ABIA STATE

Date Created: August 27, 1991

Capital: Umuahia

Main Towns: Aba, Isiukwuato, Umuahia, Arochukwu, Ohafia, Bende, Abiriba, Omoba, Nbawsi.

Abia State was carved out of Imo State on August 27, 1991. Abia State consists of 17 Local Government Areas, namely:

Aba North, Aba South, Isiala-Ngwa North, Ukwa West, Ukwa East, Obingwa, Isiala Ngwa South, Ikwuano, Bende, Arochukwu, Ohafia, Isiukwuato, Umuahia, Ugunagbo, Osisioma, Umuahia South and Nneochi.

The State shares boundaries with Imo State in the west, Cross River State in the east, Akwa Ibom and Rivers in the south and Ebonyi and Enugu States in the north.

The people of Abia State are predominantly traders and Aba is regarded as one of the commercial towns in the country. Its people are travellers and they carry their trade to which ever place they find themselves.

Besides trading, the people of Abia State are farmers and crops obtained in the State include palm produce, maize, rice, yam, cassava, fruits and vegetables.

Abia State is blessed with mineral resources such as lead, zinc, fine sand, limestone and petroleum.

Education is given top priority in the state and this is evident by the numerous private schools in the state. There is the Abia State University at Uturu, Isiukwuato LGA, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike-Umuahia and other higher institutions and Colleges of Education.

As regards tourism, there are many tourist centres in Abia State but the most outstanding are the National War Museum, Umuahia, the Azumini Blue River, Ukwa East, and the Long Juju of Arochukwu..

Main hotels includes Banana Hotel in Umuahia and Crystal Park hotel in Aba. There are also the Abia Hotels at Aba and Umuahia. Abia State is one of the few states that have commercial, agricultural and mineral potentials in the country.

The Abia people are very creative. They dominate the productive sector of the economy. Many of the home-made products generally come from Aba in Abia State. Major industrial concerns in the state include Golden Guinea Breweries, Umuahia, Aba Textile Mills, International Glass Industries, Aba and Modern Ceramics, Umuahia.

It could likely be said that there is nothing that could not be produced in Abia State if the necessary raw materials and equipments are made available. Abia State is rightly tagged the "Japan of Nigeria".