Gabu is a local government area located in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, Africa with Igede as the official language. Gabu is situated in the Yala Local Government Area of

Cross River State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Cross River.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Cross River State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint ...

, Nigeria. Its geographical coordinates are 6° 51' 0" North, 8° 46' 0" East. It is bounded to the north by

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is th ...

, to the south by Ijegu – Yala, to the east by Aliforkpa, and to the west by the Igede-speaking part of Benue State. The only

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

spoken by the Gabu people is Igede, though English and

Pidgin English Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. Pidgins that are spoken as first languages become creoles. English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have ...

are occasionally spoken for official purposes. Gabu possesses good climatic soil and vegetation conditions that provide agricultural and agro-allied industrial potentials. A large part of the Gabu region consists of grassland or savanna and rainforest in places such as Ega, Ajumole and Adikpe. This variety of soils and vegetation makes possible the cultivation of a wide variety of agricultural produce ranging from food to cash crops. The food crops grown include yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

cocoyam Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family (also known as Aroids and by the family name ''Araceae'') and may refer to: * Taro (''Colocasia esculenta'') - old cocoyam * Malanga ('' ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

, millet, and other market and garden crops. Some of the cash crops that thrive well in the region also include palm-oil, bananas and plantains. The community is dependent seasonally on a major river called Okpogwu River and its tributaries. This river is a fishing ground for the community, and the banks of the river provide good soil for agricultural activities because of the alluvial deposits from the river currents. Other rivers that flow through Gabu include Ogrokpo and Orba. The community's abundant salt deposits actively sustain small to medium scale salt industries in the area. The salt deposits represent a deep history to the people of Gabu and is mined locally. The community also offers a wide range of investment opportunities in agro-based industries as well as solid mineral industries. Other mineral resources found in Gabu in economic deposits are

barite Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

deposit,

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

, Sharp Sand etc.

Barite Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

is currently being mined by different companies in Gabu. Efforts are also ongoing by the community to prospect for

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

and other mineral resources. These resources are suspected to be in great abundance in Gabu owing to the depositional nature of Gabu terrain. The

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

has a number of social amenities and infrastructures such as a health center, customary court,

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s, roads and

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s services for effective communication. There are traditional institutions ( Chiefs) which govern and administer justice to the people of Gabu at the local level. The community can be accessed through Okuku – Ijegu Road, Aliforkpa – Gabu Road, and through

Konshisha Konshisha is a local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Tse-Agberagba. It has an area of 1,673 km and a population of 225,672 at the 2006 census. The area is majorly populated by members of the T ...

Road from Benue State.

References

{{coord missing, Nigeria Populated places in Cross River State