Edo State at a glance

Edo State was created on August 27, 1991 under the Federal Military Government headed by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Until then, Edo State with Delta State formed what was then known as Bendel State.

The People

With Benin City as capital, the population of the entire state is approximately 4million.
It is made up of three major ethnic groups; namely the Binis, Esan and Afemai. However
the State has a high presence of residents from across the country and the world because
of its cosmopolitan tendencies. Benin City the capital has a history of being one of the foremost destinations of Europeans during their exploration of Africa continent many centuries ago. Some of the flash points have remained enviable tourists’ attraction for the state.   

Geography

The State has a land mass of 19,794 km square. Lying on 05 44 N and 07 34 N latitudes,
05 4 E and 06 45 E longitudes.
Edo State is low lying except towards the north axis where the Northern and Esan
plateaus range from 183 metres of the Kukuruku Hills and 672 metres of the
Somorika Hills.

Location

It is so located that it forms the nucleus of the Niger Delta region. It is bordered by Kogi state to the North and Delta State to the East and South, Ekiti and Ondo States to the West.

Climate

The climate is typically tropical with two major seasons- the wet (Rainy) and the dry (harmattan) seasons. The wet season lasts from April to November and the Dry Season December to March.

Government

The governor of the state, at every time is the head of government. There is the Executive arm of government, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
The state has eighteen local government councils each constitutionally headed by a democratically elected Chairman.

Vegetation

Edo is blessed with two major vegetational belts namely: the Forest Belt of the South and Central parts while the Guinea Savannah is in the northern part.

Minerals

Natural resources in Edo State are in abundance. There is a heavy reserve of hard wood and high quality timber. Other mineral endowments include: Rubber, Limestone, Marble, Lignite, Clay, Kaolin, Crude Oil, Gold, Granite and Bitumen.

Agriculture

Apart from the wood products, there is high yield of Agricultural food crops, Cocoa,

Rubber, Palm trees, Vegetables, Cotton, Pineapple, Mango, Cashew, Cassava, Bushmeat, Snails, Fish and Rice.

Industry

The thriving industries are Carving, Saw-milling, Rubber processing, Cement and Textile, Brewing and Flour milling etc. 
The state also boast of key industries in the country such as Bendel Cement Factory Okpella, Bendel Brewery Benin City, Guinness Nigeria Benin-City, Nigeria Bottling Company (Coca-Cola) Benin City, Ewu Flour Mill Ewu and Bendel Pharmaceutical Benin-City, Okomu oil Plc , Presco Plc just to name a few. The Small-Scale industries are also on the increase with many Banks and Fast Food Eateries opening up their outlets in the capital and other emerging cities across the state.

Education

Edo State is one of the most educationally advanced States in Nigeria. Its notable tertiary institutions include the University of Benin, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Igbinedion University Okada, Benson Idahosa University, Auchi Polytechnic Auchi, College of Education Ekiadolor, College of Agriculture Iguoriakhi and Institute of Management and Technology Usen.

Communication

There is an existing network of roads across the state making movement quite easy. Most of these roads are being rehabilitated by the state government while additional ones are being created to meet with the influx of visitors to the state.
There is improved regular flight from Abuja, Lagos, Warri and other parts of the country into the state capital, Benin City. The Benin Airport beams with life and business activities in recent times because of the increase in flights to the state.
The telephone system is massive. The traditional NITEL network is still existing while the four GSM network; GLO, MTN, CELTEL, NITEL are fully operational in almost all parts of the state.

Electricity

Edo state is connected to Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the nation’s electricity grid. Quite a few rural communities that have terrain problems are also hooked to the state electricity company.

Healthcare

Government in conjunction with local governments and some international agencies have successfully spread Medicare across the state. There are government hospitals, local government Centres by local authorities and quite a few others jointly managed with some non governmental agencies.

Seaports

From Edo State, there is easy access to Warri seaports. The state also has a direct route to Lagos from land and air. Infact, Edo is known as the heartbeat of the country because of its easy accessibility from various Southern cities like Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and the Eastern states.

Arts and Culture

Edo is famous for her works of art, they include Plaques, Busts and Royal figures Some of these Art Works were looted during the British invasion of the Benin Empire in 1897.  Various Pottery, utility Carving, Smithering, Jewellery, Mat-making, Cloth Weaving etc thrive in the state. Edo State is universally known for her Bronze casting Art.

Banks

As an integral part of economic and investment development, the financial support services available provide the necessary oil for speedy investment decisions.
Edo State has a highly developed and reliable Banking sector. About  95% of the commercial banks in Nigeria have their branches in the State, with the Central Bank of Nigeria also located in the heart of the capital city.
The commercial banks spread their operations across the state with strong emphasis in Benin City and increasing presence in Ekpoma, Uromi, Auchi and other metropolis. Local investors have seized the opportunity to establish community based banks to supplement the commercial ones.
There is a subtle revolution in the economic sector as funds for the development of the rural community can now be sourced locally as the inhibitive collateral of the “orthodox banks” are not strictly adopted by the community banks in the rural area.

Some of the Commercial banks available in Edo State are:

• Afribank of Nigeria
• First Inland Bank
• Equity Bank of Nigeria
• First Bank of Nigeria
• Guaranty Trust Bank
• United Bank For Africa
• Oceanic Bank
• IBTC Chartered
•  Diamond Bank
•  Wema Bank
•  Zenith International Bank Ltd
•  Union Bank
•  Skye Bank
•  Unity Bank
•  FCMB
•  Intercontinental Bank
•  Bank PHB
•  Access Bank
•  Ecobank
•  ETB
•  Sterling Bank
•  Spring Bank

The banks provide the following services:

• Credit Facilities
• Investment Financing
• Corporate Banking
• Domestic/Capital Market Operations
• Foreign Exchange Transactions.