Sumaila

Town and Local Government Area in Kano State
11°32′N 8°58′E / 11.533°N 8.967°E / 11.533; 8.967Local Government AreaSumailaStateKano StateFounded1750Settlement Status1750
Fulani Military Stockade, Sultanate of KanoTown and District Status1923
Government of Northern Region, NigeriaLocal Government Area Status1982
Government of State of KanoFounded byIsmailaNamed forMagajin Jobe - Sama'ilaGovernment
 • TypeLocal Government Council • Chairperson Local CouncilMalam Umaru Faruk Sumaila, first Chairman of the Local Government under the People's Redemption Party (PRP)Area
 • Town and Local Government Area1,250 km2 (480 sq mi) • Water18 km2 (6.9 sq mi)  3.0% • Urban
500 km2 (200 sq mi)Population
 (2006 Census)
 • Town and Local Government Area253,661 • Density200/km2 (530/sq mi) • Metro
220,000DemonymSumailanTime zoneUTC+1 (WAT)3-digit postal code prefix
712
ISO 3166 codeNG.KN.SUMap

Sumaila is a historic town and the headquarters of a Local Government Area in Kano State, Nigeria.

History

Sumaila was established as a Jobawa (Jobe- Fulani) 'Sansani' or Settlement in the 1740s.[1] Located within the fertile plains of south eastern Kano, it provided the clan an easy migratory pathway to the grazing grounds of the savannah of eastern Hausa land. Originally called 'Garun- Sam'ila' after one of its first settlers, it attracted little attention during the time of the Sultanate.

The sharp rise of Jobe influence in eastern Kano in the late 18th century saw the construction of a stockade and a partial fort around the town in the 1750s, prominent people from Sumaila related to the Jobawa/ Jobe clan include Sarkin Sumaila and Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila.[2]

Sumaila rose to prominence in the time of the Caliphate when it became the site of an epic battle that halted the advance of the Bornoan cavalry when El-Kanemi encroached into the Sokoto Caliphate.

When during the reign of Emir Abdullahi Maje-Karofi, the Ningi rebellion broke out, a Ribat was constructed around the town and a permanent fulani force was stationed there to protect the southern borders of the Emirate. During the Kano civil war or Basasa, Sumaila was a major hub for pan-Yusuf forces because of its close proximity to Takai; the capital of the Yusufawa.

Colonial period

Serving as a frontier fortress, the British pacification campaigns greatly affected Sumaila. In 1903, the entire Fulani military contingent of the fort under Dan-Sumaila Garba- Maje Gabas was lost in the Kano- Sokoto expedition.[1] The Last Caliph of Sokoto, Sultan Attahiru passed through the outskirts of the town attracting there from a large followership in his pilgrimage to Burmi after the fall of the Caliphate.

The fall of the Emirate witnessed a sharp decline in commerce in eastern Kano and in the 1910s, a provincial reorganization removed administration of the District's affairs to Wudil[1] and Sumaila was relegated to sub-borough status.

In 1923 the discovery of gold reserves by a British mining expedition led to another provincial reorganization that restored District Status, political crisis however within the province's administration and fears of the pre-federal Nigerian government then being administered from Lagos and managed by non-Northerners scuttled the mining efforts.

Post-colonial period

In 1967, the collapse of the Government of Northern Nigeria again ended the administrative independence of Sumaila, this was not to be restored until the Second Nigerian Republic when a Sumailan, Abubakar Rimi was elected Governor of Kano under the People's Redemption Party. In 1983, the collapse of the PRP government saw another momentary transference of administration to Wudil.

Subdivisions

Its subdivisions are[3]

  • Gala
  • Gani
  • Garfa
  • Gediya
  • Kanawa
  • Magami
  • Masu
  • Rimi
  • Rumo
  • Sitti
  • Sumaila

Notable Sumailans

  • Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, politician and former governor of Kano. First Executive Governor of Kano State.
  • Kawu Sumaila, politician and former House of Representatives member.
  • Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, politician and public servant. The first University Graduate from Sumaila Ward, First University Lecturer from the Local Government, First Permanent Secretary from the Local Government, First State Secretary of a Political Party from the Local Government, First Chairman of a Board at State and Federal Government levels from Sumaila.
  • Madaki Dalhatu Iliyasu, the first Commissioner from the Local Government.
  • Ahmed Abdullahi Sumaila, the first Central Banker from the Local Government.
  • Mohammed Iro Ma'aji, the first to earn a First Class Honours University Degree from the Local Government.
  • Aliyu Abdullahi Sumaila, the first Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director of a Bank from the Local Government, the first Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director of a Health Mantainance Organization from the Local Government.
  • Prof. Sadisu Muhammad Maaji,

Professor of Radiology.

  • Prof. Garba Iliyasu,

Professor of internal medicine

  • Major General Sani Ibrahim Sumaila,

General in the Nigerian Army.

  • Captain Muhammad Mahi Sunusi,

Commercial Pilot

Prominent clans

Title Holders of the District Head

The members of the District Head Council are the following:[4]

  • Waziri Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi Sumaila
  • Galadima Alhaji Hamisu Abba Sumaila
  • Madaki Dr Aminu Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila
  • Wambai Barrister Ahmed Abdullahi Sumaila
  • Makama Alhaji Matugwai
  • Barde Alhaji Zubairu Hamza Massu
  • Sarkin Dawakin Tsakar Gida Alhaji Bashir Iliyasu Utai
  • Turaki Senator Suleiman Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila
  • Tafida Dr Yusuf Abdullahi Sumaila
  • Dan Buran Alhaji Lawan Abdurrahman, Mai unguwar Sumaila Gabas
  • Dan Darman Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed Sumaila, Mai unguwar Zango Tsakwai Tsakiya Sumaila
  • Matawalle Alhaji Kabiru Magami, Dagacin Dando
  • Marafa Alhaji Suraja Dansumaila Muhammad Nura
  • Dallatu Alhaji Abdulhamid Idris Danhaido
  • Sarkin Yaki Alhaji Suraja Idris Kanawa
  • San Turaki Alhaji Ibrahim Hamisu Rimi
  • Talba Alhaji Abubakar Sani Dan Abba
  • Garkuwa Garba Adamu Sumaila
  • Magayaki Alhaji Isa Muhammad
  • Liman Alhaji Tukur Abubakar
  • Ma'aji Alhaji Mainasibi
  • Magatakarda Abubakar Sulaiman

Economy

Large amounts of rice, beans, millet, and groundnuts are farmed in Sumaila Local Government Area, which has a significant farming history. Sumaila Local Government Area is a hub of trade, with multiple markets like the Gomo market where a wide range of goods are bought and sold. Animal husbandry, leather manufacturing, and textile weaving are some of the other significant economic activities in Sumaila Local Government Area.[5]

Geography

Sumaila Local Government Area has an average temperature of 32 degrees Celsius with a total area of 1,250 square kilometers. With an average wind speed of 9 km/h, the Local Government Area has two different seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.[5]

Climate

Sumaila, which is 0 feet (0 meters) above sea level, is in a subtropical steppe climatic zone (classification: BSh). The area averages a yearly temperature of 31.56 oC (88.81 oF), which is 2.1% higher than the national average for Nigeria. Sumaila generally experiences 64.66 rainy days year, or about 1.72% of the total 51.12 millimeters (2.01 inches) of precipitation that falls there.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sumaila, Aminu A. Jobe: A Clan Compendium.
  2. ^ Light, Ivan H (1973). Ethnic Enterprise in America: Business and Welfare Among Chinese, Japanese and Blacks. Berkeley, University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520017382.
  3. ^ "Sumaila, Kano State, Nigeria".
  4. ^ Rimi, Abdulhamid Idris (1991). The History of Sumaila. Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
  5. ^ a b "Sumaila Local Government Area". www.manpower.com.ng. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  6. ^ "Sumaila, Kano, NG Climate Zone, Monthly Averages, Historical Weather Data". tcktcktck.org. Retrieved 2023-08-29.

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