Kano State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the national census done in 2006, Kano State is the most populous state in Nigeria. The recent official estimates taken in 2016 by the National Bureau of Statistics found that Kano State was still the largest state by population in Nigeria. Created in 1967 out of the former Northern Region, Kano State borders on Katsina State to the northwest for about 210 km, Jigawa State to the northeast for 355 km, Bauchi State to the southeast for 131 km, and Kaduna State to the southwest for 255 km. The state's capital and largest city is the city of Kano, the most populous city in Nigeria. The incumbent governor of the state is Abba Kabir Yusuf. He was sworn in on 29 May 2023.

Katsina State is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Katsina State borders on the Republic of Niger to the north for 250 km and the States of Jigawa for 164 km and Kano to the east, Kaduna to the south for 161 km and Zamfara to the west. States. Nicknamed the "Home of Hospitality", both the state capital and the town of Daura have been described "ancient seats of Islamic culture and learning" in Nigeria.