Asaba, Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Asaba is the capital of Nigeria's Delta State
, and has an estimated population of 149,603 (2006 census).
Asaba lies approximately 6 degrees north of the equator and about the same distance east of the meridian; about 100 miles north of where the River Niger flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The greater Asaba occupies an area of about 300 square kilometers. It maintains an average tropical temperature of 90 degrees during the dry season and an average fertile rainfall of 6 inches during the rainy season. Igbo is the native language in Asaba and neighboring towns/environs.
of the Igbo people
. The origin of the people indigenous to Asaba are Igbos, with growing immigrant communities of Itsekiri
, Urhobo
, Isoko
, Ijaw, Hausa
and Yoruba
people .
. It was founded in 1884. It hosted the Royal Niger Company
, which the British authorities set up to stimulate trade and the exportation of goods to England. That company has grown today into the UAC Nigeria PLC. Its traditional ruler is the Asagba, Joseph Chike Edozien.
Maryam Babangida
, wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was Nigeria's head of state from 1985 to 1993 was born in Asaba.
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
, and has an estimated population of 149,603 (2006 census).
Etymology
Ahaba in Igbo is from 'Ahabagom', meaning I have chosen well, a quote from the founding father of Asaba.Geography
The City of Asaba, the capital of oil rich Delta State of Nigeria is strategically located on a hill at the western edge of the majestic River Niger. The historic River Niger is a trans-African link beginning from West Africa and down into the Atlantic Ocean. Asaba forms a connector between western, eastern and northern Nigeria through the River Niger from the north and via the Asaba Niger Bridge, an east west link and a Nigeria landmark.Asaba lies approximately 6 degrees north of the equator and about the same distance east of the meridian; about 100 miles north of where the River Niger flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The greater Asaba occupies an area of about 300 square kilometers. It maintains an average tropical temperature of 90 degrees during the dry season and an average fertile rainfall of 6 inches during the rainy season. Igbo is the native language in Asaba and neighboring towns/environs.
Demographics
Asaba is part of the ethnic territoryIgboland
Igboland, or Igbo land , also known as the Ibo, Ebo, and Heebo Country, is a cultural region in Nigeria that includes the indigenous territory and cultural reach of the Igbo people...
of the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
. The origin of the people indigenous to Asaba are Igbos, with growing immigrant communities of Itsekiri
Itsekiri
The Itsekiri are an ethnic group of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiri presently number between 800,000–1,000,000 people and live mainly in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West local government districts of Delta State on the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria...
, Urhobo
Urhobo people
The Urhobo are people of southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger River delta. The Urhobo is the major ethnic group in Delta State; the Delta State is one of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language in Niger–Congo group...
, Isoko
Isoko people
Isoko people are an ethnolinguistic group that inhabits the Isoko region of Delta State, Nigeria.-Isoko Land:The Isoko Land is one of the most densely populated areas in Nigeria, with about 300 persons per square kilometre compared with the average of 198 for Delta State and 130 for Nigeria...
, Ijaw, Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
and Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
people .
History
Asaba was once the colonial capital of the Southern Nigeria ProtectorateSouthern Nigeria Protectorate
Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River....
. It was founded in 1884. It hosted the Royal Niger Company
Royal Niger Company
The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It formed the basis of the modern state of Nigeria....
, which the British authorities set up to stimulate trade and the exportation of goods to England. That company has grown today into the UAC Nigeria PLC. Its traditional ruler is the Asagba, Joseph Chike Edozien.
Maryam Babangida
Maryam Babangida
Maryam Babangida was the wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was Nigeria's head of state from 1985 to 1993.Her husband was the target of criticism for rampant corruption during his regime....
, wife of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was Nigeria's head of state from 1985 to 1993 was born in Asaba.