Udoyen's Blog: UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

Uyo is a city in south-eastern Nigeria and is the capital of Akwa Ibom State, a major oil producing state of Nigeria. The city became the capital of Akwa Ibom State on September 23, 1987 following the creation of Akwa Ibom State from erstwhile Cross River State. The University of Uyo resides in this city. The population of Uyo, according to the 2006 Nigerian Census which comprises Uyo and Itu, is 436,606. while the urban Area, including Uruan, is 554,906.

The city can be accessed by road via the A342 highway, as well as Abak Road, Nwaniba Road, Itu Road, and Aka Road. Nearby airports include the Uyo Airport, also known as the Akwa Ibom International Airport.

Uyo is a fast-growing city, as the city has witnessed massive infrastructural growth in the past nine years. It has an intensive network of divided highways, such as the IBB Way, Atiku Abubakar Avenue, Udo Udoma Avenue, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, and Edet Akpan Avenue which is an eight-lane superhighway and currently the widest road in the Uyo metropolis. Currently,flyovers are being constructed to ease traffic. Three flyovers have already been completed at the Itam axis of the urban area which is under Itu jurisdiction. Plans are in process for more flyovers as well as ongoing dualisation of Aka road, ongoing construction of Ring Road 3 with flyovers (a portion of it will be ten lanes) and the dualisation of Wellingtion Bassey Way.

As a fast-growing city, Uyo is home to many notable housing districts such as the Ewet Housing Estate, Osongama Estate, Shelter Afrik, and other estates located in various parts of the city as well as private estates and other residential districts. The city has two major industrial estates, including the Itam Industrial Estate. The city of Uyo is notably neat and hospitable to foreigners and its aborigines. Highbrow residential areas in Uyo include the prestigious Ewet Housing Estate, Osongama Estate, Shelter Afrik, and a host of other choice areas in the city and its environs. The state government plans to construct newer residential districts as well as a central business district within the metropolis.

The city boasts recreational areas such as the Ibom Connection and the prestigious Le Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort. The state has other recreational projects under construction, such as the Ibom Tropicana Resort, which will include a 16-story 4-star hotel, a dome, a cinema, a shopping area, water parks, and other recreational facilities. It and similar projects are expected to boost the tourism potential of the state. The city also has a museum and a 30,000-capacity stadium (Ibom International Stadium), which was inaugurated on 7 November 2014.