Bayelsa State

Bayelsa
Bayelsa State Government of Nigeria
Flag of Bayelsa
Official seal of Bayelsa
Coat of arms of Bayelsa
Nicknames: 
Motto(s): 
Truth, Service and Justice[1]
Location of Bayelsa State in Nigeria
Location of Bayelsa State in Nigeria
CountryNigeria
Geopolitical ZoneSouth South
Created1 October 1996
CapitalYenagoa
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Bayelsa State
 • GovernorDouye Diri (PDP)
 • Deputy GovernorLawrence Ewhrudjakpo (PDP)
 • LegislatureBayelsa State House of Assembly
 • SenatorsC: Moses Cleopas (PDP)
E : Benson Sunday Agadaga (PDP)
W: Henry Seriake Dickson (PDP)
 • RepresentativesList
Area
 • Total10,773 km2 (4,159 sq mi)
 • Rank27th
Population
 • Estimate 
(2022)
2,537,400[2][3][4]
 Ranked 36th
DemonymBayelsan
GDP (PPP)
 • Year2021
 • Total$29.97 billion[5]
9th of 36
 • Per capita$11,379[5]
2nd of 36
Postal/Zip Code
560001
Dialing Code+234-(089)
ISO 3166 codeNG-BY
HDI (2022)0.573[6]
medium · 20th of 37

Bayelsa state is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta.[7][8] Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State,[9] making it one of the newest states in the federation.[10] The capital, Yenagoa, is susceptible to high risk of annual flooding.[11] It shares a boundary with Rivers State to the east and Delta State to the north across the Niger River for 17km and the Forçados River for 198km, with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean dominating its southern borders.[9][12][13][12][8] It has a total area of 10,773 square kilometres (4,159 sq mi).[3][4][14] The state comprises eight local government areas: Ekeremor, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Yenagoa, Nembe, Ogbia, Sagbama, Brass and Southern Ijaw.[8] Bayelsa state is regarded as the least populous state in Nigeria with an estimated population of over 2,530,000[15] as at 2022.[4][3][16] Being in the Niger Delta, Bayelsa State has a riverine and estuarine setting, with bodies of water within the state making the development of significant road infrastructure, quite difficult.[17]

The state is the primary and ancestral home of the Ijaw people's, from where migration took place to other Ijaw settlements. The languages of the Ijaw (Ogbia, Nembe, Epie, Ijaw) are widely spoken in Bayelsa State, along with Isoko and Urhobo.[18] The state is also the ancestral home of the Urhobo people in the Sagbama local government area.[19]

As a state in the oil-rich Niger Delta, Bayelsa State's economy is dominated by the petroleum industry.[20][21] The state is the site of Oloibiri Oilfield, where oil was first discovered in Nigeria, and as of 2015 the state was estimated to produce 30-40% of the country's oil.[22][23] The state has the largest gas reservoir (18 trillion cubic feet) in Nigeria.[24] Though being the site of one of the largest crude oil and natural gas deposits in the country contributes to local economic development, the state remains plagued by rampant poverty as well as pollution stemming from oil spills.[25][26][27]

  1. ^ "Bayelsa State Symbols". Bayelsastate.gov.ng. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Bayelsa State: Subdivision". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Bayelsa State Government – The Glory of all Lands". Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Raimi, Gift Aziba-Ayam (2020). "Examining the influence of motivation on organizational productivity in Bayelsa state private hospitals". Federal University Otuoke – via Research Gate.
  5. ^ a b Okeowo, Gabriel; Fatoba, Iyanuoluwa, eds. (13 October 2022). "State of States 2022 Edition" (PDF). Budgit.org. BudgIT. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Yenagoa | Location, Facts, & Population". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Bayelsa – History & Culture – Bayelsa State Government". Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Rivers state Archives". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  10. ^ "About Bayelsa State, Nigeria". Media Nigeria. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  11. ^ Oladimeji, O. E.; Ohwo, O. (3 May 2022). "Assessment of Flood Risk and Mapping of Flood Risk Zones in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria". Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management. 26 (2): 219–226. doi:10.4314/jasem.v26i2.7. ISSN 2659-1502. S2CID 248577549.
  12. ^ a b "Référence rapide des codes de la CITE-P et de la CITE-A dans la CITE 2011", Guide opérationnel CITE 2011, OECD, pp. 117–118, 25 January 2016, doi:10.1787/9789264248823-16-fr, ISBN 9789264248830, retrieved 10 September 2021
  13. ^ "The Atlantic Ocean—facts and information". Environment. 18 March 2019. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  14. ^ Bayelsa, Solutions (2020). "Bayelsa at a glance". Bayelsa Solutions.
  15. ^ "Bayelsa (State, Nigeria) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  16. ^ "National Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Bayelsa". Nigeria. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Background Report: The Destruction of Odi and Rape in Choba". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Our Story". Indigenous People of Biafra USA. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Bayelsa State Government – The Glory of all Lands". Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Oil and Gas". Invest Bayelsa. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Industry History". nnpcgroup.com. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Conflict Bulletin: Bayelsa State – Patterns and Trends, 2012-2014 | The Fund for Peace". fundforpeace.org. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Bayelsa State". Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  25. ^ "pollution | Definition, History, Types, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Nigeria's oil-rich Bayelsa State opens inquiry on spills". www.worldoil.com. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  27. ^ "'This place used to be green': the brutal impact of oil in the Niger Delta". the Guardian. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2021.