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Isi Uzo | |
---|---|
Local Government Area | |
Coordinates: 6°47′N7°43′E / 6.783°N 7.717°E | |
Country | Nigeria |
State | Enugu State |
Government | |
• Local Government Chairman | Obiora Obeagu (PDP) |
Area | |
• Total | 877 km2 (339 sq mi) |
Population (2006 census) | |
• Total | 148,415 |
Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
3-digit postal code prefix | 412 |
ISO 3166 code | NG.EN.IU |
Isi Uzo (also Isi-Uzo) is a Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Nigeria bordering Benue State and Ebonyi State. [1] The largest city within Isi Uzo is Eha-Amufu, and the region is host to 23 autonomous communities with its capital in Ikem. [1] The region was once part of the Igala Kingdom, however, due to colonization the area fell under the British Protectorate of Nigeria. After independence, the local government area was created in 1976. Isi-Uzo is a constituent of the Enugu East Senatorial District and has a population of approximately 220,000. [1]
Isi Uzo has an area of 877 square kilometers and a population of 148,415 (from the 2006 census), however modern estimates set the population at around 220,000. [1] The LGA is a primarily rural region that relies heavily on local agribusiness initiatives for economic growth. [1] The government area has over sixty local markets used for commerce, and the area's postal code is 412. [1] [2]
The inhabitants of Isi Uzo trace their lineage to the Igala Kingdom, evidenced by oral histories from local villages and the community of Nike. [3] According to elders in Mbu, communities in Isi Uzo are closely related to those nearby like Nike and Udenu through pre-colonial relationships. [3] Isi Uzo also has close ties to Nkanu, as emphasized by Edward Nnaji, a recently deceased king of Nike. [3] Neke, a central town in Isi Uzo, has also long served as an integral part of the community's area and held a long militaristic tradition before colonization.
The local government area was founded in 1976 as a result of a reorganization under Olusegun Obasanjo. During this time, the nearby Ebonyi State had not yet been created, so Enugu State was composed of three senatorial districts. At this time Isi Uzo was a part of one of these districts, Nsukka. [4] In 1996 these areas were again reorganized, and parts of Enugu State and Abia State became Ebonyi State due to historical relationships between Nkanu and Nike groups, predating colonialism. This change would lead to Isi Uzo being located in the Enugu East Senatorial District, where it currently stands. In 1981 a Federal College of Education was established in Eha-Amufu.
The Isi Uzo Local Government Area is primarily Christian. However, Several traditional practices remain like kola nut rituals. [3] Many local villages share veneration of similar ancestral deities, and communities in Ikem have established a familial home in nearby Nike. The most prominent of these traditional practices is the Odo masquerade, based in Isi Uzo. These masks—manufactured in market centers like Neke—are used in masquerades to represent deities who give the living a chance to commune with their dead.
The creation of these Odo masks and their distribution among nearby communities (in a region known as the igbodo) has allowed the communities within Isi Uzo (like Neke and Nike) to maintain the continuity of their indigenous traditions. [3] The Odo masquerade holds such heavy importance that it is often addressed as Odomangala, literally translated as "a spirit that instills pride in the people it protects". [5] Celebrated biennially, the Odo masquerade also has a "masquerade cult" into which young adults are initiated. [5] During the masquerade, these physical representations of deities known as Odo are allowed to walk naked, and those uninitiated must stay inside. [5] These traditions supposedly cause misunderstandings between Christians and adherents to Odo practices.
Isi Uzo is composed of 23 autonomous communities. The largest five are listed below. [1]
Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi, Ede-Oballa, and Obimo.
Enugu State 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 south, and Anambra State to the west. The state takes its name from its capital and largest city, Enugu. The city acquired township status in 1917 and was called Enugwu-Ngwo. Due to the rapid expansion towards areas owned by other indigenous communities, it was renamed Enugu in 1928.
Chimaroke Nnamani is a medical doctor and Nigerian politician from Enugu State. He was elected Governor of Enugu State in the 1999 Enugu State gubernatorial election from 1999 to 2007. He subsequently served as a People's Democratic Party (PDP) Senator for Enugu East Senatorial District from 2007 to 2011 and was re-elected in 2019.
Sam Ominyi Egwu CON is a Nigerian politician and member of People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria. He was elected Governor of Ebonyi State in the 1999 Ebonyi State gubernatorial election from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Dr Egwu is noted as pillar of educational development in Ebonyi state and Nigeria. He attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Agriculture in 1981. He later received a master's degrees in Agricultural from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1987 and Doctorate in Agronomy from Enugu State University of Technology in 1996. He was a senior lecturer at Enugu State University of Technology and served as commissioner for education in Ebonyi state contributed to the successes recorded in education sector during his tenure as governor.
Nigeria has 774 local government areas (LGAs), each administered by a local government council consisting of a chairman, who is the chief executive, and other elected members, who are referred to as councillors. Each LGA is further subdivided into a minimum of ten and a maximum of twenty wards. A ward is administered by a councillor, who reports directly to the LGA chairman. The councillors fall under the legislative arm of the Local Government, the third tier of government in Nigeria, below the state governments and the federal government.
Enugu East is a Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Enugu East is made up three zones/districts: Nike-Uno, Ugwogo and Mbuli NjodoIts. Headquarters are in the town of Nkwo Nike.
Enugu South is a Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Uwani, Nnobi Street Enugu, and covers the communities of Akwuke, Amechi, Ugwuaji, Obeagu, Awkunanaw and Amechi-Uwani. Enugu South is bounded to the north by Enugu North and to the east by Nkanu East local government areas. It falls within the Eastern senatorial districts of Enugu.
Nkanu East is a Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Its headquarter is located in the town of Amagunze.
Eha Amufu is a town in Enugu State, Nigeria. It is located in the Isi Uzo Local Government Area, and borders Ebonyi State and Benue State. It is regarded as the largest and most populated community in the Isi Uzo Local Government Area. The town has a history of being a central conduit of Igbo Nationalism in the region, due to its historical involvement in the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970.
Renaissance University is a private university licensed by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2005. Its main campus is located in Ugbawka in Enugu State, Nigeria.
The Isu people are the second largest subgroup of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Isuama, in which the purest Igbo is said to be spoken, is to be found the heart of the Igbo nationality; consequently it is quite reasonable to look among its people for the original fountain-head from which all the other clans have sprung. This inference too is supported not only by the purity of the language, but by this right of dispensing or rather of confer-ring royalty which is undoubtedly the prerogative of the Nri or N'shi people. In the pre-colonial era, the Igbo people were protected from external invasion by the dense forests of the region, which also had the effect of encouraging diversity. Thus as warriors the neighboring Oratta (Uratta) people looked down on the Isu people, who were traders.
Anaku is one of the administrative divisions of Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. The town lies 6°15' North of the Equator and 6°44' East of the Greenwich Meridian. It is bordered by "Omabala," the native name of the Anambra River, which is a tributary of the River Niger (North), Aguleri, Ezu River (South), Omor and Umuerum communities (East).
Agu Amede is a village located in Nigeria. Its inhabited by members of the Eha Amufu community, Isi-uzo local government area of Enugu State.
The Waawa clan of Northern Igboland, also referred to as Ndi Waawa, Wawa People, are a unique sub-group of the Igbo people in Enugu and Ebonyi State, Nigeria, consisting of several communities, who all speak a unique dialect of Igbo called Waawa. The most notable among these are the Agbaja and Ngwo which consist of peoples between the wooded lands of Awka to the rocky valleys of Enugu. The Agbaja are made up of communities in present-day Ngwo clan, Udi, Ezeagu, Umulokpa, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River, greater Awgu, Odume, Ndiagbor, Nenwe, Mpu, Okpanku and Enugu East Local Government Areas. Other notable parts of the Waawa clan include Nkanu, Nsukka, Abia, Nike, Agbani, Owo, and other communities in Enugu State. The Waawa are most notably associated with Chief Onyeama's people from Eke, who was the paramount ruler of Agbaja in the early 20th century.
Umulokpa is a town in Enugu State, Nigeria. It serves as the headquarters of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (L.G.A) in Enugu State, and has a population of over 150,000.
Neke is a town located in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State in South Eastern Nigeria. Bordered by towns such as Nike, Ikem, Mbu, Eha Amufu, Obollo and UmuAlor, Neke is a small town with a strong backbone. In the pre-colonial era, the people of Neke were known as fearsome warriors who had an economic stronghold on neighboring areas. In the present day, there are 5 main districts located in Neke namely; Ishienu, Akpani, ObeguAba, Umugwu and Umuegwu. These districts represent villages made up of clans and kindred prominent to the town's social structure.
The Enugu East senatorial district in Enugu State of Nigeriacovers five local government areas of Enugu North, Enugu South, Isi Uzo, Nkanu East and Nkanu West.
The 2023 Enugu State gubernatorial election took place on 18th March 2023, to elect the Governor of Enugu State, with Peter Mbah declared winner alongside his running mate Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai of the Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria), after they got the plurality of votes and won over 25% of the votes in two-third of the state. Mr Mbah polled 160,895 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Labour Party (Nigeria) candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, who scored 157,552 votes. The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Frank Nweke Jr, garnered 17,983 votes to come a distant third, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Uche Nnaji, placed fourth, with 14,575 votes. The election was contested in the Tribunal by Chijoike Edeoga but the tribunal eventually upheld the victory of Peter Mbah.
For other places see Owo, a LGA in Ondo State
The 2023 Nigerian presidential election in Enugu State was held on 25 February 2023 as part of the nationwide 2023 Nigerian presidential election to elect the president and vice president of Nigeria. Other federal elections, including elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate, will also be held on the same date while state elections will be held two weeks afterward on 11 March.
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