27/08/2026
GOODWILL MESSAGE TO THE GOVERNMENT AND GREAT PEOPLE OF ABIA STATE
By Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba
Today, as we commemorate the 35th anniversary of the creation of our dear Abia State on 27 August 1991, we celebrate not merely the passage of time, but the people, the spirit and the enduring promise of a state born out of a historic vision.
Thirty-five years ago, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, GCFR, former Military President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, took the historic decision to create Abia State out of the old Imo State.
That decision was more than the drawing of new boundaries on a map.
It was a recognition of the legitimate aspirations of our people for a government closer to them, a stronger sense of identity, greater participation in governance and a platform upon which our people could pursue their dreams and contribute more meaningfully to national development.
For the founding fathers and mothers of Abia, and indeed for generations of NdiAbia who followed, the creation of the state opened a new chapter in our collective history.
Abia was the beginning of our political journey as a state. And the people themselves have been the authors of its greatest story.
Ours is a people of uncommon industry, resilience, enterprise and ingenuity.
From the bustling markets and workshops of Aba to the farms and communities of Ntigha, Umuahia, Isiala Ngwa, Ohafia, Bende, Arochukwu, Ukwa, Umunneochi and across the length and breadth of the state, the Abia spirit is unmistakable.
We are artisans, entrepreneurs, innovators and men and women of enterprise.
The story of Aba, in particular, is a powerful testimony to what Nigerians can achieve when talent, determination and enterprise are given room to flourish.
Long before the language of Made in Nigeria became fashionable, our people were already making shoes, garments, machinery, furniture and countless other products with their hands, their minds and their extraordinary resourcefulness.
We were nicknamed "The Japan of Africa".
Our people have survived the civil war, economic difficulties, insecurity, infrastructural deficits, political disappointments and changing times, yet we continue to create, trade, educate our children, build businesses and contribute to the development of Nigeria.
That resilience is our heritage.
That ingenuity is our capital.
That industry is our strength.
As we celebrate, let us remember with gratitude the man whose administration ultimately gave practical expression to that aspiration. The man we all call IBB, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, former military President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I was with him yesterday. And he sends his warm felicitations to us all.
History will continue to debate the circumstances and consequences of the state-creation exercise of 1991, but there can be no doubt that Abia was one of the beneficiaries of that historic decision.
Today, millions of Abians live, work and raise their families under the identity and institutional platform called Abia State. For this, we say:
Thank you, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
But an anniversary should not only make us look backward. It must also compel us to look forward.
The Abia of our dreams must be a state where the ingenuity of our people is matched by functional infrastructure; where Aba becomes an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse; where our young people find opportunities at home rather than being compelled to seek their future elsewhere; where agriculture becomes commercially productive; where education produces innovators and entrepreneurs; where healthcare is accessible; where security protects lives and investments; and where government exists fundamentally to serve the people.
The greatest resource of Abia is our people.
And if we invest deliberately in our people, unleash their creativity and provide the right environment for enterprise to thrive, there is no limit to what Abia can become.
On this 35th anniversary, therefore, I call on my great NdiAbia at home and in the diaspora to renew our faith in our state. Let us put Abia first. Let us celebrate one another. Let us encourage our entrepreneurs, support our young people, honour our government and preserve the values of hard work, community and service that have sustained our people for generations.
Let us disagree politically when necessary, but never allow political differences to destroy the bonds that make us one people.
Our state is greater than any individual. It is greater than any political party. It will outlive governments. And ultimately outlive all of us.
The question before us is no longer simply what Abia has become, but what kind of Abia we want to leave for the next generation.
I believe in Abia that is united, prosperous, secure, industrialised, innovative and respected.
And I believe that, together, NdiAbia can build the Abia that our founding fathers envisioned and that our children deserve.
On this historic occasion, I salute the government and every Abian, at home and abroad, whose sweat, sacrifice, creativity and resilience continue to keep our state moving forward.
May our beloved Abia continue to rise.
May our people continue to prosper.
May our industry and ingenuity continue to inspire Nigeria and the world.
We are Abia, and no longer Japan.
And may God bless the great people of Abia State.
Happy 35th Anniversary, NdiAbia!
Happy 35th Anniversary, Abia State!
Long live Abia State Government!
Ochiagha Reagan Ufomba
Founder/Leader, ChangeAbia Organisation
National Convenor, The Nigerian Project (TNP)
Former Governorship Candidate, Abia State, 2011
