Bayelsa State

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="240" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" align="right" |align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#d3d3d3"|Bayelsa State
State nickname: Glory of all lands |- !align="center" bgcolor="#efefef" colspan="3"|Location |- !align="center" colspan="3"| |- !align="center" bgcolor="#efefef" colspan="3"|Statistics |- |align="left" valign="top"|Governor
(List) |colspan="2" valign="top"|Timipre Sylva (PDP) |- !align="left" valign="top"|Date Created |colspan="2" valign="top"| 1 October 1996 |- !align="left" valign="top"|Capital |colspan="2" valign="top"| Yenagoa |- !align="left" valign="top"|Area |colspan="2" valign="top"|10,773 km²
Ranked 27th |- | Population
1991 Census
2005 est. |align="left" valign="top"| Ranked 35th

N/A
1,998,349 |- |align="left" valign="top"|GDP (PPP)
 -Total
 -Per Capita |align="left" valign="top"| 2007 (estimate)
$4.34 billion
$2,484

Other important cities besides Yenagoa include Akassa, Amassoma (the home of the Niger Delta University), Twon-Brass, Kaiama, Nembe, Odi, Ogbia, Okpoma, Oporoma and Sagbama.

Notable natives

Notable sons of Bayelsa State include veteran novelist and poet, Gabriel Okara; pioneering Nigerian journalist and pre-independent freedom fighter, Ernest Ikoli; Nigerian Civil War hero, Major Isaac Adaka Boro (Nigerian Army) and Canadian Olympic gold medalist/ world wrestling champion, Daniel Igali; and National Team footballer and Olympic & Under 20 coach, Samson Siasia. Others include revolutionaries and martyrs of April 22, 1990 Captains Perebo Dakolo and Harley Empere (Nigerian Army); former Governor of Rivers State, HRM Alfred Diete-Spiff (now king of the city of Town-Brass, Nigeria); and the current President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan.

Due to massive overseas scholarship programs implemented by the old Rivers State in the 1970s and recent Bayelsa State governments, large numbers of Bayelsan professionals reside in Europe and North America. This is part of the general brain-drain trend affecting many African communities.

Administrative divisions

Bayelsa is divided into eight Local Government Areas:

* Brass

Ekeremor

Kolokuma/Opokuma

Nembe

Ogbia

Sagbama

Southern Ijaw

Yenagoa

References

External links

Bayelsa State Government Homepage

Bayelsa State Government Portal

Bayelsa State at OnlineNigeria.com

Bayelsa Council for Arts & Culture

Adaka Boro Centre

Official Website of Samson Siasia

Category:States of Nigeria Category:States and territories established in 1996