Ayamelum is a local government area (LGA) in

Anambra Anambra () is a state in Nigeria. It is located in the South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Rivers State to the south, Enugu State to ...

state, in the southeastern part of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

with headquarters in Anaku. The towns that make up the local government are Anaku, Umueje, Omasi, Igbakwu, Umumbo, Omor,

Umuerum Umuerum, also known as Umuolum, is a town in Ayamelum Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria. Umuerum or is located on the shores of the Omambala River and Ezu River. The town contains the villages of Ukpambaka/Umunkwele, Ayigo, Umuodu ...

, and Ifite Ogwari. Ayamelum’s area is situated at the border between Enugu state and Anambra state. The communities in the area are notable for food production. The LGA has economic and agricultural potential that can generate funds and create employment. Anaku, Ifite ogwari, Umumbo and Omor in Ayamelum are noted for their rice production. Thus, the community benefits from the Lower Anambra-Imo River Basin Development authority which enhances its agricultural activities. However, Ayamelum has no access road. The only entrance to the LGA is Otuocha-Anaku-Adani federal road, which has been in a terrible state. This lack of infrastructure prevents residents from taking their food products to towns and cities.

Overview

Anambra state Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

, which is located in Nigeria's Southeast geopolitical zone, has the Ayamelum local government area. There are several towns and villages in the area, including Umueje, Igbakwu, Anaku, Umuerum, Ifite, Ogwari, Omasi, and Umumbo, where the LGA's administrative center is located. The Igbo ethnic group is the dominant tribe in the Ayamelum LGA, and both the

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

and

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

s are widely used there. According to estimates, there are 121,855 people living in the Ayamelum LGA, and the majority of them identify as

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. The Ofalla, Obubezi, and Olila aka festivals are only a few of the prominent and indigenous celebrations held in Ayamelum LGA.

Economy

Ayamelum LGA residents depend heavily on

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

for their livelihoods, with a significant portion of the population engaged in both subsistence and commercial farming. In Ayamelum, crops like yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

cocoyam Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family (also known as Aroids and by the family name ''Araceae'') and may refer to: * Taro (''Colocasia esculenta'') – old cocoyam * Mala ...

s, and various

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s are farmed.

Secondary schools

Numerous secondary schools are located in Ayamelum: * St. Joseph International Secondary School, Anaku (Catholic School) * Ekenedirichukwu Settlement Anaku * Universal Secondary School, Omasi * Community Secondary School, Umumbo * Community Secondary School, Igbakwu * Community Secondary School, Ifite-Ogwari * Riverside Secondary School, Umerum * Ogbe High School, Anaku * Amikwe Community Secondary School, Omor (Omor Town) * Community Secondary School, Umueje * Regina Caeli Secondary School, Omor (Catholic School) * Community Secondary School. (Omor) * St Simon Faith International Secondary School, Omor (Omor Town Anglican School) *Inland school umerum *Ataka maingrant fishermen school umerum *Brainfield Secondary School, Omor (Private Owner Omor Town *Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy, Ifite-Ogwari (Catholic School)

Communal clashes in Ayamelum LGA

Long-standing land disputes in Ayamelum have resulted in violence among the Omor and Anaku communities, resulting in residents fleeing from their homes. Buildings were burnt, property and vehicles were destroyed, and many people were injured by machetes. The crisis in the two communities is known to center on the ownership of border farmland. These boundary disputes have been going on for 100 years. Many people have been killed in these clashes over the years. The government has set up the Ayamelum Boundary Adjustment and Peace Committee to restore peace and encourage co-existence among those in dispute in the community. In other clashes,

Omor Omor in Ayamelum local government area of Anambra state in Nigeria, is on the shores of the Omambala River. It is made up of the villages of Akanator, Aturia, Amikwe and Orenja. There have been communal clashes between Omor and Igbakwu locals ...

and Umumbo communities in Ayamelum have been engulfed in conflict over land disputes. In these events, about 50 people have gone missing while about 300 persons have been injured. Also Omor, umumbo and Igbakwu are in the same local government

Climate

The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

of Ayamelum is tropical humid with wet and dry seasons and annual

rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...

between 1300-3000mm. These areas are characterized by high

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...

s, rainfall, and

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

Nnamdi Azikiwe University campus in Ayamelum

The Faculty of Agriculture of

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK) is a federal university in Nigeria. It consists of two campuses in Anambra State. Its main campus is in Awka (the capital of Anambra State), while its other campus is in Nnewi. There are also other campu ...

is located in Ifite-Ogwari, one of the communities in Ayamelum LGA. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka acquired the land, about 120 hectares, for the department. Federal polytechnic oko is also found in Anambra state.

References

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN ANAMBRA STATE
dated July 21, 2007; accessed October 4, 2007 Local Government Areas in Anambra State Local Government Areas in Igboland {{Anambra-geo-stub