Yola, Nigeria
| Yola | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Yola | |
| Coordinates: 9°13′48″N 12°27′36″E / 9.23000°N 12.46000°E | |
| Country |
 Nigeria |
| State | Adamawa State |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 88,500 |
Yola is the capital city and administrative center of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Located on the Benue River, it has a population of 88,500 (2004). Daytime temperatures can easily exceed 40 °C (104.0 °F) during the dry season (April/May).
Yola is split into two parts. The old town of Yola where the Lamido resides is the traditional city but the new city of Jimeta (about 5 km NW) is the administrative and commercial centre. Generally the term Yola is now used to mean both. To the north are the Mandara Mountains and the south are the Shebshi Mountains with Dimlang (Vogel) Peak the second highest point (2,042 m) in Nigeria after Chappal Waddi (mountain of death). Yola is an access point for Gashaka Gumpti Nature Reserve and the Mambilla Plateau.
History
Established in 1841, Yola was the capital of a Fulani state until it was taken over by the British in 1901. Today, it is the capital of Adamawa State, which was formed in 1991 from part of Gongola State.
Modibbo Adama, a local chief of the Fulani, founded Yola in 1841. Yola has the first airport in Nigeria as well as first town to have electricity.[citation needed]
During the Islamic movement led by Shehu Usman Dan Fodio in the early 19th Century, Modibbo Adama was recognised as a learned Muslim who could lead the people in the Upper Benue area. Modibbo is the Fulani word for Professor.
Probably the first European to visit the area was Heinrich Barth in 1849, shortly after Yola was founded. He travelled by the Sahara route, coming through Kukawa, which at the time was the capital of Borno.
Jimeta has a market, zoo, an airport with direct flights to Saudi Arabia, NiPost and NiTel offices as well as the main mosque and cathedral. Being a state capital it is a major transport hub with buses and taxis heading north to Mubi and Maiduguri, west to Numan, Gombe and Bauchi and south to Makurdi and Katsina. Taxis are available to Garoua in Cameroon. There is an airport with regular flights to Abuja and Lagos. There is also a State Polytechnic and the Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola (MAUTECH) is based about 10 km north on the road to Mubi and other educational institutions. Adamawa has one of the best depots in Nigeria, located about 5 km west on the road to Numan.
The Yola-Jimeta Metropolis is home to the American style private university called American University of Nigeria, and schools, both primary and secondary, such as Federal Government Girls College, ABTI Academy, Ahmadu Ribadu College, Kay Academy (then Kay nursery school), Chiroma Ahmad Academy, University Secondary School (MAUTECH) and Concordia College (which was nominated as the best post primary school of the year 2007 by the National Association of Nigerian Students).
Coordinates: 9°14′N 12°28′E / 9.23°N 12.46°E
| |||||