Potiskum

Potiskum is a city in Yobe State. It is one of the largest cities in Yobe State and is well-characterized with a business of every kind. Potiskum is notable for having one of the largest cattle markets in Africa and the largest in West Africa. Potiskum is also notable for having a large grain and millet market in Nigeria, which has been estimated to make sales of about 500 bags of grain/millet on the market day (updated 2008).

Understand

Potiskum was estimated have a population of about 205,000 in 2006, which rose to 483,000 in 2022. It is one of the most important districts in Yobe State owing to how industrious and popular it is in the state.

Climate

Potiskum has two weather season rainfall and dry season. Rainfall is generally seasonal, variable, as well as heavy in this part of the city and it occurs between the months of March and October through November. The wet season peaks in July, lasting more than 290 days. The only dry months are January and February having little to no effect.

Get in

There is no airport in Potiskum or Yobe State, however, there are airports nearby by which one can get in through:

• 1 Gombe Lawanti International Airport (Sani Abacha international airport), Along Bauchi-gombe Rd, Lawanti. The international airport got its name because of its nearness to Lawanti, a small village in Gombe. Gombe International Airport is about 158 km away from Potiskum. A taxi will take you to Potiskum. (updated Jun 2021)
• 2 Bauchi State International Airport (IATA: BCU, ICAO: DNBC) (Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi, Nigeria), Ahmadu Bello Way (22 km (14 mi) northwest of Bauchi), ☏ +234 803 230 9854. MaxAir and Aero Contractors have flights to Bauchi from Abuja. This airport is about 200 km away. A taxi will take you to Potiskum. (updated Dec 2021)

By bus

The most common way to get into Potiskum is by bus. There is a lot of bus station that offers services from any state in Nigeria to Yobe State, and you can then take a cab or bus into Potiskum. Some of these services are:

• God is Good Motors (GIGM): One of the most popular bus and travel services provider, Air-conditioned bus, comfortability, ability to place order online and even book your preferred seat online.
• ABC Motors

and many others.

Get around

Getting around in Potiskum is not difficult, as there are buses available to take you around, all you need to do is to board the bus in Potiskum, tell the driver the area you are going to and the driver will take you there, however, you need to inform the driver and keep reminding him/her, so they don't end up missing your bus stops.

See

Emir Palace

• Fika Emirate Palace, Mohammed Idriss way. Emir Palace with museum for visitors and tourism attraction. 
• Tike Cattle Market Potiskum, Maiduguri-Potiskum Road, ☏ +234 810 047 5919. You shouldn't leave Potiskum without paying a visit to the Tike Cattle Market. This is one of the largest cattle market in Africa and it is really a tourists attraction for tourist to Potiskum. 

Do

• Kasuwar Hatsi/Grain Market Potiskum, Maiduguri-Potiskum Road. Ensure you visit one of the most popular grain market in Nigeria located in Potiskum. 

Buy

• Goat And Sheep Market Potiskum, Potiskum. Popular goat and sheep market in Potiskum, if you need to shop or buy a goat or sheep, then the goat and sheep market in Potiskum is for you. 
• NPN Market Potiskum, Kasuwar NPN Area, Potiskum. Popular general market in Potiskum 
• Jata Super Market, Old Nangere Motor Park. Supermarket in Potiskum 

Eat

• Ibrahimawa restaurant, Near Texaco filling station along Jos, Maiduguri - Potiskum Road, ☏ +234 803 579 9037. Great place to eat (updated Dec 2021)
• Victoria Restaurant, ☏ +234 706 538 1165. Great place to eat 
• STwinkles, Mohammed Idriss way. Great restaurant 
• Abba Indomie And Shayi. Popular aboki 'Indomie Shayi', special made indomie noodles. 

Drink

• Ramin Dorawa Potiskum, Potiskum dorawan mashaya. A bar 
• Victoria Restaurant, Mashaya. A restaurant with bar extension 
• POFCET Guest house. A guest house with drinking extension 

Sleep

• POFCET Guest house. A guest house 
• Tamir Hotel Ltd, No.37, Socol Junction Opposite A U Filling Station Along Bauchi Jos Road,Potiskum Damaturu, Yobe, ☏ +234 803 131 9961, reservations@hotels.ng. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. A hotel 
• Kaladista Hotel, No. 6, Ajiya Maina Baba Street, ☏ +234 803 679 0178. A hotel 
• Race House GRA, Potiskum. A hotel 

Connect

All major mobile phone service networks are available in Potiskum but with varying degrees of reliability and usability. It is usual to occasionally experience network outages for all or some of the mobile phone service providers. Such a situation is particularly common in some remote areas of the city. And it is also common for different networks to be more stable and reliable in different locations of the city at different times.

if you are planning a visit to this city, you should consider having multiple SIM cards preferably for all the mobile service providers, since you can't tell which will be more stable and reliable at a time in your location during your visit. And if you will risk not having any of them, you might be better off not risking the MTN network, because, from indications, it seems to perform well than the others, though its rates may be high and its offers and services might be stringent, you are less likely to be concerned of erratic voice and data connection compared to others. The various broadband cellular network available include 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. And unlike many other cities in the country, there is wider coverage of the 4G network in most locations in the city.

Of the service providers, it is Glo (or Globacom), which boasts of fast network speed for internet browsing activities, but that might not be enjoyable in some locations in Potiskum. Airtel is fairly satisfactory for all you might need to connect to the world, including rates and network stability. And 9mobile usually also performs well in internet browsing speed but not without locational limitations.