Asaba

1. Ugbomanta
2. Umuaji
3. Umuagu
4. Umuonaje

Asaba is from the exclamation Ahabam, meaning "I have chosen well", a quote from the Nnebisi, the founding father of Asaba.[8][4][5]

The mean yearly temperature that is recorded in Asaba is about 26.8 °C | 80.2 °F. About 1331 mm | 52.4 inch of precipitation falls annually in asaba[9]

Asaba's climate change is causing a colder climate with a positive temperature trend, while horizontal trends indicate a decreasing trend.[10]

Settled by neighboring Benin, Igala and Igbo peoples in the last centuries prior to the colonial era, the city of Asaba was once the colonial capital of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.[11] It was founded in 1884.[12] Between 1886 and 1900, it hosted the Royal Niger Company, which the British authorities set up to stimulate trade and the exportation of goods to England.[11]

Owing to Asaba's influential history and geography, and current strategic political and economic influence in Nigeria, Asaba is generally known as the regional capital of the Anioma area and its peoples.[13] The clamor for creation of Anioma state has been going on for decades.[13] Today, the Asaba area is the ancestral homelands for various Anioma peoples.

Asaba is situated on a terrace of the lower Niger River, overlooking the point where the Anambra River flows into it. Beyond the river banks, on the high plains which are far more extensive than the river basins, secondary forest vegetation flourishes.[5] Although the current city lies just north of a marshy floodplain, expansive swaths of undulating, hilly terrain rises west and east of the main city with heights of up to 200m above sea level. The historic Niger River is a trans-African link beginning from West Africa and down into the Atlantic Ocean.[4] Asaba forms a connector between western, eastern and northern Nigeria through the Niger River from the north and via the Asaba Niger Bridge, an east–west link and a Nigerian landmark.[4]

First Niger Bridge

Asaba lies approximately 6 degrees north of the equator and about the same distance east of the meridian; about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north of where the River Niger flows into the Atlantic Ocean.[5] The greater Asaba metro occupies an area of about 300 square kilometers. while the area is noticeably drier than the southern areas, the city and the communities of Oshimili South in inclusion maintain an average tropical temperature of 32 °C during the dry season and an average fertile rainfall of 2,700 millimetres (106 in) during the rainy season.

Greater Asaba incorporates some of the other neighboring towns and communities such as Igbuzo, Okpanam, Anwai, Iyiba, Oko, Okwe and Ugbolu on the western section of the Niger River. Notable flora of the city and the surrounding area would be the Sapele tree.

A city with a storied past, Asaba culture is heavily influenced by the neighboring Igbo, Igala and Bini peoples. Asaba is culturally led by the revered Asagba of Asaba, to whom the leaders (individually referred to as the “Diokpa”) of each of the five settlement quarters (locally identified as Binis and Igala) report directly on matters affecting the community.[5][4] The Asagba is assisted by the Iyasele of Asaba [Iyase] who is the customary Prime Minister as well as a council of chiefs and elders [Olinzele, Otu Ihaza, Oloto etc.]

Popular native greetings in Asaba are:

1. Oyibo
2. Ojukpa-Aku
3. Agu
4. Aje
5. Ogene
6. Omogwu (also used in Ibusa)
7. Osodi (for wives)
8. Otena-Mgbo (for wives) also in use in Ibusa
9. Akudika (for wives)
10. Oliuwa (for wives)

In Asaba, the wet season is warm, oppressive, and overcast and the dry season is hot, muggy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 67°F to 89°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 92°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Asaba for hot-weather activities is from late November to late January.[15][16][17]

Anchor statue at Landers Brothers Anchorage, Asaba

Igbo people constitute 63% of the total population of Asaba. The city also houses a number of original minorities like the surrounding Anioma peoples and Igala

Since becoming the administrative capital of Delta State, Asaba has grown in population to over half a million people. Today, it maintains a cosmopolitan population representative of the diverse cultures in Delta State and across Nigeria.[4]

Asaba is an administrative area and seat of government established during the time of the Royal Niger Company (now UACN), and is the administrative capital of Delta state. Thus civil service leads the economy and economic activities of the city's inhabitants. The Nigerian government through the administration of Samuel Ogbemudia established the Asaba Textile Mills[22] and a power substation at Asaba. The city of Asaba hosts some pharmaceutical companies that manufacture medicines and there is also a steel mill within the city. Tourism also attracts revenue into the city, which has resulted to a booming hospitality business. In 2023, the Film Village was opened officially in hopes of boosting the already growing Nollywood entertainment industry in the city. The city is linked by the A232 to Benin city and South-West and Northern regions. Currently, the city is working on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, linking it to the South-East and reducing commuting times between itself and neighboring towns in the west and across the Niger.

Stephen Keshi Stadium Asaba

The Stephen Keshi Stadium at Asaba, which had a face-lift to satisfy local fans, has hosted several international competitions and soccer events since it was upgraded by the administration of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and commissioned by Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo.[23] The stadium is the home of Delta Force FC.

• 
  Ogbe-Ogonogo Market
• 
  Asaba roundabout
• 
  Asaba market

• Abraka
• Asaba-Asa
• Asaba massacre
• Ekumeku Movement
• Warri
• Uvwie

• Asaba.com
• Asaba.net Archived 31 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• Asaba Association Non-profit Group
• Asaba Development Association in the United Kingdom
• Asaba Portal
• Asaba History and Culture Collaboration Research Platform