Southeastern State

The South East (often written as South-East) is one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria representing both a geographic and political region of the country’s inland southeast. It comprises five states – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

The zone is bounded by the River Niger on the west, the riverine Niger Delta on the south, the flat North Central to the north, and the Cross River on the east.

The South East came about with Alex Ekwueme’s recommendations, although formerly known as Eastern Nigeria, or simply East, following the division of the country into three parts in the 1950s. In 1967, it was later split into three under the Gowon Administration (1967–1975). It was in 1976 that more states, including Imo and Anambra began to emerge

Although the South East is the smallest geopolitical zone, it contributes greatly to the Nigerian economy due to oil and natural gas reserves along with a growing industrialized economy. The region has a population of about 36 million people, around 18% of the total population of the country. Aba and Enugu are the most populous cities in the South East as well as the tenth and fourteenth most populous cities in Nigeria. Other large southeastern cities include (in order by population) Onitsha, Umuahia, Owerri, Nnewi, Awka, and Abakaliki.

The South East is predominantly Igbo ethnically and linguistically. Various Igbo subgroups and their dialects in South East are: Owerri people, Mbaise people, Nkanu people, Ngwa people, Omambala people, Nsukka people, Enuani people, Ezza people, Afikpo people, Arochukwu people, Oguta people, Aguata/Orumba, Okigwe people, Egbema people, Izzi people, Effium people, Idemili people, Agbaja people, Ikwo people, Ndoki people, Abriba people, Ohafia people Orlu people, Ohaji people,Ohaozara people, Anaedo people, and many others.