Onitsha Ofala Festival

Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the western bank of the Niger River, form a continuous metropolitan area.

As of 2016, the greater Onitsha area had an estimated population of around 8 million people in central and southern Anambra state extending into neighboring Delta state to the west and Imo state to the south. Spread across parts of these 3 states, the greater Onitsha area is regarded as one of the largest metropolitan areas in Nigeria by both population and landmass. The continuous urban sprawl or conurbation of greater Onitsha spreads across several separate cities and their satellite towns and suburbs including Asaba, Obosi, Oba, Ogbaru, Nnewi, the Anambra State capital Awka down to Orlu in Imo State. As of early 2024, Onitsha city proper has an estimated population of 1,695,000.

The indigenous people of Onitsha are Igbo and speak the Igbo language with Onitsha being the largest urban area and commercial hub of the Igboland region of Nigeria, the Igbo people’s indigenous homeland. The Onitsha people are referred to as Ndi Onicha in Igbo. English and Nigerian Pidgin English are also widely spoken. Although the population is largely Igbo, there are many other ethnic groups in the Onitsha area mainly from other Nigerian ethnicities indigenous to the southeast of the country due to Onitshas position as an economic hub in the region.

According to Africapolis, the greater Onitsha metropolis will be regarded as one of the most densely populated areas in the world by 2050. In 2023, McKinsey predicted that the greater Onitsha metropolis area will double in human development by 2045 with the current expansion rate.

Early History

The origins of Onitsha begins in the 16th century, when Eze Chima, a native doctor who descended from Eri, was invited by Oba Esigie of Benin during the Benin-Igala war. Esigie had heard of a native doctor and of the tales of his diabolical powers, he ordered his men to bring Chima to his palace so he may help Benin win their war. After the war was won, Chima would found the kingdom of Ado N’Idu, after having been given land by Esigie.

However, a collapse in the relationship between Esigie and Chima would occur due to, depending on the account, of the Queen Mother, Idia, having either been beaten by Chima’s men for intruding on their farmland, or having been denied tribute, would demand retribution from Esigie. Esigie, would call upon Gbunwara, the leader of the Benin army, to wage war on Ado N’Idu, and Chima informed of this gathered his men, and fought a fierce war against the armies of Benin for several days, before being overwhelmed by their superior numbers, and for the survival of his people, mounting a retreat.

Eze Chima, and his retinue of warriors and extended family, would leave their kingdom of Ado N’Idu to seek a new pasture, and many of the retinue branching off to found their own settlements, such as Onicha-Olona, Onicha Ugbo, Obio etc. Eventually, once reaching the westbank of the Niger, Chima would die before they could mount across, leaving the rest of the retinue to be lead by his son, Oraeze, who lead them across the river and named their new settlement, ''Ọ̀nị̀chà Mmílí,'' or Onitsha-on-water, the kingdom of Onitsha was founded.

Modern history

Onitsha slowly grew to become an important trading port for the Royal Niger Company in the mid-1850s following the abolition of slavery and with the development of the steam engine when Europeans were able to move into the hinterland.

Trade in palm kernels, palm oil, and other cash crops on the coast of the Bight of Biafra increased around this river port in the 19th century.

In 1857 British palm oil traders established a permanent station in the city with Christian missionaries joining them.

In 1900 Onitsha became part of a British protectorate. The British colonial government and Christian missionaries penetrated most of Igboland to set up their administration, schools and churches through the river port at Onitsha.

In 1965, the Niger River Bridge was built across the Niger River to replace the ferry crossing. This has helped to grow trade routes with western Nigeria and created significant economic linkages between Onitsha and Benin City and Lagos particularly.

The Nigerian-Biafran war brought devastation to Onitsha as the city was a major theatre of war for forces entering Biafra from the western front. The subsequent oil boom years of the 1970s and early 1980s witnessed a huge influx of immigrants into the city. The result has been hastily constructed and haphazard building which has created a huge number of slums.

Festival

Once a year in October the kingdom of Onitsha holds the Ofala Festival which coincides with the traditional New Yam festival held in many parts of Igboland. The Ofala Festival in ancient times offered the people the opportunity to see the king and receive blessings from him. Nowadays, it is a way for the people of Onitsha to keep their culture alive, take stock of the communal activities and it has become a major event that draws visitors from far and wide to the city.

Geography

Onitsha lies on the eastern flank of a major east–west crossing point of the Niger River across from the city of Asaba, Delta and occupies the northernmost point of the river regularly navigable by large vessels. It is the western terminus of the central ''Anambra hills''. These factors have historically and in modern-day made Onitsha into major trading center between the coastal regions and the north, as well as between eastern and western Nigeria. Onitsha possesses one of the very few road bridge crossings of the mile-wide Niger River and plans are in place to add a second bridge southwards of the existing one.

Rapid urbanization in recent years although promoting the economy, negatively affects natural vegetation and local landscape. the region is also considerably erosion prone

Climate

Onitsha has two main seasons: a warm, oppressive, and overcast wet (''rainy'') season from March to October, and a hot and partly cloudy dry season from November to February with both largely influenced by the SW and NE trade winds of the Atlantic International Convergence Zone (''ITCZ''). Saharan harmattan winds are experienced during the winter months, causing haze and poor visibility with thunderstorms common in March/April as well as in late September/October. Over the duration of the year, the temperature commonly varies from 19 °C (67 °)F to 31 °C (88 °F) and is rarely below 15 °C (59 °F) or above 33 °C (92 °F). The Köppen climate classification is '' Aw''.

Urbanization

In the early 1960s, before the Nigerian Civil War (see also Biafra), the population was officially recorded as 76,000, and the town was distinctive in a number of dimensions; the great Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe (born and raised in the contiguous town of Ogidi) characterized it as harboring an "esoteric region from which creativity sallies forth at will to manifest itself," "a zone of occult instability" (se
"Onitsha Matters"
.

Indeed, Onitsha has played a creative role in the transformation to urban life in Eastern Nigeria famous as the setting for Onitsha Market Literature and as one of the hubs for the financing and distribution of Nollywood films.

However, infrastructure has not kept pace with urbanization and haphazard building practices without zoning regulations has left in its wake a chaotic and congested city rife with lawlessness. The World Health Organization Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution database's 2016 update indicates that Onitsha is the most polluted city in Africa.

In recent times with the encroachment of neighboring communities, the Onitsha people have been involved in disputes over land ownership in the surrounding area with the people of Obosi and Nkwelle Ezunaka. Fegge, Awada, and 3-3 are Onitsha metropolitan areas being disputed by the communities of Obosi and Nkwelle Ezunaka, respectively.

Economy

In 2012 the state government, through a joint venture, attracted SAB Miller to invest in Onitsha Brewery, which started production in August. It was the first large-scale investment in Onitsha since Premier Breweries, makers of the Premier Beer established production in Onitsha in the early part of the 1980s. In January it was announced that upgrades to the value of $110 million would triple the output of beer and malt drinks.

Transport

Onitsha is not only accessible by rivers and land, but also by air. The city has an international cargo and passenger airport located at Umueri.

Religion and politics

Onitsha is a predominantly Christian city. People from Northern and Western Nigeria also practice Islam. In February 2006, armed militants killed at least 80 ethnic Hausa Fulani (Muslims) and burned a few Muslim sites, including two mosques. The riots were in response to riots by Muslims in the city of Maiduguri days earlier, where at least 18 Christians were killed, sparked by the cartoon controversy in Denmark.

In Popular Culture

Environment

The amount of waste generation is attributed to the city's high population being a commercial area that draws in people from within and outside Nigeria for business purposes. They generate mostly food waste, polythene bags, paper and its related wastes and metal. Others are pieces of clothes, plastic, tins, bottles and glass materials. In 2016, PM10 levels exceeded the WHO's standard by 30 times.
The city's noise levels exceeds the federal ministry of environment stipulated limits of 90 dB (A) and that of NESREA's 70 dB (A) for an 8-hour working period, varying in dry season and wet seasons. The city's vast surface water, shallow subsurface water, and permeable soils put it at high risk of water pollution.

Twin towns

Onitsha is twinned with:
* Compton, California, United States (2010)
* Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (2017)

Notable people

The Onitsha people were among the first Igbo to embrace western education, producing notable people like Bishop Alphonsus Chukwuma Onyeabo, Order of the British Empire, 1879–1954, and the main contributor of the English to Igbo bible, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Owele of Onicha, Zik of Africa, and the first president of the post-independent Nigeria.

* Olisa Agbakoba, lawyer and human rights activist.
* Ukpabi Asika, Nigerian academic and civil servant.
* Flora Azikiwe, first wife of Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria.
* Onyedika Chuke, Art dealer, Curator, and Artist
* Ben Enwonwu, painter and sculptor
* Obum Gwacham, American football player
* Emmanuel Ifeajuna, a former army major and high jumper - first Black African to win gold at a major international sports competition
* Alex Iwobi, professional footballer, Everton forward.
* Louis Mbanefo, lawyer and justice
* Nwagboka, last Omu of Onitsha.
* Alexander Nwora, basketball player and coach
* Tony Nwoye, Nigerian politician.
* Chike Obi, mathematician
* Francis Obikwelu, retired Nigerian-born Portuguese sprinter.
* Janet Okala, Nigerian political leader.
* Francisca Nneka Okeke, Nigerian physicist.
* Henry Onyekuru, footballer
* Chike, singer, songwriter and actor

See also

* Onitsha Market Literature – literature sold at the main market in the 1950s and 60s
* ''Onitsha'' – a novel by French author J. M. G. Le Clézio
* Ryszard Kapuscinski writes of "The Hole of Onitsha" in his book ''The Shadow of the Sun''.

Notes

References

The People and history of Onitsha

Further reading

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Populated places in Anambra State
Communities on the Niger River
Cities in Anambra State
States and territories established in 1550
Cities in Nigeria
1550 establishments in Africa
Towns in Igboland