Abia State
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| Abia State State nickname: God's Own State |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Current Governor Party Previous Governors |
Orji Uzor Kalu PPA |
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| Date Created | 27th August, 1991 | |
| Capital | Umuahia | |
| Area | 6,320km² Ranked 32 of 36 |
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| Population 1991 Census 2005 (estimate) |
Ranked 15 of 36 2,297,978 4,222,476 |
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| ISO 3166-2 | NG-AB | |
| Website | [] | |
Abia State is a state in southeastern Nigeria. The capital is Umuahia, although the major commercial city is Aba, formerly a British colonial government outpost. The state was created in 1991 from part of Imo State and its citizens are predominantly Igbo. Arochukwu is the third largest city.
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[edit] History and population
Abia State was carved out of the former Imo State in 1991. 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. Globally, Igbos are well travelled. Abia's 2.4m people are mainly Christians and entrepreneurial. They are known and reputed to be industrious, highly market oriented, very hospitable and accommodating, probably due to their migratory nature.
[edit] Politics
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 the 29th of May 1999. In 2003, when it was time for fresh elections, the Kalu re-contested on the platform of the same Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and got a second mandate to govern. (The constitution limits Governors to two terms in office.)
Kalu is currently a candidate for president in the upcoming general elections. Because he could not secure and endorsement from the PDP, he switched affiliations to a new party, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA)
Onyema Ugochukwu, a seasoned administrator and pioneer Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a commission set up to develop the Niger Delta Region, has secured the ticket of the PDP as their candidate to become Abia's next Governor. Also in the race is Theodore Orji (PPA)
[edit] Geography
Abia State, which occupies about 5834 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, the east and southeast are Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, and to the south is Rivers State. The southern part of the State lies within the riverine part of Nigeria. It is low-lying with a heavy rainfall of about 2400 mm/year especially intense between the months of April through October. The rest of the State is moderately high plain. The most important rivers in Abia State are the Imo and Aba rivers which flow into the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta.
[edit] Subdivisions
There are Eighteen local government areas (LGAs). Each local government is headed by a democratically-elected Chairman working with an elected council. 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. The major urban areas include:
- Aba (a major commercial centre in southeastern Nigeria)
- Umuahia
- Arochukwu
- Abiriba
- Item
- Nbawsi
- Ohafia
- Omoba
- Isuikwuato
- Akwete
- Obehie
- Mgboko
- Bende
- Osisioma Ngwa
- Obingwa
- Ugwunagbo
- Ukwa East
- Ukwa West
[edit] Infrastructure and economy
Abia is sometimes referred to as "the Japan of Africa" due to its numerous factories. With its adequate seasonal rainfall, Abia has much arable land that produces yams, maize, potatoes, rice, cashews, plantains, and cassava. Abia also has large crude oil deposits. There is the Federal University of Agriculture at Umudike, and the state-owned Abia State University in Uturu. Two tertiary hospitals, the Federal Medical Center in Umuahia and the Abia State University Teaching Hospital in Aba, serve as referral hospitals in the state. The Abia State Polytechnic is also in the city of Aba. Abia is one of the more peaceful states of Nigeria and has been a "haven" for foreign investors. The state's population has grown rapidly since its creation.
[edit] Travel
The nearest airport to Abia state is Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport (Owerri Airport), a 20 minute drive to Aba and Port Harcourt International Airport (airport code: PHC), a 30-minute to Aba and about 50 minutes to Umuahia.
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| Abia | Abuja Federal Capital Territory | Adamawa | Akwa Ibom | Anambra | Bauchi | Bayelsa | Benue | Borno | Cross River | Delta | Ebonyi | Edo | Ekiti | Enugu | Gombe | Imo | Jigawa | Kaduna | Kano | Katsina | Kebbi | Kogi | Kwara | Lagos | Nassarawa | Niger | Ogun | Ondo | Osun | Oyo | Plateau | Rivers | Sokoto | Taraba | Yobe | Zamfara | |
