₦airaland Forum

eket senatorial district school district

ikot ekpene senetorial district

The newly constructed state of the Arts Akwa Ibom State Banquet hall.

this is how gov akpabio celebrated the 26th anniversary of akwa ibom state all the critics of gov. akpabio watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jnF7rlwhrw#t=1235

Unique Federal Structure
The amalgamation package which united the two political entities by force under one “administrative control” headed by Governor-General was smoothened or strengthened through common tax, single currency, one rail policy and telex link system.

Thus, from 1907, rail line was tapped from Osogbo in the south-west and it began to coil its web – through forced labour – across the entire Northern Nigeria where exploited farm products were easily railed to the coast of Baro, and by voyage to Lokoja, Burutu (in Niger Delta where British Royal Niger Company had its headquarters), to Onitsha, Lagos or Port (of Mr. Vincent) Harcourt – the Colonial administrator – for onward transnational voyage to Ghana (Gold Coast) and/or Europe.

Rail transportation – in persons and goods – begun the swift urbanization of many hitherto small dwellings in the North such as Jebba, Mokwa, Kafancha, Nguru, Ghosh (Jos), Bukuru, Badeggi, Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Makurdi, Minna, Kaduna, Maiduguri etc.

From the lost glory of its colonial times, Zungeru is bubbling back as it is now a host to many academic institutions such as the Niger State Polytechnic – from Zungeru College of Arts and Science (ZUCAS), many public and private English – run Primary and Secondary Schools as well as multiple Arabic/Islamic education classes.

Filling stations and petty super markets dots everywhere. Dilapidated, mud – built houses and unsanitary water ways and valleys are common place. National Electricity and Pipe borne water are in a sorry state.

What remains conspicuous of the relics of British colonial past is the 300 meters long rail-road iron – built bridge linking up northern Zungeru (Kaduna side ) with the southern bank (Minna – Bida – Lagos side).

Perhaps, when the new envisaged Zungeru hydro – power dam to which billion Naira sums will be expended is started and completed on time, Zungeru will measure back to its lost colonial glory of the last one century (1914 – 2013).

http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17428/2012/02/26/dungurum_zungeru_nigerias_first_capital_1914.html

Between 1898 and 1903 various minor and major Emirates such as Bida, Keffi, Zaria, Kontagora, Ilorin, Yola, Bauchi, Gwandu, Kano, Gombe etc had been rooted by the colonial forces.

While Zungeru lost the glory of hosting Nigeria’s capital to Kaduna which is another water side in the North and of similar terrain with Lagos and the Port (of) Mr. Harcourt in the south of Nigeria – whose joint role in the political project called Nigeria was innermost; Kaduna had remained, for strategic factors the home of political and military strategists in defining what tempo Nigeria adopts at anytime since 1914.

Zungeru lost to Kaduna (1914) as Lokoja did in 1898 to Baro (1899), while Baro lost to Jebba about 1900 before the choice of a central northern capital favoured the fringes of river Kaduna instead of the major coasts of river Niger as an international route.

However, the politics of World War 1(1914 – 1918) which sapped British economy, including its colonies prevented Lugard from building Kaduna as a giant administrative and industrial headquarters of a giant country, Nigeria-coined from “Niger Area” in 1900.

From Glory to Gory Site
In loosing its political, administrative and military power to Kaduna, Zungeru begun a systematic decay from glory to gory sites. It shrunk and became only a local administrative unit under Kuta political Division within the larger colonial Niger Province controlled from Minna.

While Zungeru lasted as the colonial capital of a promising country – Nigeria, Gwarzhi or Gwari – zhiko which is about 8 – 12km to Zungeru and located on the rail –route from Lagos through Mokwa to Zungeru; and further located between Zungeru and Wushishi settlements towards Bida major royalty became the most urbane, industrialized and commercialized town in Northern Nigeria between 1903 – 1914. The collapse of Dungurum and the rise of Kaduna destroyed Gwarji base of industrial structures and polity. Kaduna otherwise called Kadunda by the Gbagyi (Gwari) natives also suffered the same fate.

Nuhu yarwa takes a look at the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the first capital of the country where some monumental structure exist.

Dungurum, bastardised as “Zungeru” through poor intonation of the British colonialists was Nigeria’s first capital.

It was on January 1st 1914, that the then High Commissioner to Northern Nigeria, Sir Lord Frederick Lugard in a national speech announced that his Imperial Majesty – the King in England who was driving the British empire via colonialism – had conferred on him the rare title of “Governor – General” of the two British Nigerias: the Northern administration, later Northern Nigeria after being “Northern Protectorate” and the southern protectorate hence southern Nigeria, respectively.

The “South”, in the patent rights granted to Lugard included Lagos as a “crowned colony”. Zungeru which is located in mid Niger state – which is also in mid Nigeria – is 45km ride to Minna the State Capital; about 200km to Abuja –Nigeria’s current Federal Capital Territory (1976); and about 200km to Kaduna – the defunct headquarters of Nigerian Federation (1914) and of the former Northern Nigeria regional administration (1954 – 1966) ; while it is about 60km to Bida – the most organized senior Emirate close by which continued to be distrustful of Lugard’s Zungeru base from 1900 until Lugard vacated to Kaduna.

Sacking of a Federal Capital
Surprisingly, two weeks after Lugard’s announcement, he abandoned Dungurum (off the river Niger terrain) and moved to Kaduna (river side) in the interior of the North. Zungeru which was his abode for 14years – from 1900-was later described on relocation as inhabitable because of “swarms of mosquitoes”, and that it is too hot climatically.

Lugard had by this action sacked from Dungurum the headquarters of the West-African. Frontier Force [WAFF], the railway Managers’ Quarters, Prison yard, District courts, administrators’ houses, Generators’ rooms, Lawns and buildings hosting the native police etc – which he managed to put up all in ten years, between 1903 and 1914.

1903 was when Britain had completely taken over Northern Nigeria following the capture of Sokoto in March. Sokoto was both the spiritual and political headquarters of the caliphate that symbolizes Northern Nigeria by geography and hegemony through the Islamic ideology of its Emirates between 1804 and 1903.

contrary to gov amaechis claim that the FG has abandoned the airport project because of his tiff with jonathan, the pictures proves otherwise the project is still in full force and 90% complete. let nairalanders take a look and decide whom to believe.
Am beginning to think that Amaechi is a knuckle head.

pictures courtesy of Tbite

geeez: Okay we've heard but that didn't stop the state from having the fourth largest GDP in southern Nigeria for 2012 behind Lagos, Rivers and Oyo

It also didn't stop the state from increasing its IGR from N300m to N1.6bn per month in less than 3 years (Currently the state with the third largest IGR in Nigeria after Lagos at almost N30bn and Ogun at N4bn monthly)

If these landmark achievements are another word for looting, then let him loot your vain expectations to the very last penny

where did you get your stats from? did u pull it off your butt hole?

more sorry about pic quality

more

police secondary school ukana built by the state govt and handed over to the Nigerian Police for management.

more

school renovation

2 primary schools and some rural road + junctions

more

Renovation of govt school etoi by gov akpabio. pictures of more schools comming

JMOI: The way Nigerians open their mouths and insult the President is becoming increasingly alarming. Every single thing he says is scrutinized, twisted, sieved, put under the microscope, telescoped, distilled, boiled, stirred and shaken just to fish out the smallest of mistakes which they will hold unto to in order to lash on the president and lace him with insults. Nowhere in the world is this done, not even in the US. There is a difference btw criticism and insult. I think it's high time we really looked into this issue. A law should be enacted to punish those who insult the president.
How many of you will insult your dads or bosses in the office like this?

This is what democracy is about! if you cant endure the heat stay out of the kitchen.

you are wrong the scrutiny,criticism is even more in established democracy, whats happening or you perceive to be happening in nigeria is little compared to whats obtainable in established democracy? do you know what names the opposition call obama?
Cant wait for more scrutiny/criticism of any political officeholder in nigeria the fear of good scrutiny will keep them straight.
BTW GEJ is not our employer or boss he is our/masses employee.
the ministers,SA and his cabinet who are his employees/appointees wont criticize or call him names neither will his family. but the masses through the social media are doing their constitutional apportioned duty which is to be a watchdog.
am saying this as a GEJ supporter.

stupid idea, there is freedom of speech that can never be stiffled in any democracy. Nigeria is not a dictatorship hence everyone has the right to speakup even when you dont agree with thie views.
If the table is reversed tomorrow i know you will love to vilify the opposition therefore freedom of speech is sacrosanct.

agbameta: Oponu villager, the fact that I'm a Lagosian troubles you at night?

I'm a Yoruba man and what part of Yourubaland I come from is irrelevant, we are Yoruba firs and we take pride in our collective achievements all over Yorubaland unlike you disunited, fragmented and no progress losers...

Stop chasing me around you fhaggg, I don't do men..

be proud of ur state afterall your gov. rauf is building a new airport and a brand new 4 star best western hotel. isnt he trying?

Rossikk: ujoinme, I'm surprised you have time to debate Eko Ile (sorry, ''Agbameta'').

We all know where he stands on the issue even before he arrives.

lol

agbameta: Cocoa is Nigeria's second largest export after oil and Osun is the 2nd largest producer of cocoa in Nigeria.

Osun invested in Agric than more than any other state in Nigeria, they even bought trains to transport their farmers and produce to market centers all the way to Lagos.

Glad to see Ekoile AKA Agbameta now taking pride in his home state of osun instead of his attache nature to lagos. this brother has finally wise up. there is no place like home, there is no place like home,Eko ile repeat that 100x. lol

agbameta: Privatization means privatization and all the power generating assets are gone, sold for good as demanded by the privatization act.

The privatization act was compound and specific and the only exception remains the transmission infrastructures you dumb asss.

Is this zungeru project a power transmission or generating project?

Again, where is the sense and wisdom in selling off your power plants then turn around and indebt yourself with loans from china to building more power plants, then again turn around and sell it for pennies to your cronies while Nigerians keep paying the bills for decades?

No surprise here because you are expected to think and reason like your mentally corrupt and incompetent dullard uncle...

Eko ile AkA Agbameta why dont you just accept that this is beyond your comprehension. Stop exposing your ignorance on this site! some of us already know that you are "special' .
The govt. goal is to increase the generating capacity hence it make sense for then to continue building more plants and also encourage state govt and the private sector to do same, hence the freedom granted to your master to keep building his 23MW plants. All this is done to boost generating capacity!!!!!!

When FG privatizes its power plant it gets money for it, and hands over/transfers the liability of effective management and maintenance of the plants to those who have business in business- the private sector.
From the money that the FG gets in the privatization process they can plough it back into building more plants to increase generation capacity. Like they are doing at zangeru.

Because the GEJ administration is smart and can get funding more easily and at a cheaper interest rate than most bussiness in Nigeria can, it makes sense for them to utilize this opportunity to borrow and at the same time get technical expertise from the fund managers ---China to finance what is of interest to them ie increasing the power generating capacity in Nigeria.

CFCfan: Any new pix of the terminal under construction?

no idont have any. Are you in AKS? if so you can go get some pics.

ap

more airport

more

airport

uyo airport

Projects commisioned in june 2013 alone = 448
the ones that the governor commissioned himself are listed here. the other balance are rural projects were commisioned by commisioners/ SA to the governor. this is how Akpabio is touching all communities in the state.