Aba, Abia

Aba Enyimba City
—  City  —
A street in Aba
Nickname(s): Enyinmba
Aba Location in Nigeria
Coordinates:
Country	Nigeria
State	Abia
LGA	Aba North
Government
- Governor	Theodore Orji (PDP)
Population (2004)
- Total	820,900
- Ethnicity	Igbo, others
- Religion	Christianity, Omelala
	estimate
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)
Area code(s)	082
Website	http://www.abiastateonline.com/

Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo people of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post by was placed there British colonial administration in 1901. The city became a collecting point for agricultural products following the British made railway running through it to Port Harcourt. Aba is a major urban settlement and commercial center in a region that is surrounded by small villages and towns. The indigenous people of Aba are the Ngwa, an Igbo group. Aba is well known for its craftsmen. As of 2004 Aba had an estimated population of 820,900.

History

Originally settled by the Ngwa Clan of the Igbo people, the current location of the city is based on land conceded to the British crown by the Eziukwu - Aba community. It eventually became an administrative center of Britain's colonial government. Aba has been a major commercial center since it became part of the old Eastern region. In 1901, the British founded a military post in Aba; in 1915, a railroad was constructed to link it to Port Harcourt, this transported agricultural goods such as palm oil and palm kernels.^[1] in 1929 Aba was the site of a revolt by Igbo women, historically known as "The Aba Women's Riot", a protest of the colonial taxation policy.^[2] During the height of Nigerian-Biafran War in 1967, the capital of Biafra was moved to Aba from Enugu.

Aba is surrounded by oil wells which separate it from the city of Port Harcourt, a distance of about 30 km; a 30 kilometer pipeline powers Aba with gas from the Imo River natural gas repository.^[1] Roads lead to Aba from Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot Abasi.^[1]

Religion

The city has played a lasting role in the Christian evangelism of the Southeast of Nigeria since the British brought the Church Missionary Society (CMS), an evangelism vehicle of then Church of England used to plant what today has become the Anglican Church of Nigeria. In 1923, the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA Church) was established [1]. The Seventh-day Adventists are well known for their Biblical faith, quality hospitals and good educational institutions.

St. Michael's Cathedral Anglican Church was founded in the late 1920s although St. James Parish on the city edge (Umule) is arguably the oldest church because the diocese's first mass was celebrated in 1916. [2] Most of the Primary and Secondary Schools mentioned above were founded by the CMS along with each of their Churches.

The Catholic Church was to follow and also created many churches; St. Joseph Cathedral, which for a long time was the biggest church in the city became its bishop's seat. Like the Anglican church, the Catholic Church attached schools to their churches with St. Joseph Girl Secondary School being of the best schools in the city.

With the arrival of the Pentecostal brand of Christianity (the evangelicals) in Nigeria, the city got an enormous share for itself. The Assemblies of God Church, being among the earliest, the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, etc. had massive following in the early 1980s. African Gospel church was found by most Bishop Ogudoro the Founder of African Gospel church. African Gospel church is divided into 10 districts. The present Bishop of African Gospel church is Bishop Uzoaru (2009).

In the late 1960s, a group of Nigerians discovered information on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and established branches [3], but the Utah based church did not establish any official presence until the late 1970s when blacks were allowed to hold priesthood authority [4]. Aba has several congregations and a temple.

Muslims and mosques are also present in Aba; the largest mosque is the Hospital Road Mosque. A Chief Imam is resident among the Hausa-peaking settlement in the heart of the city itself.

Education

The city has well over 90 primary schools, most running two sections of morning and afternoon. These sections, which are individual schools by themselves, operate 07:30Hrs - 12:30Hrs and 12:30Hrs - 17:30Hrs, all local time.

Transport

Aba is served by a station and a halt (mini station) on Nigerian Railways. Aba is also a major hub for road transport in the region - a large number of transport companies operate coaches that transport people daily to various parts of the country. The city is second only to Onitsha in mass transportation daily volume in the eastern part of Nigeria. Other modes of transportation used are motorcyclists, generally called Okada, the name being derived from an old airline, "Okada Air".

Sports

Enyimba International F.C., popularly called The Peoples Elephant, is the town's most popular football club. Enyimba FC's winning track-record is among the richest of all Nigerian football clubs. With 2 CAF Champions League Trophies, six Nigeria Premier League titles and a pair of Federation Cup trophies, the club is currently ranked 2nd in the CAF Club Rankings.

References

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