Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.

The state borders the Nigerian states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa. It borders the Diffa Region and the Zinder Region to the north in The Republic of Niger. Because the state lies mainly in the dry savanna belt, the state is dry and hot for most the year, except in the southern part of the state which has a milder climate.

Yobe State came into being on the 27 August, 1991. It was carved out of the old Borno State by the Babangida administration. Yobe State was created because the old Borno State was one of Nigeria's largest states in terms of land area and was therefore considered to be too large for easy administration and meaningful development. Ethnic rivalries within the old Borno State also contributed to the decision.

Yobe State consists of 17 local government areas, or LGAs. They are:

Ibrahim Geidam was sworn in as Executive Governor of Yobe State, Nigeria on January 27, 2009. He was elected on 26 April 2011 for a second term as governor.

Ibrahim Geidam was born on 15 September 1956 in Bukarti village, Yunusari local government area in the old Borno, now Yobe state. He attended the Borno Teachers' College (BTC), Maiduguri from 1974 to 1979, where he obtained a Teachers' Certificate. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 1981 and 1983, earning a Diploma in Accountancy. Later he returned to Ahmadu Bello University, earned a BSc in Accountancy Degree in 1990 and became a member of the Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria.

As an accountant, Ibrahim Geidam worked in several government ministries in the old Borno State, later Yobe State. He was Assistant Director of Finance in the Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, acting Director of Finance and Supplies in the Yobe Information and Culture Ministry. Ibrahim Geidam left the civil service in 1995 when he was appointed the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, and then Commissioner of Commerce and Industries. He returned to the civil service and from 1997 to 2007, he was a Director in the State Finance Ministry and Permanent Secretary in various other ministries.