Gabu, Nigeria

Gabu is situated in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Its geographical coordinates are 6° 51' 0" North, 8° 46' 0" East.^[1] Gabu is a Ward in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. It is bounded to the North by Benue State, South by Ijegu – Yala, to the East by Aliforkpa, and to the West by the Igede-speaking part of Benue State.

The only language spoken by the Gabu people is Igede, though English and Pidgin English are occasionally spoken for official purposes. Gabu possesses good climatic, soil and vegetation conditions that provide tremendous agricultural and Agro-Allied industrial potentials. Large part of Gabu region consists of grassland or savanna and rain forest at places such as Ega, Ajumole, Adikpe etc. This variety of soils and vegetation makes possible the cultivation of an equally wide variety of agricultural produce ranging from food to cash crops. The food crops grown include yams, cassava, cocoyam, maize, beans, rice, millet, and several market garden crops. While some of the cash crops that thrive well in the region include palm-oil, bananas, plantains, etc.

The community is drained seasonally by a major river called Okpogwu River and its tributaries. This river is a great fishing ground for the community and the banks of the river provides good ground for agricultural activities because of the alluvial deposits from the river currents. Other rivers that flows through Gabu are: Ogrokpo, Orba etc.

The Community is blessed with abundant salt deposit which can sustain any small to medium scale salt industry. The salt deposit found in Gabu is of great 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, quartzite, clay deposit, gravel, Sharp Sand etc. Barite is currently being mined by different companies in Gabu. Efforts are also ongoing by the Community to prospect for Hydrocarbon, Limestone, Coal and other mineral resources. These resources are suspected to be in great abundance in Gabu owing to depositional nature of Gabu terrain.

Gabu is also blessed with abundant human resources. This is evident in the large number of graduates of various disciplines from Gabu. The community has a number of social amenities such as health center, customary court, primary and secondary schools, roads and telecommunications services for effective communication. These social amenities provide services for the populace. It is very important to note also that 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 Road from Benue State.

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