Anambra State
Anambra is a state in the Southeastern region of Nigeria bordered by Delta to the west, Imo and Rivers to the south, Enugu to the east and Kogi to the north. Awka is the state's capital while Onitsha is its most populous city.
The state name was inherited from the former Anambra State, a territory that consisted of the present day Enugu State, Anambra State and parts of Ebonyi State. The old Anambra State was formed in 1976 from the former East Central State. The state is named after Omambala River, a river that runs through the state. Anambra is the anglicized form of Omambala. The State capital is Awka. The city of Onitsha, a historic port city from the pre-colonial era, remains an important centre of commerce within the state,while Nnewi is the second largest commercial and industrial city in the state.
Nicknamed the "Light of the Nation", Anambra State is the fourteenth most populous state in the nation, although that has seriously been argued against as Onitsha, the state's biggest and most populous urban area was discovered to be over 8.5 million in population in 2022 by Africapolis which makes Onitsha one of the largest urban areas in Nigeria by population. The area currently known as Anambra State has been the site of numerous civilizations since at least the 9th century AD, including the ancient Kingdom of Nri, whose capital was the historic town of Igbo-Ukwu within the state. Residents of Anambra State are primarily Igbo, with the Igbo language serving as a lingua franca throughout the state.
During the Nigerian Civil War, Anambra State was part of the secessionist Republic of Biafra formed by Igbo nationalists. Anambra was severely affected by the war. Today, Anambra State is one of the most urbanized states in Nigeria.
Etymology
The name Anambra is the merging of Anam and the English word 'branch'. Anam is a clan in the Omambala region and the last Igbo speaking community the British colonialists encountered while heading up to Northern Nigeria from across the riverine areas. They usually described present day Anambra as 'Anam branch' to their colleagues up North. Reason Anam together with some neighboring clans was Anambra LGA when the state was created. It is now Anambra-West LGA with Olumbanasa.History
Anambra's history stretches to the 9th century AD, as revealed by archaeological excavations at Igbo-Ukwu and Ezira. It has great works of art in iron, bronze, copper, and pottery. These have revealed a sophisticated divine Kingship administrative system, which held sway in the area of Anambra from c. 948 AD to 1911. In some towns, such as Ogidi and others, local families had hereditary rights to kingship for centuries.Great Britain recognised some of these traditional kings and leaders in their system of indirect rule of the Protectorate of South Nigeria. Beginning in the 19th century, they appointed some noble leaders as Warrant Chiefs, authorizing them to collect taxes, among other duties.
Anambra is in the Igbo-dominated area that seceded as part of an independent Biafra in 1967, following rising tensions with Northern Nigeria. During the Nigerian/Biafran war, Biafran engineers constructed a relief airstrip in the town of Uli/Amorka. Extremely dangerous relief flights took off from Sao Tome and other sites loaded with tons of food and medicine for the distressed Biafran population. Uli/Amorka airstrip was the site where American pilots such as Alex Nicoll, and scores of others, delivered tons of relief supplies to the Biafran population.
Disgusted by the suffering and mounting death toll in Biafra from starvation, as well as the continuous harassment of the relief planes by the Nigerian Airforce, Carl Gustaf von Rosen resigned as a Red Cross relief pilot. He helped Biafra to form an Airforce of five Minicoin planes Malmö MFI-9 stationed at the Uga airstrip. He named his tiny but effective air force "Babies of Biafra" in honour of the babies who died from starvation inside Biafra.
Old Anambra State was created in 1976 from part of East Central State, and its capital was Enugu. In 1991, a re-organisation divided Anambra into two states, Anambra and Enugu. The capital of the New Anambra is Awka.
Geography
Location
Boundaries are formed by Delta State and Edo State to the west for about 97 km across the River Niger, Imo State and Rivers State to the south, Enugu State to the east for 139 km, and Kogi State to the north for about 40 km. The name was derived from the Anambra River which flows through the area and is a tributary of the River Niger.Anambra is the eighth-most populated state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the second-most densely populated state in Nigeria after Lagos State. The stretch of more than 45 km between the towns of Oba and Amorka contains a cluster of numerous thickly populated villages and small towns, giving the area an estimated average density of 1,500–2,000 persons per square kilometre.
Climate
The state has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate with yearly temperature of 28.99 °C and it is -0.47% lower than Nigeria's averages. Anambra typically receives about 212.36 millimeters of precipitation and has 243.38 rainy days annually.The state has been described as one of the worst places affected by the climate change in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 according to the Climate Change Education and Action Programme,.
Administrative Division
Cities and administrative divisions
With an annual population growth rate of 2.21 percent per annum, Anambra State has over 60% of its people living in urban areas. It is one of the most urbanized states in Nigeria.The major urban centres of Anambra State are Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, Ihiala, Aguleri and Awka, the state capital. Awka and Onitsha had developed as pre-colonial urban centres: Awka was the craft industrial centre of the Nri hegemony. Onitsha is a city state on the Niger, having developed as a river port and commercial centre.
Onitsha is a fast-growing commercial city and has developed to become a huge conurbation extending to Idemili, Oyi and Anambra East LGAs, with one of the largest markets in West Africa.
In 2012 the tri-city area was dubbed the Onitsha-Nnewi-Awka Industrial Axis, in recognition of the expanding industrial capacity. Nnewi is a rapidly developing industrial and commercial centre. Designated as the state capital, Awka has regained its precolonial administrative eminence.
Local government areas
Anambra State consists of 21 local government areas. They are:- Aguata
- Anambra East
- Anambra West
- Anaocha
- Awka North
- Awka South
- Ayamelum
- Dunukofia
- Ekwusigo
- Idemili North
- Idemili South
- Ihiala
- Njikoka
- Nnewi North
- Nnewi South
- Ogbaru
- Onitsha North
- Onitsha South
- Orumba North
- Orumba South
- Oyi
Economy
People all over West Africa travel to Onitsha and Nnewi to trade, which boost the internal revenue of the state. Onitsha is among the top commercial cities in Africa.
Agriculture is an important economic sector in Anambra. Oil palms, maize, rice, yams and cassava are among the crops grown. Fishing is also part of the economic mainstay of Anambra State more especially for communities along the riverine areas.
Anambra is a home of innovation, inventions and creativity. There have been several innovations in Anambra, due to its appreciation of education, which has added to the state's GDP. One of those was in 2018, when two brothers, Atikpo Chukwuebuka and Ubaka Chukwuebuka, were the first to invent a machine, that could wash off the bitterness from bitter-leaf. This machine will greatly improve the productivity of vegetable farming in the state.
The export of agricultural items is a continual boost to Anambra Internal Generated Revenue. In 2017, the state generated $5 million from the export of washed bitter leaf.
There is a huge deposit of oil and gas in Nigeria, with the Anambra Basin having a great potential of 1000 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves untapped. Having more than 13 oil wells situated in Anambra, the state has the capacity to produce more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with indigenous companies like Orient Petroleum, and Sterling Oil Exploration and Production Co. LTD, already leading the way.
Natural resources
Anambra is rich in natural gas, crude oil, bauxite, and ceramic. It has an almost 100 percent arable soil.Anambra state has many other resources in terms of agro-based activities such as fisheries and farming, as well as land cultivated for pasturing and animal husbandry.
Oil and gas
In the year 2006, a foundation-laying ceremony for the first Nigerian private refinery, Orient Petroleum Refinery, was made at Aguleri area. The Orient Petroleum Resource Ltd, owner of OPR, was licensed in June 2002, by the Federal Government to construct a private refinery with a capacity of.In 2012, following the efforts of Governor Peter Obi and other stakeholders of Orient Petroleum, Anambra State became an oil-producing state. The indigenous company struck oil in the Anambra River basin.
On 2 August 2015, the management of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc said the company planned to increase its crude oil production to 3,000 barrels per day by September 2015, as it stepped up production activities in two new oil wells in its Aguleri oil fields. An indigenous company, Nails and Stanley Ltd, was to establish a gas plant at Umueje in Ayamelum Local Government Area to support economic activities in the oil and gas industry in the state.
Following the attribution of eleven oil wells by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission in August 2021, Anambra State joined the league of oil producing States in Nigeria. The process to amend the law that set up the Niger Delta Development Commission through which infrastructure is provided to oil producing States has started. The purpose is to include Anambra State in the list of oil producing States as stated in the NDDC law through the amendment of Section 2 of the NDDC Establishment ACT CAP N 86 LFN 2004.