Afam4eva:
I've actually thought about this several times. I've always boasted about how i will cite all my businesses in the east but it's not that easy but i'm ready to sacrifice to make a point but the question is, how far i'm i ready to sacrifice. The truth is that, every business is setup for maximum traffic and i will definitely have my main office in Lagos if it's a walk-in kinda office or an office where location matters. But i will definitely have the headquarters in Enugu. But if i want to setup something like an administrative office, factory or industry, it will definitely be in Enugu or anywhere in the east. I can bear the pain of transporting the goods to different parts of the country or have showrroms all over the country depending on the kind of product. Microsoft for instance, ios headquartered in Seattle, Washington not New York, LA or Chicago. CNN is headquartered in Atlanta georgia, not New York, Los Angeles or DC and that is because these are not necessarily walk in offices but mainly for administrative purposes.

Afam4eva:
You are indirectly belaboring my point. Why should Asaba be a surburb of Onitsha. Can't Onitsha itself have surbubs within? That's my point. Asaba can be a surburb of Onitsha but it will never be counted as Onitsha. Some parts of Maryland, USA are called surburbs of Washington DC but they're never counted as DC.

asha80: well i hope you can walk the talk..there is a reason i asked that question because i have come across seve igbo people who will shout that igbos need to industrialize heavily in the south east but meet the them at a lonely or sober time you will hear or see them making plans to site outfits in lagos rather than the east and you begin to question their lamentation before...point is the issue lies in us individuals and not in any government or politician...nnewi is an example of walking the talk.

cjrane:

I have been to both Kano and Enugu and I know Kano is definitely bigger than Enugu in landmass. That is where the advantages end.Aside from roads put there by successive military juntas, it is more of comparing a huge slum to a proper city. Everything else is a hype!
Nigeria is a nation full of BIG lies and hypes told repeatedly in the hope that repeating it somehow makes it truthful. Officially, Nigeria's 5 biggest cities from biggest to smallest is Lagos,Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Kano and PH. Now we know ain't no way this order is true! So stop telling us crap about Nigeria and statistics. It is one area Nigeria can never tell the truth.

eaglechild:
Present day Onitsha is not actually just Onitsha it is actually more of a cornubation comprising Onitsha, Mkpor, Obosi, Oba, Umuoji, Asaba etc

The actual Onitsha has a very small landmass and will better support an industrial district with the other small towns serving as residential suburbs.

Afam4eva:
Haba bros, how can Onitsha comprise of a city outside the state of Anambra. Where's that done? Asaba and Onitsha are two different cities irrespective nof how intertwined they are. Asaba is the capital of another state and has nothing to do with Onitsha save for the closeness. let's stop this delusion.

Afam4eva:
Haba bros, how can Onitsha comprise of a city outside the state of Anambra. Where's that done? Asaba and Onitsha are two different cities irrespective nof how intertwined they are. Asaba is the capital of another state and has nothing to do with Onitsha save for the closeness. let's stop this delusion.

HappyJoe:

The problem is logistics. The Southeast doesn't have good logistic links (this is a deliberate post civil war policy championed by Hausas and Yorubas).

Nigeria is an import dependent nation - so if you're not near the port, you're business will suffer. Somebody takes it from you. For a long time, the Southeast had no links with the outside world - and with Enugu airport and Ethiopian Airlines those links are still tenuous.

Kano has always had an international airport. You see, in Nigeria these things are deliberate.

cjrane:

I have been to both Kano and Enugu and I know Kano is definitely bigger than Enugu in landmass. That is where the advantages end.Aside from roads put there by successive military juntas, it is more of comparing a huge slum to a proper city. Everything else is a hype!
Nigeria is a nation full of BIG lies and hypes told repeatedly in the hope that repeating it somehow makes it truthful. Officially, Nigeria's 5 biggest cities from biggest to smallest is Lagos,Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Kano and PH. Now we know ain't no way this order is true! So stop telling us crap about Nigeria and statistics. It is one area Nigeria can never tell the truth.

INNOisBACK: Even you too? I give up

HappyJoe:

An important question - how rapidly is Kano growing relative to Enugu?

INNOisBACK: Even you too? I give up

abagoro:

Knowledge is very important for any one to make useful contribution. Based on old census from the 60s Ogbomosho was then one of the largest cities in Nigeria but it has dropped today as evidenced from the last 2006 census. This is the NPC ranking of Nigerian cities and urban areas by population. Onitsha for example has a much smaller city population when compared with urban population which if included pushes it up to the 7th position.

City Population Urban Area Population
1.Lagos. 8029200. 9123200
2.Kano. 3248700. 3519500
3.Ibadan. 3078400. 3670400
4.Kaduna. 1458900. 1458900
5.Port Harcourt. 1053900. 1190600
6.Benin. 1051600. 1051600
7.Maiduguri. 971700. 971700
8.Zaria. 898900. 898900
9.Aba. 784500. 899100
10.Ilorin. 756400. 756400
11.Jos. 742100. 742100
12.Ogbomosho. 726300. 985600
13.Oyo. 620400. 620400
14.Enugu. 593300. 662800
15.Abeokuta. 529700. 698100
16.Onitsha. 509500. 1001000
17.Warri. 500900. 500900
18.Sokoto. 500500. 500500

eaglechild:
This is exactly the same very controversial census figures we are talking about.

Yes Kano is by far bigger than Enugu but you cannot tell me Onitsha and Ogbomosho have almost the same population and Oyo town is more populated than Enugu that is just ludicrous.

abagoro:

Knowledge is very important for any one to make useful contribution. Based on old census from the 60s Ogbomosho was then one of the largest cities in Nigeria but it has dropped today as evidenced from the last 2006 census. This is the NPC ranking of Nigerian cities and urban areas by population. Onitsha for example has a much smaller city population when compared with urban population which if included pushes it up to the 7th position.

City Population Urban Area Population
1.Lagos. 8029200. 9123200
2.Kano. 3248700. 3519500
3.Ibadan. 3078400. 3670400
4.Kaduna. 1458900. 1458900
5.Port Harcourt. 1053900. 1190600
6.Benin. 1051600. 1051600
7.Maiduguri. 971700. 971700
8.Zaria. 898900. 898900
9.Aba. 784500. 899100
10.Ilorin. 756400. 756400
11.Jos. 742100. 742100
12.Ogbomosho. 726300. 985600
13.Oyo. 620400. 620400
14.Enugu. 593300. 662800
15.Abeokuta. 529700. 698100
16.Onitsha. 509500. 1001000
17.Warri. 500900. 500900
18.Sokoto. 500500. 500500

CFCfan:
I dey here

Afam4eva:
What about me?

Afam4eva:
I've actually thought about this several times. I've always boasted about how i will cite all my businesses in the east but it's not that easy but i'm ready to sacrifice to make a point but the question is, how far i'm i ready to sacrifice. The truth is that, every business is setup for maximum traffic and i will definitely have my main office in Lagos if it's a walk-in kinda office or an office where location matters. But i will definitely have the headquarters in Enugu. But if i want to setup something like an administrative office, factory or industry, it will definitely be in Enugu or anywhere in the east. I can bear the pain of transporting the goods to different parts of the country or have showrroms all over the country depending on the kind of product. Microsoft for instance, ios headquartered in Seattle, Washington not New York, LA or Chicago. CNN is headquartered in Atlanta georgia, not New York, Los Angeles or DC and that is because these are not necessarily walk in offices but mainly for administrative purposes.

HappyJoe:

The problem is logistics. The Southeast doesn't have good logistic links (this is a deliberate post civil war policy championed by Hausas and Yorubas).

Nigeria is an import dependent nation - so if you're not near the port, you're business will suffer. Somebody takes it from you. For a long time, the Southeast had no links with the outside world - and with Enugu airport and Ethiopian Airlines those links are still tenuous.

Kano has always had an international airport. You see, in Nigeria these things are deliberate.

eaglechild:


And his Akwata Road collapsed after one rainy season.

Chimaroke had some very controversial dealings.

asha80: you guys should no get me wrong but i find it funny that peeps that are from enugu or have ties to enugu that usually comment on this thread hardly ever talk about the inadequate industrialization of the state as if it is a taboo to do so.

Evergreen123:

That's why he went tO fetch a better deal for enugu.

HappyJoe:

I think it's more realistic to talk about Onitsha/Asaba - just like Ibafo & Lagos can be grouped together. Onitsha is expanding to Okpanam, Ibusa, Ogwashi-Ukwu & co.

3dankey: I have commented just once on this thread and will like to air my views again. Listen my IGBO BROTHERS, the only way we can attain this kind of height's that we all wish for,Is to have a FUNCTIONAL SEAPORT on our own. Jonathan gave us an international airport good, but we need a seaport. Only peter obi was even serious about it when he was in office and I still blame him for not persuading jonathan enough to complete the dredging of the river niger (don't know if I am correct) that would have made onitsha seaport a reality. We don't need a river port please.
I can also remember when he was the chairman of southeast governors forum: their was a resolution then from 1 of their meetings for the FEDERAL government to complete the seaport in akwa ibom(ABAKA not sure of the name) and link it by RAIL to ABA and other south east states. Now he is no longer there, don't know what the clueless/useless orji is doing. When ever I see us insulting ourselves I almost give up, we are IGBO's and should learn to love ourself (let's stop all this ANAMBRA better than enugu fight) instead let us complement ourselves.
Now take it or leave, there have being a grand plan to frustrate the IGBO's for a long time starting with ENUGU,ONITSHA, and ABA. Thank God we got an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, not enough until we get that seaport. A seaport in south east or close to the east like akwa ibom, will change the whole of IGBO land in less than 3 years. Just wish our governors are seeing this things we discussing here and can achieve it.
NOTE: achieving this will not be easy, remember stella odua (only for international airport oooo). For this expect enough blackmail and other things from those that do not want to see any thing good in the east. I rest my case and hope that one day a seaport close to the east and linked my RAIL will be a reality.

OdenigboAroli:

Do that and they will say you hate Enugu people. The reason why Enugu Internally Generated Revenue hasn't seen any increase is because the governor has no vission. Chime is clueless,lets face it. Anybody can do what he is doing in Enugu. Whats there? Collect allocation,pay workers,use the rest to reconstruct and beautify Enugu city and maybe every now and then go to one village a build a single substandard road..lol
Chime's ineptitude has no comparison. And it infuriates me when people put his name down as one of the best performing governors. Some people love to live in denial.
If care is not taken Enugu will become an abandoned city...If what Obiano is trying to do succeeds. Enugu people are too laid back and that is affecting their advancement.

HappyJoe:

What is Obiano trying to do? How is Chime different from any other governor (save Lagos)?

IGBOSON1:

^^^I think Kano is seeing the effects of boko haram, and a feeling by some (myself included) that it's not a place where anyone but moslems can settle and invest in peace! This is the advantage Lagos has over it! If things were as they should be (provision of electricity, everyone being tolerant and welcoming, and no boko attacks), then Kano could easily rival Lagos!

I feel safer in Sokoto than kano sef!......Go figure!

3dankey: I will support basilo on this!because I have stayed in kano and also because I have the same mind set about the place like Bishop and IgboSon. Then whenever I see the governor speaking, I will say look at this 1 that their state is backward. I was wrong, when I came to kano around march this year and lived with my uncle in NIGER ROAD SABON GARI or when ur coming from FRANCE ROAD just stop at ZENIT BANK.
Listen, seriously I was shocked at what I saw, because I came in from MINNA NIGER STATE. So I got to kano around past three. The GLO towers, UNITY bank headquarters and other high rise buildings that I saw was mind blowing. when I told my uncle that my view about kano have changed! He said that I have not seen any thing. That he will take me to SHOPRITE and other beautiful places in KANO CITY. My uncle have a shop in KUFAR RUWA, that is for motor cycle spare part and that is where you will find IGBO mostly in kano. I move From FRANCE ROAD to KUFAR RUWA everyday and I think this place is developed by all standard.
I am no longer in kano because this BOKO HARAM stuff and most IGBO are planning to leave by DECEMBER finally.

Afam4eva: I attest to the delusion of grandeur that some people have alluded to. That was how some people were saying sometime ago that Enugu does not need skyscrapers because it blocks fresh air from flowing and thereby makes the city unliveable and i'm like WTF? Because we don't have something doesn't mean, it's bad. Let's learn to appreciate what we have while hoping for things to get better. Enugu is a good city relative to other cities in the SE especially and it is one of the most serene cities in Nigeria. That being said, Enugu still has a long way to go to catch up with major cities in other parts of the country talk more of cities in other parts of the word.

Enugu is growing in a certain pattern that i'm not happy with. if you notice the pictures being posted here daily, you would notice that they're mostly pictures of residential buildings and i ask myself, if Enugu is actually a city, shouldn't we be seeing pictures of skyscrapers or atleast tall buildings? The reason why Enugu is growing the way it should is that there's no concerted effor which should come from the government to make Enugu a pride city. it is a pride in some parameters which i alluded to earlier but it still has a long way to go. We need a business district (not a shop or kiosk district). We need an industrial hub. We need to invest in Media, Information Technology, Education and make Enugu a place that people will want to visit. Have you asked yourself why Enugu is not a top tourist destination as much as Calabar and Uyo or even Owerri. Unlike Enugu, these towns/cities draw people who come from all over the country to have a nice time. We know how the government of Cross River have invested heavily in the Calabar Christmas festival. We know how they have setup Tinapa in Calabar and how they have made the city the link to Obu Cattle Ranch. We know how Uyo has become the conference headquarter of the east. Everyday we hear how that city is hosting one conference or the other. Enugu despite not being a commercial or industrial city is not doing any of these. These are the things that Calm cities like Enugu are known for. Hosting important meetings and conferences and boasting of world class hotels. We need to take our expectations higher instead of deluding ourselves that Enugu is better than Kano. if it was better, how come you don't hear people from other parts of the country saying "I used to live in Enugu" or "My Famuily stays in Enugu" or "I'm based in Enugu" etc. That's because there's nothing that will keep you there. You're better off going to base in benin than staying in Enugu and that's the truth. We have a city that have promise and we have to nuture it and the government have to do their own part of the bargain.

Thank God the international airport is coming along. Thank God more roads are being built. We need a monorail or something similar. We need industries and businesses and not shops and kiosks. Big Igbo buisiness men should start investing in the east for God's sake. We need to put Enugu at a pedestal where it will compete with the best in the world. Enough of all this boasting. We boast a lot. Let's get cracking.

Ikengawo:

that's what I mean by Kano has the size, but it's a 'big for nothing' size. Most of the inhabitants are very poor even by nigerian standards and many of the dwellings are mud huts

OdenigboAroli:

Do that and they will say you hate Enugu people. The reason why Enugu Internally Generated Revenue hasn't seen any increase is because the governor has no vission. Chime is clueless,lets face it. Anybody can do what he is doing in Enugu. Whats there? Collect allocation,pay workers,use the rest to reconstruct and beautify Enugu city and maybe every now and then go to one village a build a single substandard road..lol
Chime's ineptitude has no comparison. And it infuriates me when people put his name down as one of the best performing governors. Some people love to live in denial.
If care is not taken Enugu will become an abandoned city...If what Obiano is trying to do succeeds. Enugu people are too laid back and that is affecting their advancement.