BRIEF HISTORY OF SOUTHERN IJAW (LGA)
BAYELSA State was created on October 1, 1996 out of the old Rivers State. The name, Bayelsa, is an acronym of three former Local Government areas ‘BRASS, YENAGOA AND SAGBAMA’ in the then Rivers State, which had earlier on comprised the entire area now constituting Bayelsa State. The then Brass LGA is what makes up the present Nembe, Brass and Ogbia Local Government Areas; the then Yenagoa LGA consist of the present Yenagoa, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas and the then Sagbama LGA is what makes up the present Sagbama and Ekeremor Local Government Areas.
The tradition in the old Rivers State, which is still the norm in Bayelsa State now, is the use of acronyms for local government areas. People referred to Brass Local Government Area as BALGA, for short; Yenagoa was simply YELGA, while Sagbama was SALGA. Since personalities from BALGA, YELGA, and SALGA made up the State Creation Movement prior to the 1996 exercise, the proposed name agreed upon was BAYELSA.
Bayelsa State has one of the largest crude oil and natural gas deposits in Nigeria. As a result petroleum production is extensive in the state. However, the majority of Bayelsans live in poverty. They are mainly rural dwellers due to its peculiar terrain and lack of adequate transportation, health, education or other infrastructure as a result of decades of neglect by the central governments,state and petroleum prospecting companies. This has been a large problem in the state since its creation and successive state governments have not been able to address and repair the issue. The state, as a result, has an almost non-existent commerce. Successive state governments have, however, embarked on various industrial projects (even venturing into the oil and gas sector), and "poverty-alleviation" programs to reverse this situation,accordingly this are only on paper. there's nothing on ground to show for huge sums of money spent for development by successive and present state governments.
The local population engage in fishing on a subsistence and commercial level. The Bayelsa State government is otherwise the main employer of labor in the state.
It has an area of 2,682 km² and a population of 319,413 at the 2006 census. The area occupied by Southern Ijaw Local Gov’t area lies approximately between latitude 4,05 4: and 7,407 East. It is bounded by the west, Brass Local Government Area- on the north and East Sagbama Local Government Area while on the South by Yenagoa Local Government.
The postal code of the area is 560
