties are high. A 2009 survey of property markets in Nigeria positioned Maiduguri as the third most expensive for buying and renting in after
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
and Lagos. A journalist who described local commerce wrote that "on the edge of the city, never-ending lines of lorries spend days waiting to take their cargoes to Dikwa and beyond to neighbouring Cameroon." "Transport of goods to land-locked countries such as Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan" has suffered due to road ambushes. Rural-urban migration to Maiduguri, combined with migration from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has led to increases in poverty and unemployment
Firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
gathering is a source of income for newer residents who have been displaced by violence, and the harvest shortfalls resulting from climate change. Members of Maiduguri's official Association of Firewood Sellers provide labor for tree replanting efforts. An additional source of support for displaced persons is a mobile phone-based cash distribution site which was set up by the World Food Programme and the Nigerian Government.


Education

The University of Maiduguri was founded in 1975. There is also the College of Medical Sciences. Other higher institutions include the
Borno State University Borno State University is in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. It was established in 2016. It has five faculties with over 20 departments. The pioneer and current vice chancellor of the university is Prof. Umar Kyari Sandabe. In June 2021, the u ...
,
Ramat Polytechnic Ramat Polytechnic is a state tertiary institution of learning in Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria. It was established by the government of the defunct North-Eastern State in January 1973 as Government Technical College. Background The College wa ...
, College of Agriculture and College of Education, Muhammad Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies, College of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Technology and El-kanemi College of Islamic Theology, Annahada College of Science and Islamic Studies. As of 2011, the Future Prowess Islamic School provided a free, co-ed Western and Islamic education to orphans and vulnerable children.


Places of worship

Among places of worship are predominantly
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
mosques. There are also
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
churches and temples : Church of Nigeria ( Anglican Communion), Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN),
Presbyterian Church of Nigeria The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria is a Presbyterian church in the Nigeria and subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith. The denomination has ten synods, more than 50 presbyteries and over 4,000 congregations, and almost 8,000 ministers a ...
( World Communion of Reformed Churches), Nigerian Baptist Convention ( Baptist World Alliance),
Living Faith Church Worldwide Living Faith Church Worldwide (also known as Winners' Chapel) is an Evangelical charismatic Christian denomination and a megachurch. The headquarters is located in Ota, Nigeria. The organization has since become a global network of churches w ...
, Redeemed Christian Church of God,
Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
, Roman Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri ( Catholic Church).


Sports and leisure

It is home to the El-Kanemi Warriors, a football team and the city has an active local football league. The Kyarimi Park is the oldest and largest zoo in Nigeria. The zoo attracts thousands of visitors per year. The city is within a short driving distance to picnic areas in Alo Lake and Zambiza game reserve.


See also

* Railway stations in Nigeria * University of Maiduguri


References


Further reading


Maiduguri: The jewel in the Sahara
Ikenna Emewu. Daily Sun (Nigeria), 7 August 2004.
"Maiduguri."
Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. accessed 3 April 2009
Nigeria's Borno state adopts Sharia
Barnaby Phillips, BBC. Saturday, 19 August 2000.
Nigerian photographer captures Maiduguri life beyond Boko Haram
23-9-2016 *Rupert Kawka (ed), Ibrahim Walad, Frauke Jäger, Rupert Kawka et al. From Bulamari to Yerwa to Metropolitan Maiduguri. Interdisciplinary Studies on the Capital of Borno State, Nigeria. Series: Westafrikanische Studien Volume 24. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Cologne (2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maiduguri, Nigeria Populated places in Borno State State capitals in Nigeria Populated places established in 1907 Local Government Areas in Borno State Cities in Nigeria Disaster recovery