Imo State
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| Imo State State nickname: Land of Hope |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Governor (List) |
Dr. Achike Udenwa (PDP) | |
| Date Created | February 3, 1976 | |
| Capital | Owerri | |
| Area | 5,530 km² Ranked 34th |
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| Population 1991 Census 2005 est. |
Ranked 13th 2,485,499 4,485,063 |
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| ISO 3166-2 | NG-IM | |
Imo is in Southern Nigeria and is created on February 3, 1976. This area was part of the former East Central State which was one of the twelve states initially created by the Federal Military Government in 1967. With the creation of more states in 1991, Abia State was carved out from Imo State. In 2005, the State has a population of about 4 million. It has Owerri as it capital and largest city. Other major towns are Okigwe, Oguta, Orlu, Mbaise, Uzoagba, Emekuku (Emekē Ukwu), Orodo, Mgbidi.
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[edit] People
The inhabitants of Imo State are lgbo, a culturally homogeneous group. The official language of the state is Igbo alongside English. Imo State has a very rich cultural heritage. This is manifested in dressing, music, dance, festivals, arts and crafts, and the traditional hospitality of the people. There are many traditional festivals observed in the State. Each community has different festivals celebrated in honor of ancient deities or to mark an important event in the history of the area. There are different festivals to usher in the harvest season, the most popular being the Ahiajoku Festival, which is observed in all the farming communities.The lgbo have different types of music to suit various occasions, such as work, leisure, marriage, and funeral. Much of the traditional music is a combination of vocal and instrumental artistry, which produces a tuneful melody. Honored traditional music and dances include Abiigbo, Ekpe, Ikoro, Okonko, Mmanwu, etc. The traditional apparel for the men is an overflowing jumper or a long-sleeved shirt worn over the George wrapper, which is tied round the waist, flowing down to the ankles. This dress is complemented with a cap and a walking stick, which serves as an instrument of support and defense. The traditional wear for the women is a blouse, worn over a loin cloth. This female outfit goes with a head tie, ear rings and necklaces.
Learned professionals and seasoned artists abound in the state. Works of art produced in the state include: carved doors, walking sticks of different designs, sculptures, flutes, wooden mortars and pestles, gongs, and the famous talking drums. Metal works and various types of fabrications are locally produced. Some art & cultural centers include: The Mbari Cultural Center at Owerri, Eke Nguru in Aboh Mbaise and lgwekala shrine in Umunoha are traditional art and craft centers that depict the culture and heritage of the lgbo. Part of the culture of the state is the lgbo traditional hospitality to visitors, which begins with the presentation of kolanuts to the visitor. The kolanut signifies that the visitor is heartily welcomed. The ritual of the presentation of the kolanut is consummated with the offering of prayers and thanksgiving or petition to the supreme God and other deities, for the protection of the visitor and the host. There is freedom of worship in Imo State and religion occupies a central place in the lives of the people. The people are predominantly Christians of different denominations, but mostly Catholicism. Some people in the state still practice traditional religions.
[edit] Government
Achike Udenwa is the current elected governor of Imo State. He is the head of the executive arm of government and is assisted by a deputy governor, commissioners and executive advisers. Imo State was created on 3rd February, 1976. The state is bounded by Anambra state to the north, Abia state to the east, and Delta and Rivers to the west and south respectively.
The legislative arm, headed by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, is made up of elected legislators; it is the lawmaking body of the state. The judiciary is charged with the responsibility of the administration of justice and is headed by the Chief Judge of the state. Functions of the government are carried out through the various ministries and parastatals
At the community level, the autonomous communities are headed by traditional rulers called Ezes, who in turn have their own cabinet of appointed chiefs and titled men.
The State is blessed with abundant natural resources. These include crude oil, lead, zinc, white clay, fine sand, limestone and natural gas in commercial quantities. The state also produces agricultural produce such as palm produce, cocoa and rubber. The main staple crops are yam, cassava, cocoyam and maize. Imo State has many rivers. The main rivers in the state are Imo, Otamiri and Njaba. The major lakes are in Oguta and Abadaba in Obowu local government area.
[edit] Administrative Divisions
Imo State is divided into twenty-seven Local Government Areas:
- Aboh-Mbaise
- Ahiazu
- Ehime-Mbano
- Ezinihitte
- Ideato-North
- Ideato-South
- Ihitte/Uboma
- Ikeduru
- Isiala-Mbano
- Isu
- Mbatoli
- Ngor-Okpala
- Njaba
- Nkwerre
- Nwangele
- Obowo
- Oguta
- Ohaji/Egbema
- Okigwe
- Orlu
- Orsu
- Oru-East
- Oru-West
- Owerri-Municipal
- Owerri-North
- Owerri-west
- Unuimo
[edit] Education
Education is of high priority in the state. In the 1996 school year, Imo State primary school enrolment was 561,214. There are currently 2,040 primary schools, 305 secondary schools, 75 private secondary schools, 4 Technical Colleges and 65 approved private vocational/commercial colleges in Imo State. Total enrolment for secondary school in the 2003 school year was 486,026. Enrolment in technical colleges and vocational/commercial colleges for the same year was 122,650. Total number of teachers in both primary and secondary for the same was 96,711.
There are five institutions of higher learning in the state namely: Imo State University, Owerri, Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri; Federal University of Science and Technology, Owerri, Michael Okpara College of Agriculture, Umuagwu; and the Polytechnic, Nekede.
[edit] Economy
The economy performance of Imo State, in 2005, is considerably lower compared to that of similar sized entities in and around the developing world.
[edit] Industries
Imo state used to have a vibrant industrial sector but in the past several years, manufacturing and production in Imo State has been on a rapid decline. Entrepreneiur in the state need a great deal of support to enable them tool-up their factories and energize their productivity engines. In the good old days, the major state-owned industries in Imo included Standard Shoes Company, Owerri, which produced different types of footwear; Clay Products; Ezinachi-Okigwe, which produced burnt bricks for all kinds of buildings; Sack Hercules, Owerri, which assembled motor-cycles and bicycles; Nsu tile Factory, Ehime-Mbano, Imo Health Foods Limited, Ubakalo, Adapalm Nigeria Limited; Imo Modern Poultry Limited, Avutu-Obowo; Modern Produce Inspection Laboratory, Owerri, and Oguta Motels Limited, Oguta. Some of these industries are still in operation but at much below world-class performance.
Industries under partnership include Fuason Industries, Owerri, which produces galvanized iron sheets, the Afrik Enterprises, Awo-Omama, a pharmaceutical company, Imo Concord Hotel, Owerri. Industries that had been partially privatized include card packaged Industry, Orlu, Resin Paints Limited, Aboh Mbaise and Aluminium Extrusion Industry, Inyisi. Industries in the private sector include Sab Spare Parts and Allied Accessories, Okigwe, which make motor-spare parts, Oma Pharmaceutical, Awomoma, which produces drugs and medicines, Magil Industries Atta, which makes steel, sponge, bread, polythene and paper.
[edit] Health Care
In the area of health care services, there are 45 mission hospitals, 2 jointly-owned hospitals, 346 private hospitals/clinics and maternity homes. There are also three Federal/ State/Local Government Basic Health Service Clinics and a total of 37 dispensaries. The State Government has a School of Nursing located at Owerri and Schools of Midwifery at Mgbidi and Aboh Mbaise. The schools breed nurses/midwives who serve in government and private medical institutions, voluntary agency schools of nursing/midwifery that exist in the State.
[edit] Geography, Vegetation and Climate
Imo State derives its name from Imo River, which takes its course from the Okigwe/Awka upland. It lies within latitudes 4°45'N and 7°15'N, and longitude 6°50'E and 7°25'E. It occupies the area between the lower River Niger and the upper and middle Imo River. The state is bounded on the east by Abia State, on the west by the River Niger and Delta State; and on the north by Anambra State, while Rivers State lies to the south. Imo State covers an area of about 5,100sq km.
Imo State is underlain by the Benin Formation of coastal plain sands. This formation, which is of late Tertiary age, is rather deep, porous, infertile and highly leached. In some areas like Okigwe, impermeable layers of clay occur near the surface, while in other areas, the soil consists of lateritic material under a superficial layer of fine grained sand.
Rivers are few with vast inter fluves which are characterized by dry valleys that carry surface drainage in periods of high rainfall. The phenomenal monotony of the terrain may be accounted for by the absence of any tectonic disturbances and by the homogeneity of the rock structure.
The main streams draining the state are Imo, Otamiri, Njaba and Ulasi rivers, all of which have very few tributaries. With the exception of Imo River, which runs through the area underlain by the Imo Shales, other rivers rise within the coastal plain sands. Generally, river valleys constitute the major physical features, which are often marshy.
The undulating nature of the interfluves gives rise to numerous depressions especially in the northeast Rainfall distribution is bimodal, with peaks in July and September and a two week break in August. The rainy season begins in March and lasts till October or early November. From March to May, there are violent storms which destroy crops and houses. Rainfall is often at its maximum at night and during the early morning hours. However, variations occur in rainfall amount from year to year. Annual rainfall varies from 1,990 mm to 2,200.
Temperatures are similar all over the state. The hottest months are January to March, with the mean annual temperature above 20°C. The influence of the harmattan lasts for about nine weeks (i.e. from late December to late February).Imo State has an average annual relative humidity of 75 per cent which is highest during the rainy season, when it rises to about 90 per cent. The high temperature and humidity experienced in the state favour luxuriant plant growth, which produce the Imo State's rich and beautiful vegetation of the tropical rain forest.
Economic trees like the iroko, mahogany, obeche, gmelina, bamboo, rubber and oil palm pre dominate. But due to high population density, most of the state has been so farmed and degraded that the original vegetation has disappeared. Thus farmers are forced into marginal lands, a situation aggravated by the rising demand for fuel-wood. Deforestation has triggered off acute soil erosion especially in the Okigwe Orlu axis.
[edit] Population & Land Use
Imo State has a population of about 4,485,499 persons. The population density varies from 230 persons per sq. km. in Oguta/Egbema area, to about 1,400 persons per sq. km. in Mbaise, Orlu, Mbano and Mbaitoli areas. This high population density has led to intensified pressure on land, forests and other natural resources, leading to increasing rural poverty which is characteristic of densely populated rural areas.Fallow period rarely exceeds one year and in some areas continuous cropping is the rule. Low crop yield and loss of land to erosion have combined to induce people to migrate in search of jobs and even farmland in other parts of the country.
[edit] Rural Settlement Patterns
The population of Imo State is predominantly rural. Some of the most densely settled areas of Nigeria are found in Imo State, where a direct relationship exists between population density and the degree of dispersal of rural settlement.
[edit] Urban Development
The major urban centres in Imo State are Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe. Master-plans and development plans were prepared by the state government to guide development with in the capital territory, Owerri. However, eleven local government headquarters and twenty-seven growth points were demarcated for urban development within the major urban centres Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu.
[edit] Health
Imo State has an effective health care delivery system comprising hospitals and paramedical centers. These medical establishments are located in different local government areas of the of state and are categorized into five main groups:
Government owned Specialist Hospitals ,General Hospitals; Voluntary Agency Hospitals (Missionary Hospitals); Community Owned Hospitals; and, Privately owned hospitals.
Also, the State Health Care Delivery Scheme has adopted a grassroots approach through the establishment of rural basic healthcare centers and village primary healthcare centers in all the LGAs.
There are approximately 45 mission hospitals, 2 jointly-owned hospitals, 346 private hospitals/clinics and maternity homes. There are also three Federal/ State/Local Government Basic Health Service Clinics and a total of 37 dispensaries. The State Government has a School of Nursing located at Owerri and Schools of Midwifery at Mgbidi and Aboh Mbaise. The schools trains nurses and midwives who serve in government and private medical institutions and support the few voluntary agencies that exist in the State.
[edit] Some Distinguished Natives
Imo State constitutes a major hub of the source of numerous distinguished Nigerians and world-class academicians like:
- Donatus Ibeakwadalam Nwoga - The Igbo Philosopher of the Twentieth Century
- Austin Okere - The Computer Wizzard
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - First female Finance Minister; Foreign Minister; ex World Bank Vice President
- Leo Stan Ekeh - Computer Guru and CEO of Zinox Technologies
- Damian Anyanwu - Inventor, Awarded Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), Diplomat
- Sam Mbakwe - Governor, Man of The People, Outstanding Leader
- Christina Anyanwu - Journalist
- Frank Nneji - Founder of ABC Transport, Awarded Best Land Transit
- Obianuju Catherine Acholonu - Critically acclaimed writer
- Adiele E. Afigbo - Renowned History Professor
- Chikezie V. Uchendu - Classical Anthropologist
- Onyeka Onwenu - The Elegant Stalion, Singer, Journalist, Actress, Humanist
- Felicia Ekejiuba - Reputed Professor
- Sylvester Ugoh - Governor Bank of Biafra
- Augustine Njoku-Obi - Developer of cholera vaccine
- Romanus Obioma Amanze - Roman Catholic Priest to be beatified
- Ezekiel Izuogu - Scientist and inventor of the first automobile of indigenous all-African technology, the Z-600
- Ethelbert Chukwu - Mathematician
[edit] External links
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