Choba, Port Harcourt

Choba, Port Harcourt is a neighbourhood in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.^[1][2] It is located 16 km (9.9 mi) to the northwest of the Port Harcourt central business district, on the eastern bank of the New Calabar River.

Choba
Neighborhood
Choba market (September 2022)
Choba Location of Choba in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Coordinates: 4°53′26″N 6°54′12″E
State	Rivers State
Local Government Area	Obio-Akpor
Government
• Governor	Siminalayi Fubara PDP
Population  (2008)
• Total	27,253
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (CEST)
Postal Code	500102

Choba was originally an Ikwerre village on the outer fringes of Port Harcourt, governed by a paramount king.^[3] The current king is Eze Raymond Echendu.^[4] As Port Harcourt has expanded, Choba has assimilated into the greater city.^{[citation needed]} Choba is one of 17 electoral wards administered by the Obio-Akpor Local Government Council.^[5] The population in 1991, according to the national census, was 10,968, in 1996 it was estimated to have increased to 12,980, and 27,253 in 2008.^{[6][citation needed]}

It has a straight road that leads to a checkpoint heading to^[7] other states in Nigeria such as Bayelsa State and Delta State to the west.^[8] Choba market is majorly patronized by the students of the University of Port Harcourt and it is located along the East West Road by Choba Junction.^[9]

Choba is located 466km/290 miles from Abuja, Nigeria's Federal capital territory.^[10] The University of Port Harcourt is sited in Choba which brought about the influx of people into the area.^[11]

Education

In 1975 the University of Port Harcourt was established in Choba.^[12][13] It is now one of the major contributors to the local economy and the area's population growth.^[14] It has three campuses in Choba. They are Abuja campus, Delta campus and Choba campus.^[15]

University of Port Harcourt is affiliated with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Association of African Universities (AAU) and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, which is also located at Choba. The university has a number of notable alumni, including former president of Nigeria GCFR, Goodluck Jonathan; Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and numerous Nigerian Senators.^[16]

Apart from the University of Port Harcourt and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, there is a good number of public and private secondary schools near Choba Port Harcourt. ^[17]

See also

• Choba River