Abia State

Abia State
—  State  —
Nickname(s): God's Own State
Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 5°25′N 7°30′E / 5.417°N 7.5°E / 5.417; 7.5
Country	Nigeria
Capital	Umuahia
LGAs	17
Established	27 August 1991
Government
- Governor	Theodore Orji (PPA)
- Senators	Eyinnaya Abaribe, Uche Chukwumerije, Nkechi Justina Nwaogu
- National Assembly delegates	List
Area
- Total	6,320 km2 (2,440.2 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	6,222,476
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
Geocode	NG-AB
GDP (2007)	$18.69 billion[1]
GDP Per Capita	$3,003[1]
Official language	Deep Igbo
Website	www.abiastateonline.com/

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 people (95% of population).^[2] 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.^[3] 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 2.4mm 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.

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.

Local Government Areas

Abia State has 17 local government areas (LGAs). They are:

• Aba North
• Aba South
• Arochukwu
• Bende
• Ikwuano
• Isiala Ngwa North
• Isiala Ngwa South
• Isuikwuato
• Obi Ngwa
• Ohafia
• Osisioma Ngwa
• Ugwunagbo
• Ukwa East
• Ukwa West
• Umuahia North
• Umuahia South
• Umu Nneochi

Traditional rulers

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.

Infrastructure and economy Crude oil and gas production is a prominent activity, as it contributes to 39% of the GDP^[5]. Representing 27% of the GDP^[5], agriculture, which employs 70% ^[5] 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, and cassava. Abia also has large crude oil deposits. Manufacturing sector only accounts for 2% of the GDP^[5].

University and Colleges: 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.

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 (airport code: PHC), 2 hours to Aba and about three hours to Umuahia. The state, as most of the Southern states of Nigeria, is affected by armed robbery. The security forces are usually ineffective, and are usually found on exorting money from drivers on main routes. The part bounding troubled River state is more secured thanks to a military presence^[5].

Notes

References

• Abia State official web site
• ABIA State of Nigeria – A Profile
• Abia State Background Information
• Abia Union USA

v • d • e Locally Governed Areas and communities of Abia State Capital:Umuahia LGAs Aba North · Aba South · Arochukwu · Bende · Ikwuano · Isiala Ngwa North · Isiala Ngwa South · Isuikwuato · Obi Ngwa · Ohafia · Osisioma Ngwa · Ugwunagbo · Ukwa East · Ukwa West · Umuahia North · Umuahia South · Umu Nneochi

v • d • e States of Nigeria 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 · Nasarawa · Niger · Ogun · Ondo · Osun · Oyo · Plateau · Rivers · Sokoto · Taraba · Yobe · Zamfara

Coordinates: 5°25′N 7°30′E / 5.417°N 7.5°E / 5.417; 7.5