Overview#
Yobe is, like Borno, a Chad Basin frontier hydrocarbon state whose exploration was halted by the Boko Haram insurgency. Pre-2009, the Bornu-Yobe Sub-basin held the highest NNPC frontier-drilling budget in the country. Yobe also has gypsum (Fika, Potiskum), kaolin, diatomite and a long pastoral / dryland-agriculture base.
Geology & Deposits#
Chad Basin hydrocarbons. Same Bornu Sub-basin frontier — NNPC frontier wells; gas shows at Wadi, Mbeji, Murshe (some on Borno side). No commercial declaration. Gypsum. Fika, Potiskum — feeds northern cement plants. Kaolin, clay, laterite. Various. Diatomite. Bade-Bama corridor (shared with Borno). Hydrocarbons (renewable). Gum-arabic — Sahelian belt, major export crop. Agricultural produce. Gum-arabic, sesame, millet, sorghum, cowpea. Livestock. Cattle, sheep, camel, donkey.
Operators & Output#
- NNPC Frontier Exploration Services Ltd — Chad Basin operator; activity suspended. - Small gypsum traders — Fika. - Smallholder gum-arabic, sesame exporters.
Host-Community & Revenue#
No derivation. NEDC + FAAC. Insurgency-displacement has been the dominant fiscal pressure since 2014; the state has lost significant gum-arabic exports (Kanama, Yusufari corridors) and pastoral livelihoods (Yunusari, Geidam).
Current Status#
Producing: gum-arabic, sesame, gypsum. Dormant: hydrocarbon exploration.
References
Sources#
- NNPC Frontier Exploration Services Ltd — Chad Basin programme files.
- North-East Development Commission Act, 2017.
- Yobe State Ministry of Agriculture.