The Sokoto Caliphate was a West African Empire that became a part of northern Nigeria. It was founded by the charismatic Fulani Islamic scholar and political leader Usman dan Fodio upon his conquer of the Hausa people. Usman dan Fodio created a unified political and economic polity while promulgating a reformist Islamic movement meant to correct syncretic, lax, or superficially Islamic practices in the region.