Enugu State history and capital, Enugu State Local Government Areas and Senatorial Zones/ Districts in Enugu State. The post also has Local Government Area that make each Enugu State Senatorial Districts.
Enugu State is one of the
thirty-six States constituting the Nigerian Federation. It came into being on
August 27, 1991 when the administration of President Ibrahim Babangida finally
acquiesced to the long agitations of Waawa people for a State they could truly
call their own. Enugu State derives its name from the capital city, ENUGU (top
of the hill) which is regarded as the oldest urban area in the Igbo speaking
area of Southeast Nigeria.
Enugu State is an inland
state in southeastern Nigeria. Its capital is Enugu where the state derives its
name.
It shares boundaries with Anambra on the West, Abia State on the South, Kogi on the North while Benue and Eboyin on the East. Enugu and Nsukka are its major towns. Enugu was the headquarters of the former East Central State and Eastern Nigeria.
The state is predominantly
agricultural with yam tubers, palm produce and rice being their main produce.
There is in place an agricultural policy aimed at maximizing its agricultural
potentials.
Besides coal, new mineral deposits have recently been
discovered in Enugu State. These include limestone, iron ore, crude oil,
natural gas and bauxite.
The Europeans commissioned
Albert Ernest Kitson to lead an exploration in 1903 to find mineral resources
in the area. In 1909 Coal was discovered in Enugu at the Udi Hills and this led
to the construction of the Eastern Railway to transport coal to the port at
Port Harcourt
Enugu was then developed by the Europeans
to become one of the few West African cities with a European touch. Enugu was
declared the capital of the Eastern Region after Nigeria’s independence in 1960
having previously served as the administrative capital of the same region from
1938 till independence.
The city
also served as the “capital of Igboland” known as the Republic of Biafra in
1967. The Biafran capital was moved to Umuahia after the Nigerian Armed forces
captured Enugu. In 1991, the old Anambra state was divided into two to create
Enugu and Anambra State. Enugu remained the capital of the new Enugu State created
by Ibrahim Babangida’s military regime.
the
name of the state derives 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. 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.
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 now defunct
Federal Republic of Biafra, 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
he name of the state
derives 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. 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.
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 now defunct Federal Republic of Biafra, 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
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, 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
Electricity supply is relatively stable in Enugu and its Environs. 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 employer of labour in the state and the state is looking to attract investors in the industry
Enugu State Senatorial Zones / Districts
Enugu state have three (3) Senatorial Zones / Districts. They are Enugu North Senatorial Zone / District, Enugu East Senatorial Zone / District and Enugu West Senatorial Zone / District. Below are the Senatorial Zones / Districts and the local government areas that made up the districts.
Ebugu North Senatorial Zone / District
- Igbo Eze South Local Government Area
- Nsukka Local Government Area
- Igbo Etiti Local Government Area
- Igbo Eze North Local Government Area
- Udenu Local Government Area
- Uzo-uwani Local Government Area
Enugu East Senatorial Zone / District
- Enugu East Local Government Area
- Enugu North Local Government Area
- Enugu South Local Government Area
- Isi Uzo Local Government Area
- Nkanu East Local Government Area
- Nkanu West Local Government Area
Enugu West Senatorial Zone / District
- Aninri Local Government Area
- Awgu Local Government Area
- Ezeagu Local Government Area
- Oji-river Local Government Area
- Udi Local Government Area
Local Government Areas in Enugu State
Enugu State has seventeen (17) Local Government Areas as named below:
Aninri
Awgu
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