By CHINEDU EBORAH

From Quiet River Town to State Capital: Reconstructing the Old Asaba

Origins and Identity

LONG before it became the capital of Delta State in 1991, Asaba—originally known as Ahaba—was a modest but historically layered settlement on the eastern bank of the River Niger. The anglicized name “Asaba” emerged during colonial administration, but the town’s indigenous identity remained deeply rooted in Igbo-speaking traditions and monarchical leadership under the Asagba institution.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Asaba functioned as a semi-urban community: large enough to sustain structured commerce, education, and professional life, yet intimate enough to retain communal cohesion. It was administratively tied first to the Mid-Western Region and later Bendel State before the creation of Delta State transformed its trajectory.

Health, Education and Social Infrastructure

Healthcare in the old Asaba revolved primarily around a single General Hospital that served the town and surrounding communities. Private facilities—such as Nmaduemezia Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, and others—supplemented public care. Decades later, the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre Asaba signaled federal investment in the city’s health sector.

Education formed the backbone of Asaba’s identity. Primary institutions such as Oneh Primary School, Asagba Primary School, and Regina Mundi Primary School produced generations of civil servants, academics, and professionals. Secondary schools—including Saint Patrick’s College, Osadenis High School, and Asaba Technical College—served as intellectual hubs.

At the tertiary level, the College of Agriculture, Anwai, played a regional role in training agricultural scientists across the old Bendel State. It has since evolved into Dennis Osadebay University, reflecting the city’s transition into a university town.

Industry and Employment

Old Asaba was not merely administrative; it had an industrial pulse. Asaba Textile Mills Limited—popularly associated with the football club Asabatex—provided structured employment and symbolized early industrial ambition. Private enterprises such as SIO Industries and Summit Furniture Company added to the employment landscape.

Block industries like Esuzor and Okechukwu supported steady housing expansion, while poultry farms such as Onuorah Farms and Mkpaya Farms contributed to food production and local enterprise. These ventures fostered a middle class rooted in salaried employment and entrepreneurship.

Commerce and Everyday Life

Commercial activity centered on Ogbogonogo Market, the town’s primary trading arena. Ogbor Osisi market supplied building materials, while small supermarkets such as Usonia and later Gay Gill introduced modern retail culture.

Banking institutions—including Barclays (later Union Bank), First Bank of Nigeria, UBA, and African Continental Bank—anchored financial transactions. Yet commercial life retained informality; landlords personally negotiated rents, and estate agencies were virtually nonexistent.

Transportation was dominated by taxis and minibuses, many operated by Yoruba drivers whose decorated vehicles became cultural artifacts of their own. There were no tricycles or motorcycles as commercial transport—features that now characterize the city’s mobility.

Sports, Leisure and Cultural Memory

Sporting life revolved around Asabatex FC, which competed nationally alongside clubs such as Enugu Rangers and IICC Shooting Stars. The Asaba Township Stadium hosted league matches that exposed residents to stars like Christian Chukwu and Stephen Keshi.

Tennis courts at Asaba Girls’ Grammar School and the Asaba Country Club nurtured amateur sporting culture among professionals and civil servants.

Culturally, festivals such as the Ezugbo (New Yam) celebration and Ine festival anchored seasonal rhythms. Religious institutions—Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal, and Muslim—coexisted within a relatively peaceful urban environment.

Governance and Media Evolution

Leadership in the 1970s and 1980s was under Obi Umejei Onyetenu, the 12th Asagba of Asaba. In 1991, the enthronement of Chike Edozien coincided with the creation of Delta State and Asaba’s elevation to capital status. Today, the throne is occupied by Epiphany Azinge, reflecting continuity amid modernization.

Before 1991, Asaba lacked a local broadcasting station. Residents relied heavily on eastern media signals such as the Nigerian Television Authority Enugu and Anambra Broadcasting Service. The post-1991 establishment of Delta Broadcasting Service and The Pointer Newspapers marked a shift toward media autonomy.

Urbanization and Transformation

The once narrow, mango-lined Okpanam Road has since expanded into a major urban corridor, merging Asaba with neighboring communities. Cable Point—formerly known as “Wire”—once the elite residential enclave, has ceded prominence to newer Government Reserved Areas and developments along Okpanam axis.

Urbanization has brought economic expansion but also social pressures: rising rents, informal settlements, nightlife economies, and shifting moral landscapes. The tranquil, low-density town of the 1970s now bears the infrastructure demands of a state capital.

Old Asaba survives less as geography than as collective memory—an era when community bonds were intimate, infrastructure limited yet functional, and identity firmly anchored in education, industry, and cultural heritage.