The Abia State Government has announced a week-long programme to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the state’s creation, with project commissioning, youth innovation activities and an anniversary lecture among the planned events.
The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, on the decisions reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Kanu said the anniversary activities would commence on Sunday, August 23, with an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the Trade More Event Centre, located within the Nnenna Oti Bus Terminal premises in Umuahia.
He said Tuesday, August 25, would feature the commissioning of completed projects and the flag-off of new ones by Governor Otti.
Wednesday, August 26, has been designated as Youth Innovation Day, with a hackathon and technology exhibition scheduled to take place.
According to the commissioner, the celebrations would reach their climax on Thursday, August 27, the date Abia State was formally created in 1991.
“On Thursday, the 27th of August, the very day the state was created, the Governor will make a state broadcast in the morning. Later that morning, there will be an anniversary keynote lecture,” Kanu said.
He explained that the keynote lecture would examine the state’s development journey since its creation by the military administration of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, in 1991.
Kanu said the lecture would bring together a keynote speaker and discussants to assess Abia’s progress and development trajectory over the past 35 years.
The commissioner also disclosed that the State Executive Council acknowledged the 85th birthday of Babangida, who turned 85 on August 17, 2026.
He noted that Governor Otti had earlier congratulated the former military leader on his birthday.
Meanwhile, Kanu said the state government had directed the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection to investigate reports of other Abia indigenes who might still be stranded in South Africa.
He said the move was aimed at identifying those affected and providing assistance where necessary.
The commissioner recalled that the state government recently approved N1 million each for 31 verified returnees from South Africa as temporary support to help them begin the process of resettlement.
He added that the government was also conducting a detailed profiling exercise to identify the individual needs of the returnees and formulate suitable programmes to support their reintegration into Abia.
Kanu said the assistance was part of the administration’s commitment to supporting vulnerable citizens and helping returnees rebuild their lives.
