Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in the South-East geopolitical zone of

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, ...

, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi,

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 ...

to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. The state takes its name from its capital and largest city, Enugu. The city acquired township status in 1917 and was called Enugwu-Ngwo. Due to the rapid expansion towards areas owned by other indigenous communities, it was renamed Enugu in 1928. Of the 36 states, Enugu is the 29th largest in area and 22nd most populous with an estimated population of over 4.4 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is divided between the Niger Delta swamp forests in the far south and the drier Guinean forest–savanna mosaic with some savanna in the rest of the state. Other important geographical features are the Udi-Nsukka Plateau and Ekulu River, which flows through the city of Enugu. Modern-day Enugu State has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, primarily the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

with minorities of Idoma and Igala peoples in Etteh Uno, a community in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area. In the pre-colonial period, what is now Enugu State was a part of the medieval Kingdom of Nri and the

Arochukwu Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke igbo is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people. It ...

-based Aro Confederacy before the latter was defeated in the early 1900s by British troops in the Anglo-Aro War. After the war, the British incorporated the area into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate, which was later merged into British Nigeria in 1914; after the merger, Enugu became a symbol of anti-colonial resistance after the 1949 massacre of striking coal miners in the Iva Valley. After independence in 1960, the area of what is now Enugu was a part of the post-independence Eastern Region until May 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the East Central State. Less than two months afterwards, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede in the three-year long

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

with what is now Enugu State as a part of the secessionist state of

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

. The city of Enugu was named the Biafran capital until October 1967 when it was captured by federal forces; the rest of the state was hard-fought over but much of it fell by June 1968. At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the East Central State was reformed until 1976 when Anambra State (including what is now Enugu) was formed by the Murtala Muhammed regime. Fifteen years afterwards, Anambra State was divided with the eastern part being broken off to form the new Enugu State; in 1996, part of Enugu State's east was removed to form a part of the new

. Economically, Enugu State is based around

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market (economics), market. Traders generally negotiate throu ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

, mainly plastics (but recently, China opened a factory called Dongfeng), and services along with agriculture, mainly of yams,

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 ...

, cocoyam,

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. Description Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can gro ...

, and

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 ...

. A key minor industry was mining, especially of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

in the Udi Hills around the city of Enugu. Enugu State has the tenth highest

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

in the country and is considered the heart of

Igboland Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...

, the cultural region of ethnically Igbo areas.

Geography

Enugu State is one of the states in the eastern part of Nigeria located at the foot of the Udi Plateau. The state shares borders with Abia State for about 25 km to the south,

to the east,

Benue State Benue is a State in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria. It is popularly referred to as part of the Middle belt. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in List of Nigerian states by population, the 2006 census. ...

to the northeast for 84 km, Kogi State to the northwest for 112 km (70 miles) and Anambra State to the west for 139 km (86 miles). Enugu, the capital city of Enugu State, is on the railroad from Port Harcourt, 150 miles (240 km) south-southwest, and at the intersection of roads from Aba, Onitsha, and Abakaliki. It is approximately 4 hours drive away from

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

, where coal shipments exited Nigeria. Enugu is also located within an hour's drive from Onitsha, one of the biggest commercial cities in Africa and two hours' drive from Aba, another very large commercial city, both of which are trading centres in Nigeria. The average temperature in this city is cooler to mild ~17°C (60°F) in its cooler months and gets warmer to hot in its warmer months ~28°C (upper 80°F). Enugu has good soil-land and climatic conditions all year round, sitting at about above sea level, and the soil is well drained during its rainy seasons. The mean temperature in Enugu State in the hottest month of February is about , while the lowest temperatures occur in the month of November, reaching . The lowest rainfall of about is normal in February, while the highest is about in July.

Climate

Enugu state has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate. The city's yearly temperature is 28.27°C (82.89°F) and it is -1.19% lower than Nigeria's averages. Enugu typically receives about 158.57 millimeters (6.24 inches) of precipitation and has 192.73 rainy days (52.8% of the time) annually.

History

The name of the state was derived from its capital city, Enugu. The word "Enugu" (from ''Enu Ugwu'') means "the top of the hill". The first European settlers arrived in the area in 1909, led by a British mining engineer named Albert Kitson. In his quest for silver, he discovered coal in the Udi Ridge which is why the state is regarded as coal city state. The Colonial Governor of Nigeria Frederick Lugard took a keen interest in the discovery, and by 1914 the first shipment of coal was made to Britain. As mining activities increased in the area, a permanent cosmopolitan settlement emerged, supported by a railway system. Enugu acquired township status in 1917 and became strategic to British interests. Foreign businesses began to move into Enugu, the most notable of which were John Holt, Kingsway Stores, the British Bank of West Africa and the

United Africa Company The United Africa Company (UAC) was a British company which principally traded in West Africa during the 20th century. The United Africa Company was formed in 1929 as a result of the merger of Royal Niger Company, The Niger Company, which had b ...

. From Enugu, the British administration was able to spread its influence over the Southern Province of Nigeria. The colonial past of Enugu is today evidenced by the Georgian building types and meandering narrow roads within the residential area originally reserved for the whites, an area which is today called the Government Reserved Area (GRA). From being the capital of the Southern Provinces, Enugu became the capital of the Eastern Region (now divided into nine States), the capital of the now defunct Federal Republic of

, thereafter, the capital of East Central State, Anambra State, (old) Enugu State, and now the capital of the present Enugu State through a process of state creation and diffusion of administrative authority.

Politics

The State Government and the

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

are the two levels of government in Enugu State and in all other

states of Nigeria Nigeria is a federation of 36 states, each of which is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares power with the federal government as enumerated under the Constitution of Nigeria, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In additi ...

. Peter Mbah is the current executive governor of Enugu State. He was elected by the people in April 2023 and was sworn in on 29 May 2023 Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the immediate past governor succeeding Sullivan Chime. Chime was elected by the people of Enugu State in April 2007 and was sworn into office on 29 May 2007. The governor is above a group of commissioners whom he has placed as heads of ministries that oversee various portfolios such as Health and Housing; both the governor and the commissioners form the Executive Council of Enugu State. Government House, Enugu, is where the government of the state is based.

Electoral system

The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes the threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.

Local government areas

Enugu State consists of 17

Local Government Areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The ph ...

. They are: * Aninri *

Awgu Awgu is a Local Government Area (LGA) in Enugu State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is situated in Awgu Town, Enugu, Awgu Town, it is also the headquarters of Roman Catholic Diocese of Awgu, Awgu Catholic Diocese -the Catholic Cathedral is said to ...

* Enugu East * Enugu North * Enugu South * Ezeagu * Igbo Etiti * Igbo Eze North * Igbo Eze South * Isi Uzo * Nkanu East * Nkanu West * Nsukka * Oji River * Udenu * Udi * Uzo-Uwani

Economy

Economically, the state is predominantly rural and agrarian, with a substantial proportion of its working population engaged in farming, although trading (18.8%) and services (12.9%) are also important. In the urban areas trading is the dominant occupation, followed by services. A small proportion of the population is also engaged in manufacturing activities, with the most pronounced among them located in Enugu, Oji, Ohebedim and Nsukka. The state boasts of a number of markets especially at each of the divisional headquarters, the most prominent of which is the Ogbete Main market in the State capital, Enugu. There is also one of the largest grains market East of the Niger, the Orie Orba Market which plays host to most farmers from the North Central States of Benue, Kogi, Nassarawa and Plateau who use the market to dispose their produce for consumers in South-East and South-Southern Nigeria. Every four days, grains and other farm produce are found in large quantities and at highly competitive prices.

Natural resources

The following Natural Resources are found in Enugu State: *

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

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 ...

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) ...

Energy

Electricity supply is relatively stable in Enugu and its environs, and is regulated by the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The Oji River Power Station (which used to supply electricity to all of Eastern Nigeria) is located in Enugu State. With the deregulation of electricity generation in Nigeria and the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), it is hoped the State Government would assist private investors to negotiate the take over and reactivation of the Oji Power Station. This is more so with the proximity of the Enugu coal mines to the power station, a driving distance of about 20 minutes. There are also traces of crude oil in Ugwuoba, in the same Oji-River Local Government area of the state. The state will also negotiate with investors interested in investing in the coal mining in Enugu. The coal industry used to be one of the biggest employers of labour in the state and the state is looking to attract investors in the industry.

Education

Every community in Enugu State has at least one Primary/Elementary school and one Secondary school, funded and run by State Government. There are also large numbers of private nursery, primary and secondary schools in Enugu State. Nigeria's first indigenous university, ( University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)), is located in Enugu State. The state also hosts the Enugu State University of Science & Technology
ESUT
, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Federal Cooperative College, Oji River (FCCO); Enugu State College of Education Technical, Enugu; Caritas University, Amorji-Nike, Renaissance University, Ugbawka; Command Day Secondary School Enugu, Federal Government College Enugu, Federal School of Dental Technology & Therapy, College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, Queen's School Enugu a Prominent high school for girls in the Eastern region; St. Theresa's College, Nsukka; Special Science Boys' Secondary School Agbani, Nkanu West L.G.A; t. Patrick's Secondary School Emene, Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu; Awgu County College, Nenwe; Community Secondary School, Ugbo-Okpala, Ugbo; Corpus Christi College, Achi, Royal Crown Academy, Nsukka, Enugu State, Enugu]; Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology, Enugu; and the Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Seat of Wisdom Secondary School Trans Ekulu Enugu, Osisatech boys secondary school. There are also a host of private computer schools and training centres concentrated in Enugu and Nsukka. There are also notable private Tertiary Institutions in Enugu such as Caritas University, a Catholic university founded by a Catholic Priest: Father Edeh, and Renaissance University.

Healthcare

The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) is located in Enugu State, as is the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine, which is located in the capital city, Enugu. In addition to numerous private hospitals and clinics in the state, there are seven District Hospitals at Enugu –Urban, Udi, Agbani, Awgu, Ikem, Enugu-Ezike, and Nsukka – and at least one health centre or cottage hospital in every one of the 17 Local Government Areas and 39 Development Centres in the state. The University of Nigeria Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) is also located in Enugu. Among the notable Medical Institutions in Enugu are Niger Foundation Hospital and Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (Popularly known as Park Lane)

Transportation

Roads

Three Federal Highways: * A3 north from Abia State via Enugu and Ngwo to

, * A232 (part of Trans-African Highway 8 Lagos-Mombasa) east from Anambra State at Ugwuoba to Enugu, * A343 continues TAH8 from Enugu to

. Other major highways include: * the Enugu Ezike-Obolo Rd northwest from A3 at Obolo, * the Obolo-Idah Rd west from A3 at Obolo and north via Enugu-Ezike and Unadu to Kogi State at Akpanya, * the Obolo-Afor-Nkalagu Rd southeast from A3 at Obolo via Obolo Eke to

near Eha Amufu, * the Nsukka-Onitsha Rd southwest from Nsukka to Anambra State at Adani as the Adani Rd, * the Ekwegbe-Effokwo Rd north from A3 in Enugu to A3 in Opi as the Amangwu Rd, * the Enugu Rd north from A3 in Opi to Nsukka, * the Enugu-Otukpo Rd south from A3 at Opi to Idedu as the Nsukka Rd, * the Mbalaze-Udi Rd east from Idedu via Ozalla on the A3, Agbani, Amagunze and Iheuokpara to

as the Omomiko or Isu-Ndiagu-Amagunze Rd, * the Udi-Ngwo Rd east from A232 near Ojinato via Oji River to Idedu as the Mbalazw-Udi or Old Enugu-Onitsha Rd.

Railways

The Cape Gauge Eastern Line is 240 km from

to Enugu which connects with Aba and Umuahia.

Airport

Akanu Ibiam International Airport, closed for renovation February-December 2010

Religion

Enugu State is predominantly

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. There are few adherents of traditional religion, and people from Northern and Western Nigeria practices Islam and

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Churches

The churches in Enugu State include

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, and Pentecostal churches — both Orthodox and unorthodox. The Catholic Cathedral is Holy Ghost Cathedral located close to Ogbete Main Market. The Catholic Church comprises three suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Onitsha: Enugu (1962) with 206 parishes under Bishop Callistus Chukwuma Valentine Onaga (2009

Nsukka (1990) with 193 parishes under Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah (2013

and Awgu (2005) with 48 parishes under Bishop John Ifeanyichukwu Okoye, (2005)

The Anglican Cathedral is Cathedral Church of Good Shepherd located at 11 Achi St, Independence Layout. The Anglican Province of Enugu under Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma (2014) includes the Dioceses of Enugu North under Bishop Sosthenes Ikechukwu Eze (2007), Awgu/Aninri (2007) under Bishop Benson Chukwunweike (2020), Eha-Amufu under Bishop Daniel Christian Nkemjika Olinya, Nike (2007) under Bishop Christian Onyia (2019), Nsukka under Bishop Aloysius Agbo (2008), Oji River under Bishop Amos Madu (2014) and Udi under Bishop Chjioke Aneke. Enugu State also has numerous Pentecostal churches like Assemblies of God Church, Redeemed Christian Church of God, House on the Rock, Dominion City, Dunamis, Winners Chapel, Christ Embassy, etc.

Demographics

Enugu State had a population of 3,267,837 people at the census held in 2006 (estimated at over 3.8 million in 2012). It is home of the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria and a few Idoma/Igala people in Ette (Igbo-Eze North) of Enugu State, Nigeria.

Notable people

* Allison Madueke - Rear admiral and Former Chief Naval Staff * Justice Anthony Aniagolu * Commodore Anthony Ogugua - Military Governor of Imo state * Justice Augustine Nnamani * Ayogu Eze * Nuzo Onoh - Renowned Author, popularly known as "The Queen of African Horror" and first African recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award. * Bartholomew Nnaji - professor and former Minister of Power * Bianca Ojukwu Nee (Onoh) * Lolo Cecelia Ezeilo - The first female Deputy Governor of Enugu State. * Justice Charles Onyeama - Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and International Court of Justice * Senator Chimaroke Nnamani - Ex Governor Enugu State * Chiwetel Ejiofor - British Actor * Christian Chukwu - Ex super eagles captain and coach * Chief C.C. Onoh - Governor Old Anambra, First Indigenous Chairman Coal Co-operation * Prof Onwumechili Cyril - The first Nigerian Nuclear Physicist and First African Professor of Agricultural Science * Daniel Kanayo Daniel * Dillibe Onyeama - Nigerian Author and publisher, the first black person to finish his studies at Eton College * Emeka Mamah - Nigerian entrepreneur and politician * Akuabata Njeze - Former Minister of Aviation and Ambassador * Frank Edward * Frank Nweke - Former Minister and DG Nigerian Economics Summit Group * Geoffrey Onyeama - Minister of Foreign Affairs * Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi - Governor Enugu state, Former Three times member House of Representative * Senator Ike Ekweremadu - Longest Serving Deputy Senate President in Nigeria and First Nigerian Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament * Commodore James Aneke - Military Governor of Imo state * Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo - Ex Governor Old Anambra state, Minister and Senator * John Nnia Nwodo - President Ohaneze Ndigbo and Former Minister of Information * John Okafor (Aka Mr. Ibu) * Group Capt. Joe Orji - Military Governor Gombe state * Justina Eze - Ambassador * Senator Ken Nnamani - Former Senate President * Kenneth Okonkwo * Mike Ejeagha *

Nkem Owoh Nkem Owoh (born 7 February 1955) is a Nigerian actor, comedian and singer. In 2008, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" for his role in the Nigerian film, ''Stronger than Pain.'' Early life and education Nk ...

* Ogbonna Onovo - I.G.P * Ogonna Nneka Nnamani - American indoor volleyball player, former member of the United States National and Olympic Team * Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo - Governor Old Enugu State and Former National Secretary PDP * Prof. Chinedu Nebo - Former V.C. University of Nigeria Nsukka and Federal University Oye Ekiti, Former Minister of Power * Prof Osita Ogbu * Patience Ozokwor * Peter Mbah * Justice Nnaemeka Agu * Racheal Okonkwo * Sullivan Chime - Former Governor Enugu State * Uche Ogbodo * Whitemoney Winner of Big Brother Naija season 6 (Shine Ya Eye) * William Onyeabor * Zain Ejiofor Asher - British News Anchor at CNN * Owoh Chimaobi Chris (Aka Zoro)

References

External links

State government websiteInsight into Enugu, Igbo Culture and Language
{{Authority control States of Nigeria States in Igboland States and territories established in 1991 1991 establishments in Nigeria