Wp/ekp/Rivers State

Ula Rivers State, aumaji li whuawe we kpomu Rivers, ubu state li ime Niger Delta li ibe southu Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). ulo bu li 1967, li awamu ukemaa bhe li Eastern Region, adhi ula Rivers State unwe uke li ula Imo li Anambra li ibe north, Abia li Akwa Ibom li ibe east, ligba Bayelsa li Delta li ibe west. Adhi Uchikata Rivers State bu, Port Harcourtu, ula ya ugbogbo une abhe unazhi udhedhi amu buo Nigerian oil industry.

With a population of 5,198,716 as of the 2006 census and 7,492,366 in 2023, Rivers State is the 7th most populous state in Nigeria. Rivers State is a diverse state that is home to many ethnic groups: Ijaw, Ogoni, Ikwerre, Igbo, Ogba, Ekpeye, and Kalabari. The state is particularly noted for its linguistic diversity, with 28 indigenous languages and dialects being said to be spoken in Rivers State, these include Ikwerre, few Igbo languages, Ijaw (Okrika, Ibani) and Ogoni. Rivers State is the 26th largest state by area, and its geography is dominated by the numerous rivers that flow through it, including the Bonny River.

The economy of Rivers State is dominated by the state's booming petroleum industry. Although the rise of the oil industry has led to increased revenue for the state government, mismanagement and corruption have prevented the state from rapid development and meaningfully tackling poverty.

Rivers State is considered one of the fastest-growing states in terms of modern infrastructure and urbanization in the country.

History

Territory and status

Rivers State, named after the many rivers that border its territory, was part of the Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 till 1893 when it became part of the Niger Coast Protectorate. In 1900, the region was merged with the chartered territories of the Royal Niger Company to form the colony of Southern Nigeria. The state was formed in 1967 with the split of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. In 1996 the state lost territory to form Bayelsa State.

20th century

In the early days of the colonial period, several protection treaties were signed between various indigenous communities and the British colonial governmentTemplate:Wp/ekp/Citation needed. Between 1941 and 1952, agitation for the creation of Rivers Province began with the formation of the Ijo Rivers People's League. By 1953, the Council of Rivers Chiefs was birthed as a replacement body for the League, the same year, another organization, the Calabar Ogoja Rivers (COR) State Movement became existent.

The Council of Rivers Chiefs was later renamed in 1954 to Rivers Chiefs and People's Congress and in 1956, the organization became known as the Rivers Chiefs People's Conference. Until 1958, hopes of an independent state resonated with the region and lingered consistently in the minds of its natives. During the constitutional conference that year, the country's nationhood was affirmed while an agreement was reached on some measures to mitigate the fears of the ethnic minorities in the area. Around this time, the COR State Movement had broken away to press their case. Thereafter, the British launched a commission led by Sir Henry Willink to look into the misgivings of these autochthons. The Willink Commission initiated the conception of the Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB). The purpose was to tackle the problems of underdevelopment, however, this failed to rise to the expectations of the masses. After much discontent, some of the people attempted to take the extralegal route to achieve their goals.

In February 1966, Isaac Boro, Sam Owonaro and Nottingham Dick alongside their supporters proclaimed a "Delta People's Republic". The rebellion persisted for twelve days but was resisted by the Federal and the old Eastern Nigeria government. On 27 May 1967, under the administration of General Yakubu Gowon, Decree No. 14 was issued, allowing the creation of Rivers State. From then on, complaints about political marginalisation, environmental degradation and economic pauperisation remained among the Ijaw groups, such that a separate Bayelsa State was carved out of Rivers State by the military government of Sani Abacha on 1 October 1996 and Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State was created on the same day to include communities such as Umuru in Ofeh.

Geography

Rivers State is a predominantly low-lying pluvial state in southern Nigeria, located in the eastern part of the Niger Delta on the oceanward extension of the Benue Trough. The inland part of the state consists of tropical rainforest, and towards the coast, the typical Niger Delta environment features many mangrove swamps. Rivers State has a total area of Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt, making it the 26th largest state in Nigeria. Surrounding states are Anambra for four km, Imo for about 122 km), and Abia for 87 km (54 miles, partly across the Imo River) to the north, Akwa Ibom to the east across the Imo River and Bayelsa and Delta to the west across the Niger River for about 50 km. On the south, it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Its topography ranges from flat plains, with a network of rivers to tributaries.Template:Wp/ekp/Citation needed

Climate

Ogoni Climate activists and others in Port Harcourt protesting environmental degradation in 2015.

Rainfall is generally seasonal, variable, as well as heavy, and occurs between March and October through November.Template:Wp/ekp/Citation needed The wet season peaks in July, lasting more than 290 days. The only dry months are January and February having little to no effect.

Total annual rainfall decreases from about Template:Wp/ekp/Convert on the coast, to about Template:Wp/ekp/Convert in the extreme north. It is Template:Wp/ekp/Convert at Bonny along the coast and Template:Wp/ekp/Convert at Degema. For Port Harcourt, temperatures throughout the year are relatively constant with little variation throughout the seasons. Average temperatures are typically between Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt. Some parts of the state still receive up to Template:Wp/ekp/Convert of rainfall during the dry period. Relative humidity rarely dips below 60% and fluctuates between 90% and 100% for most of the year.

Terrain

The land surface of Rivers State can be divided into three zones: freshwater swamps, mangrove swamps and coastal sand ridges. The freshwater zone extends northwards from the mangrove swamps. This land surface is generally less than 20m above sea level. As a lower Niger floodplain, it contains a greater silt and clay foundation and is more susceptible to perennial inundation by river floods. The floodplain's total thickness rises to about 45m in the northeast and over 9m in the beach ridge barrier zones to the southwest.

On coastal sand ridges, the soils are mostly sandy or sandy loams. Various crops are supported including coconut, oil palm, raffia palm and cocoyam. The drier upland region of Rivers State covers 61% of landmass while the riverine areas, with a relief range of 2m to 5m, take up 39%.

Flora and fauna

Common fig-tree blue in Port Harcourt Zoo

Male Agama lizard

Due to its geographical location, Rivers State has always played an important role in the natural history of Nigeria, having been found to host a vast array of wildlife and plants. Its tropical rainforests are home to more species than all other local biomes combined thanks to its climate and canopy structure. Some of the upland forested areas have seen disruption from human activity, impacting negatively on the biodiversity and ecological functions of natural habitats. In most places, the dominant vegetation usually consists of Elaeis guineensis which has the highest productivity amongst all recognized oleaginous crops.

The riverine part of the state has three hydro-vegetation zones such as beach ridge, salt water and fresh water. Each zone has its characteristics and composition, with the freshwaters encompassing the upper and lower floodplains of the Niger Delta.

Finima Nature Park is a protected area and forest reserve on Bonny Island covering an area of approximately Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt. The park's vegetation has progressively developed into a high forest considering the form from which it began in 1999. There are two storeys that can be distinguished from outside the forest, the emergents include Symphonia globulifera, Cleistopholis patens, Uapaca spp., Musanga cecropioides, Hallea ledermannii, Terminalia spp., Anthostema aubryanum, Tectona grandis and Elaeis guineensis. The understory is composed mainly of Calamus deeratus, Alchornea cordifolia, Monodora tenuifolia, Harungana madagascariensis, Strophanthus preussii, Rauvolfia vomitoria and Raphia spp.

The interior of the forest is very shady and as a result a wide variety of shade tolerant forbs (e.g. Nephrolepis biserrata, Culcasia scandens, Laportea spp., Chromolaena odorata, Aframomum melegueta and Costus afer) and various sedges form thickets on the forest floor. By dry season, a large cushion of litter cover the floor because of increase in abscission rate of some plants such as Musanga cecropioides, Hallea ledermannii, Calamus deeratus, Gmelina arborea, Raphia spp. and Elaeis guineensis.

Mammals, reptiles and amphibians are also found in the park. The common mammals are mona monkeys and pygmy hippopotamuses. Among the reptiles and amphibians are snakes and crocodiles, turtles, frogs, lizards, and skinks.

One of the world's Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands, Upper Orashi Forest, is a Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt protected area in Ahoada West. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an IBA because of its importance to global populations of grey parrots and other birds. The Biseni Forest in the north west of Ahoada and west of Upper Orashi Forest have also been designated an Important Bird Area. The forest has an area of Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt within which mammals like red-bellied monkey and yellow-backed duiker are found along with raffia palms and some woody broadleaved species such as Symphonia globulifera and Ficus spp. Template:Wp/ekp/Further

Rivers

Satellite view of Niger Delta. Nun River in the center

The state has many rivers. Notable rivers include:

• Andoni River
• Bonny River
• New Calabar River
• Nun River
• Orashi River

Population

Demographics

Over the period from 1991 to 2006, the total population of Rivers State increased by close to 3 million people. The last official census showed that 5,198,716 people were living in the state, of whom 2,673,026 were male and 2,525,690 were female. Adults and adolescents aged 15 to 64 years accounted for 61% of the population in the state. Children below the age of 15 accounted for 36% of the population, and those aged 65 years and above, another 3%. Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor had the highest number of inhabitants of any local government area, while Ogu–Bolo and Omuma had the lowest. The total area of the state was Template:Wp/ekp/Cvt and the density was Template:Wp/ekp/Convert.

According to the world population review (Population of cities in Nigeria), the capital city of Rivers state, Port Harcourt is ranked 4th on the list.

Rivers State has higher literacy rate compared to most states in the South South geopolitical zone. Its male literacy as of 2006 was 52.3% while female literacy rate was 47.7%. In the same survey, it ranked as 26th most extensive and the 6th most populous of all the states of Nigeria. A 2015 estimate put the number of residents of Rivers State at over 7 million, nearly triple the number recorded in 1991.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics projection, the population in the state was 4% of the total population of the country. Data of 2010–2015 showed life expectancies for male, 54 years and female, 57 years were very low. General mortality rate was 60 per 1000, under-5 mortality rate was 90 and maternal mortality rate was 889 per 100,000 live births, one of the highest nationwide.

Ethnic groups in Rivers State

Rivers state has a rich cultural-heritage, and its people are friendly and known for their hospitality. It is on record that Port Harcourt is the second biggest commercial, agriculture and busiest airport & seaports in Nigeria. Rivers state has two seaports situated in Port Harcourt and Onne.