Uzuakoli is an area in Abia State of Eastern Nigeria that includes several villages. It has been home to a Methodist College, a large market, clandestine slave trading, a leprosy settlement, [1] Ila Oso Festival, [2] and conflict. One of the first Methodist missionaries there was Bernard Batty, whose sons attended Elmfield College in York. [3] The community is in the Igbo "heartland". [1]
The University of California has a photograph of Methodist missionaries in Uzuakoli in 1924. [4]
In 1964, students of Methodist College of Uzuakoli wrote a short history of the area. [5]
Other photos of area residents are in archives. [6]
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. They were named Methodists for "the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith". Methodism originated as a revival movement within Anglicanism with roots in the Church of England in the 18th century and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States and beyond because of vigorous missionary work, and today has about 80 million adherents worldwide.
Aba is a city in southeastern Nigeria and the commercial centre of Abia State. Upon the creation of Abia State in 1991, the old Aba township was divided into two local government areas, being Aba South and Aba North, while the suburban neighborhood of what was then known as Obioma Ngwa L.G.A. was divided into three L.G.A.s for administrative convenience. Aba South is the main city centre of Aba and Abia State at large, being located on the Aba River. Aba is made up of many villages such as Aba-Ukwu, Eziukwu-Aba, Obuda-Aba, Umuokpoji-Aba and other villages that have been merged for administrative convenience. Aba was established by the Ngwa clan of the Igbo people in Nigeria as a market town. Later, a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901. It lies along the west bank of the Aba River and is at the intersection of roads leading to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene, and Ikot-Abasi. The city became a collection point for agricultural products following construction of a British-made railway running through it to Port Harcourt. Aba is a major urban settlement and commercial centre in Abia state, which is surrounded by small villages and towns. The indigenous people of Aba are the Ngwa. Aba is well known for its craftsmen and is the most populous city in southeastern Nigeria. As of 2016, Aba had an estimated population of 2,534,265, making it the biggest city in South Eastern Nigeria.
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