The Imo state economy is highly dependent on agricultural production, especially the production ofpalm oil, which a majority of citizens rely on for cooking.[10] A key minor industry is the extraction ofcrude oil andnatural gas,[11] especially in Imo's north and west.
The area encompassing modern-day Imo State has been inhabited for thousands of years by southern[16]Igbo people.[17] TheIgbo language serves as alingua franca throughout the state, alongsideEnglish which was adopted during British colonization. At the start of the 20th century, the British incorporated the area into theSouthern Nigeria Protectorate, which later merged intoBritish Nigeria in 1914. After the merger, the area became a centre of anti-colonial resistance during theWomen's War.[18]
After Nigeria secured independence from Britain in 1960, the Imo area was part ofEastern Region until splitting to become part ofEast Central State in 1967. Political instability in Nigeria had worsened significantly by this time[19][20][21] and culminated when the former Eastern Region attempted to secede in the three-year longNigerian Civil War, with present-day Imo forming part of the secessionist Igbo nationalist stateBiafra.
The Imo area was hard-fought over throughout thewar,[22] with Owerri and its surrounding areas ending up one of the last Biafra-controlled strongholds by the time Owerri took over from Umuahia as the designated Biafran capital in late 1969.[23] The Imo area was eventually captured for good early 1970 inOperation Tail-Wind, during which Nigerian federal forces took the Biafran capital in a final battle that ended the war by prompting negotiations.[24]
Following the end of thecivil war and reunification of Nigeria,East Central State was reinstated until an Imo State was officially formed in 1976 during theMurtala Muhammed regime. Fifteen years later, in 1991, the current iteration of Imo State was created when eastern Imo state was sectioned off to form the newAbia State, with the same section being split up further in 1996 to merge with a section ofEnugu State to form present-dayEbonyi State.[25][26]
Meetings for Imo State creation took place in Ngwoma and began shortly after thewar ended in 1970,[27] chaired by Eze S. E. Onukogu.[28][29] The state is named after theImo River, which flows through Imo State and multiple other southeastern Nigerian states[30] before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.[31]
People from the Imo State area have a long history of resisting threats to their peace and way of life. There were multiple agitations against British colonial policies, such as during theWomen's War, and the area served as a centre ofBiafra resistance until the very end of theNigerian Civil War. There have also been more recent statewide protests, such as the anti-cultOtokoto riots of 1996 in response to serial kidnappings and murders occurring in Imo at the time,[32] and the more recent#EndSARS protests in 2020,[33][34] as well as the participation of some young indigenes inregional militias operating throughout Southeastern Nigeria.[35][36] However, despite intermittent unrest, Imo State has fast growing population and industrialization and anexcellent Human Development Index ranking among Nigerian states.[12]
Imo State is bordered byAnambra State to the north for 84 km (52 mi),Abia State to the east for about 104 km (partly in the vicinity of the Imo River), andRivers State to the south and west for about 122 km.[37][38] The state lies within latitudes 4°45'N and 7°15'N, and longitude 6°50'E and 7°25'E, with an area of around 5,100 sq km.[39]
Agriculture is the primary occupation, but due to over-farming andhigh population density, the soil has greatly degraded. This could be a result of inefficient production techniques, poor resource base, declining soil productivity, predominance of primitive techniques of agricultural production, inadequate supply of credit, low capital investment, use of crude implements to mention but a few.[37][47] As a result, the agricultural sector in Imo State would benefit greatly from improved state government and private sector interventions, because an undiversified economy based oncrude oil,natural gas andpalm oil is unlikely to promote robust andsustainable development of the state.
Oguta Lake, Palm Beach Holiday Resort in Awo-omamma, and a host of other tourist sites along the banks of the 26 km-lengthNjaba River present hotspots for tourism.[48]: 34
Many investment opportunities exist in the State including oil and gas exploration, residential and commercial real estate such as brewery plants, chemical plants,hydroelectric plants,gas-fired power plants, and grain mills; starch production,cashews, fruit and vegetable juice concentrate production, integrated multi-oil seed processing plants,ceramics, inlandwaterway transport, and palm produce industry.[37]
Independent global brewerHeineken, through its subsidiaryNigerian Breweries, has significant investment in Imo State.[49] The company manages the world-classAwo-omamma Brewery, a multiple-line plant.[50]
Many oil and gas opportunities are yet to be developed.[37] Thefederal government has been called to inspect newly discovered oil-rich areas, which might help foster economic development and job creation.[51]
Industrial parks and processing zones to harness the huge agricultural produce and minerals would give a major boost to the state's economic growth and industrialization.[37]
The rainy season begins in April and lasts until October,[52] with annual rainfall varying from 1,500 to 2,200 mm (59 to 87 in).[39][53]
An average annual temperature above 20 °C (68.0 °F), creates an annual relative humidity of 75%. With humidity reaching 90% in the rainy season. Thedry season experiences two months ofHarmattan, from late December to late February. The hottest months are between January and March.[39][52][53]
With high population density and over farming, the soil has been degraded and much of the nativevegetation has disappeared.[39] Thisdeforestation has triggeredsoil erosion, which is compounded by heavy seasonal rainfall that has led to the destruction of houses and roads.[39][54][55]
Soil erosion is the most common geo-environmental hazard in Imo State, with over 360 erosion sites, out of which 57 are confirmed to be critical and in need of immediate remediation.[56][57] They are mostlygully erosion found inIdeato,Orlu,Ihitte-uboma,Arondizuogu, Umuomi-ikeduru andNjaba areas of the state. These gullies are attributed mainly to poorcivil engineering works, specifically road/gutter construction as well assand mining. Duringroad construction, adequate control of therunoff generated in this process is poorly taken into consideration. There is also no proper termination,spill way, andgabions to lower intense flow to non-erosion velocities duringgutter construction. Hence,rainwater overflow from concrete gutters resulting in erosion, especially at the intersection of gutter and road.[56]
Due to gullies,farmlands have been significantly affected, with both farmlands and their road paths lost. There is also loss of socialinfrastructures such as, electricity and pipe-borne waters. Communities such asIkeduru,Orlu,Ehime Mbano,Nwangele,Nkwerre andMbaitoli dependent on stream and harvested rainwater for domestic use have been impacted due to surface water/stream pollution caused by intense runoffs from the gully sites.[56]
In August 2019, flooding caused by heavy rain submerged about 70 houses, displaced 2000 villagers and destroyed farmlands in Orsu-Obodo community, in theOguta local government area.[62][63] Many residents in the state capital (Owerri) were also displaced in 2017.[64] The Orlu-Umuchima-Obiohia-Akokwa-Uga federal road has been cut off by gully erosion thereby leaving motorists and other road users stranded.[65]
Ideato North and Ideato South have been erosion high risk areas in recent times in Imo State.[66][67] Isiala Mbano is also not left out in these frequent flood disaster in Imo State.[68]
The legislative arm is headed by theSpeaker of the State House of Assembly. As of the 10th Imo State House Assembly (2023), the currentSpeaker of the House isRt. Hon. Chike Olemgbe. He is a first-time member representing Ihitte/Uboma Local Government Area.[86][87] Also, the Deputy Speaker of the house is Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu, who is a member representing the Nwangele constituency.[88] The remainder of the House Assembly is made up of elected legislators from the 27 LGAs of Imo State.
The Imo State Judiciary is made up of a High Court and Customary Court of Appeal of the State, and headed by the Chief Justice of the State.[89]
The electoral system of each state in Nigeria uses a modifiedtwo-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of the State Local Government Areas. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of Local Government Areas.[90]
The state has over 5.5 million people, and the population density varies from 230 to 1,400 people per square kilometre.[39] Christianity andOdinani are the majority religions, withOdinani becoming more common as citizens are beginning to embrace their religious heritage.[93] In addition to its capital, other notable towns areOrlu,Obowo,Oguta,Awo-Omamma, Mgbidi, Mbaise,Okigwe andOhaji/Egbema.
^Amadiume, Ifi."Cultural Summary:Igbo".Yale University.Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved11 March 2025.Igbo-speaking peoples can be divided into five geographically based subcultures: northern Igbo, southern Igbo, western Igbo, eastern Igbo, and northeastern Igbo. Each of these five can be further divided into subgroups based on specific locations and names. The northern or Onitsha Igbo are divided into the Nri-Awka of Onitsha and Awka; the Enugu of Nsukka, Udi, Awgu, and Okigwe; and those of the Onitsha town. The southern or Owerri Igbo are divided into the Isu-Ama of Okigwe, Orlu, and Owerri; the Oratta-Ikwerri of Owerri and Ahoada; the Ohuhu-Ngwa of Aba and Bende; and the Isu-Item of Bende and Okigwe. The western Igbo (Ndi Anioma, as they like to call themselves) are divided into the northern Ika of Ogwashi Uku and Agbor; the southern Ika or Kwale of Kwale; and the Riverrain of Ogwashi Uku, Onitsha, Owerri, and Ahoada. The eastern or Cross River Igbo are divided into the Ada (or Edda) of Afikpo, the Abam-Ohaffia of Bende and Okigwe, and the Aro of Aro. The northeastern Igbo include the Ogu Uku of Abakaliki and Afikpo.
^Oriji, J.N. (4 January 2011).Political Organization in Nigeria since the Late Stone Age: A History of the Igbo People. p. 5.Current archaeological research, however, suggests that the early occupants of the Igbo area were foragers who had shifted to agriculture before the Nok Complex, using iron tools to cultivate yams and other staples. V. Uchendu, E. Isichie, and others have turned their attention to Igboland, to differentiate between the primary core areas of its heartland, where the various groups lived before their migrations to the frontiers including the Nri-Awka zone, the Isuama Orlu, and the Owerri-Okigwe axes.
^Imo River, "In Akwa Ibom State, the river is known as Imoh River, that is, Inyang Imoh, which translates to River of Wealth (Ibibio: Inyang means river or ocean, and Imoh means wealth)"
^abcAmangabara, G. T.; Njoku, J. D.; Iwuji, M. C. (24 January 2018). "People's Perception of Soil Erosion and Its Impact in Imo State, Nigeria".SSRN3108294.
^Lynch, Hollis R (2012).K.O. Mbadiwe: a Nigerian political biography, 1915-1990. New York: NY : Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN978-1-137-00261-7.OCLC826736399.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Harneit-Seivers, Axel (1 July 2007). "Igbo History and Society: The essays of Adiele Afigbo, edited by Toyin FalolaMyth, History and Society: The collected works of Adiele Afigbo, edited by Toyin Falola".African Affairs.106 (424):529–531.doi:10.1093/afraf/adm029.ISSN0001-9909.
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