States of Nigeria
Abia State of Nigeria
General Overview
Location: Southeast Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria.
Date of State Creation: Abia State was created out of Imo State on August 27, 1991.
State Slogan: God’s Own State, meaning, Oha Chineke in Igbo, the predominant language of the people of the State.
The land area: 6,320 sq km.
Population: 2,833,999 (2006 Census). Current population would have exceeded that figure, no doubt.
State Capital: Umuahia.
Main commercial city: Aba.
Politics
The State Governor: Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (b. 1964), Ph.D. Biochemical Pharmacology. He won the 11 April 2015 gubernatorial election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Deputy: Ude Oko Chukwu (b. 1962), an accountant by profession.
For the Record: The result of the 2015 gubernatorial election in Abia State that Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu won is still enmeshed in court cases. Dr. Samson Ogah and Dr. Ikpeazu were among the aspirants that contested the PDP primary election of December 8, 2014. Ogah later challenged the election of Dr. Okezie on the grounds of some alleged irregularities in the information he, Ikpeaze provided to INEC before the primary election as demanded by law. Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court delivered his judgment on June 27, 2016 in which he said that Dr. Ikpeazu should step down as Governor for Dr. Ogah who should be sworn-in immediately. The judgment was later overturned by the Court of Appeal on August 18, 2016. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja declared Abang’s judgment as null and void and went further to rebuke him for his position on the suit. Meanwhile Alex Oti who contested the same election on the platform of another party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA had another case against Dr. Ikpeazu. The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri again removed Dr. Ikpeazu as Governor in its ruling of December 31, 2016 and declared Alex Oti as the winner of the gubernatorial election in Abia State. The same Oti had earlier applied to be jointed in the suit filed by Ogah. Oti’s case got to the Court of Appeal where judgment was delivered on August 5, 2016. The Court ruled that he had no locus standi in a matter that concerned PDP since he was not a member of that party and so could not be joined in the suit. In January 2017, the Supreme Court which is the highest court in Nigeria ruled that Oti deserved to be heard. Along the line, the Supreme Court ruled that Ikpeazu was validly elected as Governor and so set aside the Court of Appeal’s verdict of December 31, 2016 that removed him. However, there are issues still in court over the manner of his tax payment and in respect of Oti’s case that he be joined in the Ogah’s suit. Lawyers have addressed the Court in respect of Oti’s case and judgment has been fixed for May 12, 2017. The complexity of the matter played itself out on Friday, March 19, 2017. The Supreme Court has held that the suit over payment of three-year tax by Ikpeazu at once before the PDP primary election in 2014 should be returned to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for retrial. This was the suit brought against him by his opponents in the primary election led by Obasi Uba Ekagbara and Chkwuemeka Mba. Ikpeazu had challenged the jurisdiction of the Abuja court to hear the case and he won at the Court of Appeal that the matter should have been taken before an Abia State High Court. Now, the Supreme Court has said that the Abuja High Court is competent to try the case and should do so expeditiously.
The Economy
Abia State’s Agricultural Strengths: Umuahia and Bende area–Oil palms, cocoa, and rubber are the cash crops while the food crops are yam, cassava, rice, plantain, banana, maize and cocoyam. Bende agricultural zone produces rice and yam in commercial quantity. Fishing takes place along Imo River.
Minerals: Crude oil–oil fields in Imo River, Obuzo, Nkali, Odogkwa, Obeakpu and Isimiri; Ohuru gas fields in Ukwa East Local Government Area; Lead, Zinc and Copper and Gypsum at Lokpaukwu in Nneochi Local Government Area; Iron ore in the northern part of Isuikwauato Local Government Area; industrial sands in Ukwa, Aba and Umuahia areas and laterite in all local government areas.
Commerce: Aba is a commercial nerve centre in Nigeria, not just Abia State. Hear the Governor when he recently received Nigeria’s Vice President. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in Aba: “There is nothing that the Aba businessman cannot produce as the spirit of resilience of the Aba man is legendary.” Prof. Osinbajo described Aba as the manufacturing and business centre of Nigeria.
Tourism: According to Nigerian Bulletin, there are five places of tourist attraction in Abia State–National War Museum in Umuahia; National Museum of Colonial History, Aba; the Blue River in Azumini, Arochukwu Cave and Akwete Weavers.
Education
Tertiary Educational Institutions: Abia State University; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Abia State Polytechnic; Gregory University, Rhema University, Abia State Polytechnic and Temple Gage Polytechnic.
