Kaduna

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• Kaduna town, capital of Kaduna state, north-central Nigeria. It lies along the Kaduna River, which is a major tributary of the Niger River. Sir Frederick (later Lord) Lugard, the first British governor of Northern Nigeria, selected the present site along the Lagos-Kano Railway for a town, and building began in 1913. In 1917 Kaduna (a Hausa word for "crocodiles") replaced Zungeru, 100 miles (160 km) west-southwest, as the capital of the Northern Provinces; it also served as capital of the Northern Region from 1954 to 1967. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 1,652,844. The symbol of Kaduna is the crocodile, called kada in the native Hausa language. Kaduna is an industrial center of Northern Nigeria, manufacturing products like textiles, machinery, steel, aluminum, petroleum products and bearings. Pottery is highly prized from Kaduna, especially from Maraban-Jos, which follows close behind Abuja and Minna. The main highway through the city is called Ahmadu Bello Way. Many of the place names come from past sultans, emirs and decorated Civil War heroes. Kaduna has a large market, recently rebuilt after an extensive fire in the mid-1990s. There is a large racecourse, approximately one mile round, inside which the Ahmadu Yakubu Polo Club and Kaduna Crocodile Club are situated, whilst the Kaduna and Rugby Clubs are on the periphery. There are two airports, one of which is Kaduna Airport.
• The description was provided by Akwaete John Udoh