Ebonyi
Nigeria's "Salt of the Nation" where Uburu salt lakes, Abakaliki rice, and lead-zinc deposits create resource abundance on Igboland's eastern frontier.
Ebonyi State exists because the salt of the nation deserved recognition. Created in 1996 from parts of Abia and Enugu states, Ebonyi encompasses Okposi and Uburu salt lakes - deposits so significant the state adopted "Salt of the Nation" as its identity. But salt is just one layer of this Igbo borderland's resources. Lead and zinc around Abakaliki attract miners from across Nigeria and abroad. Limestone at Nkalagu powered Nigeria Cement Company for decades. The Abonyi River that gave the state its name waters rice paddies that made "Abakaliki rice" a household name across Nigeria. Agriculture employs 85% of the population in one of Nigeria's highest-productivity states. This is the eastern frontier of Igboland, where eleven distinct Igbo dialects (Afikpo, Izzi, Ezaa, Ikwo, and more) preserve linguistic diversity within ethnic unity. The region participated in the medieval Kingdom of Nri and later the Aro Confederacy before British conquest in the Anglo-Aro War. Biafra's shadow falls here too - the state was carved from the reunified east. Former governor Dave Umahi built 23 flyovers and distinctive multicolored infrastructure, transforming the state's visual identity. By 2026, mechanization of rice production and formalization of lead/zinc mining will accelerate growth.