About Anambra State is provided in this article. Basal Historical and present-day verities of the State are briefly incorporated herein.
About Anambra State
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Anambra State is located in the Southeastern part of Nigeria. It is one of the states that constitute the Igbo tribe in the Country.
The state succeeded as part of an independent Biafra in the year 1967. The old Anambra was created in 1976 from part of East Central State and its capital was formerly Enugu.
On August 27, 1991, Anambra was by a re-organization divided into two states; Anambra and Enugu. The state has its capital seat in Awka.
The state was named after one of its Northern and Omambala clans Anam but it emerged with a branch. It was usually called Anam branch by the colonial masters. Omambala, an Igbo name that is associated with the Anambra River is a tributary of the River Niger begat the name Anambra.
The State is Nicknamed ‘Light of the nation’ which is translated as Ife Mbà in Igbo language. The people of Anambra are called Ndi Anambra.
Anambra State is bounded by Delta State to the west, by Imo State and Rivers State to the south, by Enugu State to the east, and by Kogi State to the north.
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The predominant Religion of Anambra State is Christianity.
Indigenously, the ethnic groups in Anambra state are the Igbo by 98% of the entire population, and a paltry 2% population of the Igala who live mainly in the north-western part of the state.
Anambra is the number-eight most populated state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the second-most densely populated state in Nigeria after Lagos State.
The current Governor of Anambra State is Chief Willie Obiano of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and his deputy is Nkem Okeke from the same political party.
The Governor was sworn into office on March 17, 2014, after winning the Anambra gubernatorial election conducted on November 16, 2013. He was sworn into office for a second term on March 17, 2018, after he won again on November 18, 2017.
Anambra State as of 2006 had a total population of 4,177,828 and ranked 10 of 36 in the country with 860/km2 (2,200/sq mi) density.
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Local Government Areas in Anambra State
Anambra State has a total number of twenty-one (21) Local Government Areas.
They include:
- Aguata
- Awka North
- Awka South
- Anambra East
- Anambra West
- Anaocha
- Ayamelum
- Dunukofia
- Ekwusigo
- Idemili North
- Idemili South
- Ihiala
- Njikoka
- Nnewi North
- Nnewi South
- Ogbaru
- Onitsha North
- Onitsha South
- Orumba North
- Orumba South
- Oyi
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Notable People in Anambra State include:
Nnamdi Azikiwe – The First President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekweme – First Executive Vice-President of Nigeria 1979-1983
Nwafor Orizu – The First Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Dim Emeka Ojukwu – Leader of the secessionist Biafra Republic
Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo – One time President of the Senate of Nigeria
Chinua Achebe – First African Writer who is best known for his legendary Things Fall Apart
Emeka Okafor – Chairman, Chrome Group
Emeka Anyaoku – First black Secretary-General of Commonwealth
Chinyelu Onwurah – first female British MP of African origin
Samuel Okoye – He discovered the radio source of Crab Nebula neutron star
Amobi Okoye – Youngest American football player to play for the NFL (2004), currently is a free agent.
Chimamanda Adichie – the writer who won the Orange Prize for Fiction (2007) and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (2008)
Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu – a native of Nnewi who was the first Nigerian millionaire and first president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Cyprian Ekwensu – MFR, a writer of international repute
And many others.
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Natural Resources in Anambra State
The State is rich in natural gas, crude oil, ceramic, bauxite, and arable soil. In terms of agro-based, the State has activities such as fisheries, farming, and animal husbandry.
Anambra State has a lower poverty rate in the country.
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