The Abia State Government has unveiled a week-long programme of activities to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the creation of the state.

The programme will feature the commissioning of completed projects, the flag-off of new ones, a youth innovation event and an anniversary keynote lecture.

The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, announced the activities on Monday at the Government House, Umuahia, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

According to Kanu, the anniversary programme will begin on Sunday, August 23, with an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the Trade More Event Centre, located within the Nnenna Oti Bus Terminal premises in Umuahia.

He said the governor would on Tuesday, August 25, commission some completed projects and flag off new ones across the state.

Wednesday, August 26, has been designated as Youth Innovation Day, featuring a hackathon and technology exhibition.

The activities will climax on Thursday, August 27, which marks the actual date of Abia State’s creation.

Kanu said the day would begin with a state broadcast by Governor Otti, followed later in the morning by an anniversary keynote lecture.

“Finally, on Thursday, the 27th of August, the very day the state was created, the Governor will make a state broadcast in the morning. Later that morning, there will be an anniversary keynote lecture,” Kanu stated.

He explained that the lecture would provide an opportunity for the keynote speaker and other discussants to examine Abia’s development trajectory from its creation in 1991 under the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida to the present.

The commissioner also disclosed that the State Executive Council joined in celebrating Babangida’s 85th birthday. The former military administrator turned 85 on August 17, 2026, while Governor Otti had earlier congratulated him on the occasion.

Kanu further announced that Governor Otti had directed the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection to investigate whether other Abians remained stranded in South Africa and explore ways of assisting them.

The directive follows the state government’s recent intervention to support 31 verified Abia indigenes who returned from South Africa.

Kanu recalled that the government had approved N1 million each for the 31 returnees as an interim support measure to assist them with resettlement.

He added that the government was conducting a comprehensive profiling exercise to identify the specific needs of the returnees and develop appropriate programmes to support their reintegration into the state.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, and the State Director of Information, Lady Chika Orji-Nwoke, were also present at the briefing.