Ikwuano is a

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

Abia State Abia is a state in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The state's capital is Umuahia and its most populous city is Aba. Abia is bordered the west by Imo, east by Cross River, south by Rivers, northwest by Anambra and northeast by Enug ...

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, ...

. Its headquarters is in Isiala Oboro. The name 'Ikwuano' etymologically indicates that there are four different ancient kingdoms that make up the community called Ikwuano. These include Oboro, Ibere, Ariam/Usaka and Oloko. The postal code of the area is 440. It is one of the five Local Government Areas that make up the Abia Central Senatorial District. As at 2024, the executive chairman is Dr. Anthony Nzeribe Nwaubani. Obi Aguocha currently serves as the Federal Representative representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency at the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

. The member representing Ikwuano State Constituency at the Abia State House of Assembly is Engr. Boniface Isienyi.

History

The present Ikwuano Local Government Area was part of the Bende Division in the then Southern Province created by the British Colonial Government as part of their “Divide and Rule” system of government and administration towards the beginning of the 19th Century. This was as early as the time

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

was the capital of

. When the Southern province was further divided, Ikwuano still remained part of the Bende Division. The present Bende town was the administrative headquarters where the District Commissioner resided. The District Commissioner, Nwa D.C., as he was known and called held courts at Bende and Oloko. At this time what was later carved out as Aba Division was part of the Bende Division, under the jurisdiction of Nwa D. C. The present

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south, and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Ni ...

township later replaced Bende as the administrative headquarters after the extension of the Nigerian rail line from Port-Harcourt to

Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...

between 1915 and 1916. Ikwuano Local Government Area was among the new local government areas that were created on 27 August 1991 when the General

Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian statesman and military dictator who ruled as military president of Nigeria from 1985 when he orchestrated a coup d'état against his military and political arch-rival Muhammadu ...

's Administration created Abia State from the old Imo State. It was carved out of the defunct Ikwuano-Umuahia of the Old

Imo State Imo () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo R ...

Women's War of 1929

The Aba Women's Riot began in Oloko. The demonstration occurred when thousands of women of Igbo origin from Bende,

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Nigeria, Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Loc ...

and other regions in the South East made the trip to Oloko, one of the four principal communities of Ikwuano. The cause of this movement was due to the worry that a new taxation plan was being implemented that would demand women, most especially widows, to pay taxes which they were not mandated to pay earlier on.

Culture

Ikwuano is known for cultures and arts which include Ekpe, which is usually in January in the different Ikwuano communities coinciding with their respective market days, New Yam (Iri-Ji) and Afo Amaghi Onuma festivals. Their cultural dances are Eketensi Ritual dance, Oro, Ikperikpeogu (

War Dance A war dance is a dance involving mock combat, usually in reference to tribal warrior societies where such dances were performed as a ritual connected with endemic warfare. Martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like setting ...

), Uko and so on. They also have Oba and Ekpe societies. Popular delicacies in Ikwuano include Ofe Achara, Ukazi Soup and Ugwu

Soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

. The predominant languages spoken in Ikwuano are Igbo and English languages. The four clans speak distinct Igbo dialects though mutually intelligible. Ikwuano brides are known to have some of the costliest bride prices in

Igboland Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...

. Traditional marriages are held in high esteem.

Geography

It has an area of 281 km. It lies between the

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

s 5 24lN and 5 30lN and between the

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

s of 7 32lE and 7 37lE. It borders Umuahia North and Bende to its north, Umuahia South and Isiala- Ngwa North to its west, Ini to the east and Obot-Akara to the south.

Demographics

The population of Ikwuano during the 2006 census was 137,993. As at 2015, it increased to 175,078. The area is inhabited primarily by the Igbo people.

Climate

It experiences an average weather

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 ...

of 28 °C. The area witnesses two distinct seasons which are the rainy and dry seasons. The average

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 ...

level is put at 62%. Ikwuano is in the humid

forest zone A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

of Nigeria. The Local Government Area has an average rainfall of 2351 mm, average minimum diurnal temperature of 22.90C and relative

range between 80 and 90%.

Economy & Agriculture

The vegetation of the area is predominantly lowland rainforest, which makes it suitable for growing yam,

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 ...

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

cashew Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree ''Anacardium occidentale'', in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as t ...

and

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

. This has led to the area becoming the food basket of

. Farming is one of the key economic activities of the Ikwuano people. The area also hosts a number of markets where a variety of commodities are bought and sold. They include Ahia Ndoro and the Ariam Market. In fact, Ikwuano is situated in the palm belt of

Eastern Nigeria The Eastern Region was an political division, administrative region in Nigeria, dating back originally from the division of the colony Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, Southern Nigeria in 1954. Its first capital was Calabar. The capital was lat ...

. Other important economic engagements of the Ikwuano people are

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

craftsmanship Workmanship is a human attribute relating to knowledge and skill at performing a task. Workmanship is also a quality imparted to a product. The type of work may include the creation of handcrafts, art, writing, machinery and other products. Workma ...

and

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

Villages grouped according to clans

The four clans of Ikwuano have a total of 58 villages. They are listed as follows:

Autonomous communities

Villages in Ikwuano are constitutionally placed under 43 autonomous communities, each autonomous community is led by an Eze.

Traditional rulers

Executive Chairmen (1992-till date)

Educational Institutions

* Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike * Government College, Umuahia * Amadeus University, Amizi * National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike * Oboro Secondary School, Ikwuano * Ikwuano Secondary School, Ariam * Ibere Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Ahia Orie, Ibere * Wesley Seminary, Ndoro Oboro * National Teacher's Institute, Oboro Ikwuano Study Centre

Notable people

* Ashley Nwosu, Nollywood actor *Justice Ferdinand Ukattah, first Chief Judge of Abia State * Buchi Atuonwu, Nigerian reggae gospel artiste * Adanma Okpara, wife of the first Premier of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria; Michael Okpara * Kenneth Omeruo, Nigerian footballer * Christian Omeruo, Nigerian footballer * Lucky Omeruo, Nigerian footballer * Austin Akobundu, former Minister of State for Defence and Retired Colonel *

Pascal Atuma Early life Pascal Atuma is a Nigerian actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of TABIC Record Label. Born in Ikwuano, Umuahia, Abia State, he attended Government College, Umuahia, and attended Univer ...

, Canadian-Nigerian actor, screenwriter, film producer, director, comedian and CEO/Chairman of TABIC * Oscar Atuma, Canadian-Nigerian actor and film producer * Godwin Nwabunka, Nigerian development expert & microfinance professional * Nwanyeruwa, leader of the Aba Women's Riot of 1929 * Sandie Okoro, British lawyer * Frank Dallas, Nollywood actor * Samson Omeruah, former Governor of

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 ...

* Jimmy Johnson, Nollywood actor * Erica Nlewedim, Nigerian actress, model, entrepreneur and ex- BBN housemate * Henry Ikoh, Nigerian politician * Rev (Fr.) Christian Anokwuru, pioneer Catholic Priest of Ikwuano *Ogbonnaya Oji, ex-

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

n commander * Chigul, Nigerian comedienne and actress * Emeka Okoro, Nollywood actor and gospel artiste * Onyinyechi Mark, Nigerian powerlifter * Brenda Ndukwe, Nollywood actress * Ccioma, Nigerian gospel artiste and songwriter * CJ Ujah, British athlete * Paul Omeruo, former military administrator of

Kogi State Kogi State is a States of Nigeria, state in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the west by the states of Ekiti State, Ekiti and Kwara State, Kwara, to the north by the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Fe ...

* Augustine Ukattah, Nigerian politician * Monday Ubani, ex-

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

vice president * Onyinyechi Ironkwe, former Miss

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

2015/16 * Johnbull Owoh, former Nigerian envoy to Brazil and Guinea Bissau * Chris Nkulor, Nollywood actor * Sir Sunday Nwosu, Nigerian activist and founder of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) * Samuel Onuigbo, Nigerian politician

References

{{LGAs and communities of Abia State Local Government Areas in Abia State Populated places in Abia State Local Government Areas in Igboland