Abakaliki is the capital city of

Ebonyi State Ebonyi () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia Stat ...

in southeastern

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, located southeast of

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...

. The inhabitants are primarily members of the

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

nation. It was the headquarters of the Ogoja province before the creation of the Southeastern State in 1967.

Etymology

The name Abakaliki originally means 'Aba Nkaleke' and is the name of a community in Izzi land (Nkaleke).

History

Abakaliki was an important center for the slave trade in the 17th century. The slave trade continued in the area with

Aro Aro or ARO may refer to: People * Aro (surname) * Aro people, an Igbo subgroup in West Africa * Aro (murderer) (died 1957), last person executed in Papua New Guinea * Aro (Twilight), a character in the ''Twilight'' saga by Stephenie Meyer * Aro, a ...

raids into Abakaliki and surrounding areas through the 18th century. The Odozi Obodo Society was a secret cult that operated between 1954 and 1958 in Abakaliki. Old Abakaliki

Economy

Abakaliki, as in the past, is a center of agricultural trade including such products as yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, and both

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

and

palm kernel The palm kernel is the edible seed of the oil palm fruit. The fruit yields two distinct oils: palm oil derived from the outer parts of the fruit, and palm kernel oil derived from the kernel. The pulp left after oil is rendered from the kernel ...

s,. It is also known for its local

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

mining or quarrying. They host a golf course and many hotels. There are also isolated

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

and

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

production farms across the state.

Population

The last known population of Abakaliki was 223,000 (year 2022). The population of the metro area was estimated to be 662,000 (year 2023).

Demographics

Abakaliki is generally populated by the Igbo people. Abakaliki is predominantly populated by the Northeastern Igbo of the Afikpo-Abakaliki axis. Abakaliki is also used to refer to people of old Abakaliki political block comprising Ohaukwu-Ishielu-Izzi-Ezza-Ikwo.

Climate

The dry season in Abakaliki is hot, muggy, and partially cloudy while the wet season is warm, oppressive, and overcast. The temperature rarely falls below 58°F or rises over 92°F throughout the year, often fluctuating between 65°F and 89°F.

Infrastructure

Abakaliki lies at the intersection of the

Afikpo Ehugbo often referred to as Afikpo, is the second largest urban area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Afikpo North Local Government Area. It is situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State and is bordered to the north by ...

and Ogoja Roads. Abakaliki also hosts a Federal

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

, which has largely contributed to the affordability of public healthcare delivery in the city and the state. There have been massive infrastructural developments ongoing in the urban center in recent years; these include road construction, shopping malls and market places, trans-African Highway fly-over bridges at ''Presco'' and ''Spera-in-Deo'' junctions, amongst others.

Education

Ebonyi State University Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki (EBSU) was founded in 1999 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria. The university's medical faculty was established in 1991 as ESUT's Faculty of Health Sciences. Many of its facilities were developed in response t ...

main campus is located on the outskirts of the city.

Religion

Abakaliki people like other southeastern Nigerians are predominantly Christian. Other religious faiths like Traditionalist, Islam, etc. are practiced by handfuls of natives as well as non-natives from other parts of the country. Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Pentecostal missions are the dominant Christian faiths. On March 1, 1973, the city was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki.

Footnotes

References

* * * {{wikivoyage State capitals in Nigeria Cities in Ebonyi State Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State Local Government Areas in Igboland