Ndoro (originally pronounced Ndi-oru;

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 ...

for People of Oru) is a town in Oboro,

Ikwuano Ikwuano is a Local Government Area of Abia State, 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 ...

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, ...

. It is about 16 km southeast from the state capital,

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 ...

and is located along the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road. Oru Oboro is the only autonomous community of Ndoro. Hence, the people of Ndoro are called Ndi Oru. The traditional ruler of the Oru Onyerubi Ancient Kingdom as at 2022 is HRM Eze Ralph Ukachi Ogbonna in whom is conferred with the title of Oru 1 of Oru Onyerubi.

History

When Mazi Odugbo Ajonu was ejected by his neighbours at Olori, he settled at a non-occupied area, there he begot Mazi Ututu. Mazi Ututu was nicknamed Oru, hence the present Ndi Oru (translates to Mazi Oru's family). Ndi Oru as well as the other families are well noted for their bravery, like their fore father, Odugbo. They formed an

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

with Amaoba Ime, Ikputu,

Ogbuebulle Ogbuebulle is a village in Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State, Nigeria. The community is situated along the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road. It is about 20km away from Umuahia, the capital of Abia State. Ogbuebulle is part of the Ala-Ala ...

Abam Abam is a populated Igbo clan in Abia state. It is located in Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency of Nigeria. Abam is the biggest clan by population and landmass in Arochukwu LGA, and one of the biggest clan in Abia North senatorial district. ...

and other distant families. Ndi Oru was formerly known as Umu Ututu, hence some aged men and women still call them Umu-Utiti. Mazi Ututu begot five children, namely; Ndi Uku (Ezi Uku), Ji-Ocha (Umujiocha), Nkeke (Umu Nkeke), Okereke Ugo (Umu Ugo) and Okamgba (Ezi Oka). The first Warrant Chief was the Late Mazi Okoronta Ujah.

Culture

Ndoro marks the

Ekpe Ekpe, also known as Mgbe/Egbo ( Ekoi language: ''leopard''; derived from the Efik term for the same), is a West African secret society in Nigeria and Cameroon flourishing chiefly among the Ejagham. It is also found among a number of other ethni ...

and Iri Ji (New Yam) festivals by January and September respectively annually. The town also organises sporting events and a carnival (which holds on December).

Religion

Traditionally, Oru people recognize the existence of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and the creator (chi-na-eke) who was worshipped through other lesser gods and goddesses which include; * Nne Mmiri (god mother in water) * Kamanu (god of thunder) * Ahia Njoku (god of farm yield) * Ala Isi Ama (goddess of the earth) * Ebo Omumu (goddess of fertility) * Ebo Ihu Abuo (goddess of protection) * Oji Ama (Iroko tree of location).

Education

Oru was a center for

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

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 ...

and citadel of education in

. Missionaries established churches as well as sunday schools. Classes started from 1913 to 1922 and by 1939, the brillant ones were promoted to teachers. The first person to obtain the cambridge standard six certificate was Ejikeme Nlewedim in 1946. The Teachers' Training College led to the establishment of Oboro Methodist School in 1965. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

took over the school and renamed it to Oboro Secondary School. In September 1984, the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

established Wesley Seminary, Ndoro with Chief M.A Atuonwu as the pioneer principal.

Hamlets

There are ten sub-villages in Ndoro, namely : * Ezi Ukwu * Ezi Uka * Ezi Uja * Ezi Mba * Ezi Nkume * Agbommiri * Obuofuo * Umujiocha * Amaorji * Aro Ayama

Ahia Ndoro

Ahia Ndoro is the main market of Ndoro. It is the biggest and most influential market in Ikwuano. As a commercial hub of the area, it attracts traders from the neighboring

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

and is a major food exchange point in Abia State. Farmers from neighboring communities come there to sell their farm produce. The market has been a significant contributor to the generation of revenue to the community. Ahia Ndoro acts as a linkage to other communities of Ikwuano.

Schools

* Wesley Seminary, Ndoro Oboro * Ndoro Central School

References

{{Reflist Towns in Abia State