Abia State is a
state in the
south eastern part of
Nigeria. The capital is
Umuahia and the major commercial city is
Aba, formerly a
British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of
Imo State[4] and its citizens are predominantly
Igbo people (95% of population).
[5] It is one of the nine constituent states of the
Niger Delta region.
History and population
Abia State was carved out of the former Imo State in 1991. The name
"Abia" is an abbreviation of four of the state's densely populated
regions
Aba,
Bende, Isuikwuato, and Afikpo.
[6] It is one of the thirty-six (36) States that constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Abia people are of the Igbo
ethnic group who predominates much of the Southeastern part of Nigeria. Their traditional language is
Igbo.
English is widely spoken and serves as the official language in governance and business. Abia's 2.4mm people are mainly
Christians.
Politics
The State Government is led by a democratically-elected
executive Governor
who works closely with an elected State House Assembly. The capital
city is Umuahia. There are Seventeen (17) local government areas (LGAs).
In 1999 Nigeria became a
democracy, and
Orji Uzor Kalu contested on the platform of the
People's Democratic Party
(PDP) and won the Governorship election in Abia State. Consequently he
was sworn-in on 29 May 1999. In 2003, when it was time for fresh
elections, Kalu re-contested on the platform of the PDP and got a second
mandate to govern. (The
Constitution of Nigeria limits Governors to two terms in office.)
Theodore Orji (PPA) defeated
Onyema Ugochukwu (PDP) in the
2007 general elections
to become Abia's next Governor.In 2011, Theodore Orji decamped from PPA
to the PDP and was re-elected for another four-year tenure.
Local Government Areas
Abia State has 17
local government areas (LGAs). They are:
Traditional rulers
Geography
Abia State, which occupies about 5,834 square kilometers, is bounded on the north and northeast by the states of
Anambra,
Enugu, and
Ebonyi. To the west of Abia is
Imo State, to the east and southeast are
Cross River State and
Akwa Ibom State, and to the south is
Rivers State.
The southern part of the State lies within the riverine part of
Nigeria. It is low-lying tropical rain forest with some oil-palm brush.
[4] the southern oportion gets
heavy rainfall
of about 2,400 millimetres (94 in) per year especially intense between
the months of April through October. The rest of the State is moderately
high plain and wooded savanna.
[4] The most important rivers in Abia State are the
Imo and
Aba Rivers which flow into the
Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta.
Infrastructure and economy
Crude oil and
gas production is a prominent activity, as it contributes to 39% of the GDP.
[8] The manufacturing sector only accounts for 2% of the GDP.
[8] The industrial center of the state is in
Aba, with
textile manufacturing,
pharmaceuticals,
soap,
plastics,
cement, footwear, and
cosmetics.
[4]
In addition to the above, Abia State Government have just built a 9000
capacity multi purpose International Conference Centre in Umuahia. This
edifice of international standard was built by Governor T.A Orji to
enhance tourism as well as boost the State economy through hosting of
major International and Local events. Representing 27% of the GDP,
[8] agriculture, which employs 70%
[8] of the state workforce, is the second economic sector of Abia. With its adequate seasonal rainfall, Abia has much
arable land that produces
yams,
maize,
potatoes,
rice,
cashews,
plantains,
taro, and
cassava.
[4] Oil palm is the most important
cash crop.
[4]
University and Colleges
There are four universities in the state: the federally owned
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture at
Umudike and the state-owned
Abia State University in
Uturu. The
Gregory University Uturu (Privately owned) and
Rhema University in
Aba
also (privately owned). There are two tertiary hospitals, the Federal
Medical Center in Umuahia and the Abia State University Teaching
Hospital in
Aba, which serve as referral hospitals in the State. The
Abia State Polytechnic
is also in the city of Aba. There are two major power plants in Abia,
The Alaoji Power plant and the Geometric Power plant. Abia is one of the
most peaceful states in Nigeria and has been a "haven" for
foreign investors. The state's population has grown rapidly since its creation.
Travel
The nearest airport to Abia state is
Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport (Owerri Airport), an hour’s drive to Aba; and
Port Harcourt International Airport,
2 hours to Aba and about three hours to Umuahia. Uyo Airport Akwa Ibom
State can also serve would be visitors. The Distance between Uyo (Akwa
Ibom) and Umuahia (Abia) is: 73.28 kilometres (45.53 mi).
The rail transport is also another means of travel, very effective but currently on revitalization. Aba is connected to
Port Harcourt by rail.
[4] The Coastal parts of the State are equally accessible with boats and canoes.
References
External links
Nigeria
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