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A Brief History of Ebonyi State

Celebrating the Incredible Changes In the State And Achievements Of His Excellency, Chief (Engr) David Nweze Umahi

Ebonyi State is one of the five eastern states in Nigeria. It was created on October 1^st, in the year 1996 among six other states created by the then federal military government of General Sani Abacha.

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The state is occupied mainly by Igbos and has Abakaliki, the largest town, as its capital city. There are other towns which make up the state and they include, Onueke, Afikpo, Uburu, Aba Omege, Okposi, etc.

Ebonyi State is well known for their salt and limestone production, with the latter situated at Nkalagu. They share a border with Benue State to the North, Enugu State to the west, Imo and Abia States to the south and Cross River State to the east.

The state was generated from parts of Enugu State and Abia State, while Ohaozara was created from Abia State and Abakaliki was created from Enugu State. Ebonyi has thirteen Local Government Areas which will be listed later in this article. It also has three senatorial zones which are: Ebonyi North senatorial zone, Ebonyi Central senatorial zone and Ebonyi South senatorial zone.

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These senatorial zones are represented by a senator at the National Assembly. The state also has six federal constituencies, with each being represented by a member of the House of Representatives. Ebonyi North comprises of Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Ishielu, Ohaukwu and Izzi LGAs, Ebonyi Central comprises of Ikwo, Ezza North and Ezza South LGAs, while Ebonyi South comprises of Afikpo North, Afikpo South, Ivo, Ohaozara and Onicha LGAs.

The Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State

1. Abakaliki
2.  Ikwo
3. Ohaukwu
4. Onicha
5. Ohaoazara
6. Ivo
7. Izzi
8. Afikpo North
9. Afikpo South
10. Ezza North
11. Ezza South
12. Ishielu
13. Ebonyi

Narural Resources in Ebonyi State

The state is richly blessed with numerous mineral resources such as limestone, as was mentioned earlier, lead, zinc and marble. It is called the Salt of the Nation because of its huge salt deposit in Okposi and Uburu.

Agricultural Resources

The state is mainly populated by farmers. And the major agricultural products in the state are: rice, palm oil, cocoa, maize, fruits, vegetables, yam, cassava, melon, etc.

To make the citizens of the state more hardworking, the Governor banned the buying of foreign rice and has made sure that any other rice aside Abakalili rice cannot enter the state. Anyone caught smuggling such rice into the state or selling it is punished according to the rules and regulations guiding the state.

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Industries

There are several industries in Ebonyi State, they include the food processing factories such as the rice mill, a fertilizer blending plant which is situated at Nkali poultry, many quarry factories and also cement factories located at Nkalagu.

Culture

The state has a very rich cultural heritage. This can be seen or expressed in the numerous cultural dances, artwork and folklore.

The well-known Nkwa Umuagboho Dance Group of Afikpo has brought home to the state many national and international merit awards. There are other popular dance groups in the states such as the Ojianyalere of Amasiri and many others.

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Education

Academically, the state has done specifically well and has done their best to produce exceptional students who have represented the state many times.

The state has a university in the capital city of Abakaliki (Ebonyi State University), a federal university (Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo), a federal polytechnic (Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Uwana), a college of education in Ikwo, a college of agriculture in Ishiagu and several secondary and primary schools in various towns of the state.

In order to show the love he has for education, the state Governor in 2019 promised to give any student who bagged a first class a scholarship to pursue their masters in any course of their choice from the state university.

Health

In the area of health, Ebonyi State was once ranked as the best in producing able doctors and nurses. This was acknowledged during the administration of the then State Governor, Chief Sam Ominyi Egwu. And Ebonyi State has kept this legacy on. There are two major hospitals in the state, which are: Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital.

There is also the National Obstetric Fistula Centre which was built for the treatment of fistula cases, breast and cervical cancer, mammogram examinations, physiotherapy and family planning.

There are also schools of health in the state which includes, School of Nursing, Uburu, Ebonyi State College of Medicine which is still under construction and which is specified to make the state a place of medical tourism. There are also general hospitals in the state and many private hospitals and clinics in different parts of the state.

Ebonyi as of Today,

when compared to the previous administrations of the past Governors of the state, there is a very huge difference. The previous administration led by His Excellency, Chief Martin Elechi was nothing compared to the present administration.

Every of the previous Governors had the opportunity to mold the state into something worth presenting but only one seized that opportunity. This does not mean that the previous Governors didn’t try during their time but we can’t also deny we love what we are seeing now.

Ebonyi today has become a major tourist attraction, thanks to the state Governor who has left no stone unturned since he gained power. He has made sure to lift up the appearance of the state and has reconstructed many areas of the state, making it unrecognizable to anyone who knew the state before.

The wonderful transformation of the state which ranges from the roads and other infrastructures is one of the reasons of this article. He constructed flyovers at different major roads in the city and constructed bridges for easy transportation.

At the Spera en Deo Junction, is a shopping mall still under construction and an Ecunimical Centre which was constructed for worship, this Ecunimical Centre will be a place of worship for Christians of all dominations and faith. The shopping mall, we hope would be finished soon and inaugurated.

Chief (Engr) David Umahi was ranked as one of the best Governors in Nigeria, following the rate at which he has changed the appearance of the state and how fast he is in paying salaries, making sure that the needs of the state civil servants are met. He has made Ebonyians proud and given them the power to be bold wherever they find themselves.

In his stay in office so far, no community clash has been recorded, this was one of the first things he did when he resumed office, to make sure that the different communities in the state were in peace and one accord with each other. And we are highly impressed with this strategy, for with peace comes different blessings.

The different infrastructures constructed by the State Governor includes: the over head bridges at different areas of the state, the constructed roads connecting different towns and states, the street lights at every area of the state and many more.

Other tourist attractions in the state include Ndibe Beach in Afikpo, the salt lakes in the towns of Okposi and Uburu, and Ishiagu pottery works. As Ebonyi State celebrate their 24^th Anniversary, we celebrate with them and also congratulate the state Governor on his numerous achievements in office.