Igbo And Igala – Geographical, Historical And, Cultural Relationships

By Joy

June 9, 20210

It is a vague fact that the Igalas have a close tie to the Igbos, just how close is this tie? In almost every Igbo state, a sprinkle of indigenous Igala people is found thriving, be it an element of their culture, religion, dialect, or descendants. Who are the Igalas and what is their relationship with the Igbos?

Igbo And Igala Relations

The Igala are an ethnic group in Nigeria. Their homeland, the former Igala Kingdom, is an approximately triangular area of about 14,000 km² in the angle formed by the Benue and Niger rivers. The area was formerly the Igala Division of Kabba province and is now part of Kogi State. The capital is Idah.

The Igala people rank amongst ethnic groups in Nigeria with the highest population, they are situated east of the river Niger and Benue confluence, straddling the Niger in Lokoja. Unlike every tribe in Nigeria, they practice Christianity and Islam almost in equal proportions, with few traditional worshippers. It is beautiful to note that both religions exist side by side without little or no squabbles. 

The Igala people are found in several parts of the country, with an estimated population of 4 million. In all the Southeastern states, traces of Igala descendants have been found over the years. 

Five Most Ancient Igbo Towns

On the northern border of the Enugu state, the Kogi Igalas overflow the boundary and dominates the communities there. In Abia state, communities like Onu-Aku, Umuogu, Amaogu, Umuogwu towns have traced their origin to the Igala kingdom of 15500, in every state in Igboland, there are communities who trace their origin of migration to the Igala kingdom.

ARE YOU A RICH MAN? THOSE SONS OF YOURS MAY KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING NOW.

By Anayo M. Nwosu

 It was an unplanned gathering of very wealthy Nnewi men, each with a head bowed in regret as one of them was informally addressing them, making his points with known examples.

 It was then that the elderly ones amongst the rich who were particularly based in Lagos realized the great disservice they had done to themselves and their families.

 Ogbudaa Akaekpuchionwa 1 of Nnewi might not have accumulated enough money to justify his guts to address his wealthier kinsmen but whatever he lacked in his bank account he made up in wisdom and eloquence.

 The wealthy sons of Nnewi had converged in the house of one of their kinsmen who had just died on a condolence visit, as it is the practice whenever a kinsman dies.

 Upon receiving the news of a kinsman's death, everyone would immediately head towards the deceased house to condole with the family and to ascertain funeral plans and any area they could assist.

 When a wealthy man of Nnewi extraction dies, within an hour, his house would be besieged by sea of heads, both of the poor and of the rich.

 Chief Akuenwebe's death was not unexpected as he had slipped into coma six months ago after suffering a multiple heart attack. His death was seen as a relief by his close friends and family members who knew what he was passing through.

 Ogbudaa Akaepuchionwa believed that his message would be better appreciated by his wealthy kinsmen while still under the sober mood caused by the death of Chief Akuenwebe.

 And he cashed in on it.

 "Umunaa (meaning 'my kinsmen') for how long shall we continue to allow the same thunder to strike us twice?" he started.

FACTS ABOUT ANAMBRA IGALAS

 Anambra is Not 100% Igbo. There Are Igala-Speaking People in The State. See Evidence

By Chinachrisikenna, 2020-03-30 01:33:27

Anambra State is considered as the heart of Igboland because it habours Nri which is considered as the ancestral seat of Igbo land. However, what many people do not know is that Anambra is not completely Igbo. There are more than 10 communities in the state that are of the Igala bloodline. These communities lie at the periphery of the state which borders the River Niger and extends to Delta and Kogi State.

Before I mention these communities, I would like to recount three real life experiences that made me know that there are Igala people living in our state.

First was in my Secondary School Days at the defunct Osusu Boys Secondary School, Aba which is now run by Anglican Church. It was around 2006 and I was in Jss 2 G. The school was then a large one with each class from JSS 1 to SS3 having sub classes of fifty (50) students each. The classes were labelled A to whichever number the students stopped. So, I was in JSS 2 G. The JSS 2 class stopped at H. JSS 1 was the largest then extending to O.

There was this boy that joined us in our second term. His name was Paschal Ojochebe. The first time our English Teacher pronounced his surname, I knew instantly it was not Igbo. Mrs Atata was not left out too. We all were astounded when Paschal told us he was from Anambra State precisely Anambra West Local Government Area. This particular incident stuck to my memory. Paschal left in our SS1 back to Anambra.

The second incident was in my second year at the University of Uyo in 2015. I was staying in Udi Hostel and it was during Post UTME period. One of our roommates had accommodated his childhood friend who came for the exam. They all grew up in Onitsha. We had this tradition of welcoming new occupants in the room after which the new occupant will buy bread and drinks for the boys. During his introduction, this new guy introduced his name as Ekenedilichukwu Omoja. This piqued my curiosity instantly.

Others were unbothered even he mentioned he was from Anambra. I have a flair of always trying to know about people, their states, ethnic groups and the like. I am very much potty about the cultural and ethnic compositions of countries of the world and trust me, I have visited several places with my eyes than legs. I am yet to meet someone that can match my cultural and anthropological zest. Well, I later met him and he said he was from Ukwala, an Island surrounded by the River Niger in Anambra.

Anioma v Igbo

Written by Cheta Nwanze, a researcher, lives in Lagos

VANGUARD Nigeria, Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Last year I took my friend and partner, Tunde Leye to my homestead. In going to that area, we did not cross the Niger River (Oshimmiri in my native dialect) the way most people cross it these days. Rather, we went the old way. We took a boat from Cable Point (Ikpele Nmili) in Asaba, and 12 minutes later, we were sharing a beer with some of my acquaintances at Onicha Marine. You see, for those who know the history, Asaba and Onitsha, prior to the building of the bridge, both communities were quite closeknit, something we'll discuss later on today.

Tunde preparing to cross the Niger River at Cable Point, Asaba.

The third point in the dictionary definition of a mongrel is "any cross between different things, especially if inharmonious or indiscriminate."

As an aside, I think it's time for me to do my first social media appeal. Is anyone willing to finance me to go and sit with her in New Zealand once this pandemic is over? She lives there now, and she is such a repository of Igbo history. She was born in 1939 which means that at 81, the window for a comprehensive debrief of the stuff which didn't make any of her three books that focused on the Igbo people is closing...

Let me go back to topic.

In the last few days there has been a lot of argument on Twitter about whether the Igbo speaking people of Delta State in Nigeria are Igbo, or something called Anioma. Some people from this area have pointed out that they have been victims of taunts by some Igbos from the East of the Niger, who have themselves said that Delta Igbos are not Igbo.

Both sides of this argument are right, but one tweet I saw was an outright lie. There is no one from the East who will call a native Anioma person "Onye ofe mman. That particular slur is reserved for Yoruba people as the thinking behind that stereotype is that the Yoruba people cannot cook, but rather drown their soups in oil and pepper to cover the lack of culinary skills. My pot belly can tell you that that stereotype is way off, but that is another topic for another day...

The words used for the various peoples of the former Bendel are as follows - Nd‹ Ika to describe the Igbo speaking peoples of the Midwest; Nd‹ Idu to describe the Bini people; Nd‹ ohu (a slur) to describe the Esan people (and the history of this is actually linked to Benin); Nd‹ Usobo to describe those in the "proper Delta", that is the Ijaw, Ijekiri, Isoko and Urhobo.

Now, the problem with most of Nigeria, is that we do not know where we are coming from. Generally, if you do not know where you're coming from, it's kinda hard to know where you're going to.

Too many Igbo people both East and West of the Niger, do not know where they are coming from. Referring back to the piece I highlighted earlier, I pointed out that, " The Anioma sub-group is divided into two, Enuani and Ukwuani. Enuani and Onitsha people migrated from Igala along with Ishan." This is incomplete.

In the intervening years, I've had discussions with older men in Onitsha, Idumuje-Ogboko, Onicha Ugbo, Atani, Obosi, Issele Azagba and Ibusa, and built a more complete profile. Yes, some Onitsha people indeed came from the Igala area, but most claim their ancestry from around Benin (possibly from what is now called Igbanke), who fled East sometime in the 16th Century to escape the wrath of Oba Esigie. These people, under their leader, Eze Chima, founded a number of towns along the way - Œnicha Ugbo, Œnicha Œlna, Issele Uku, Issele Azagba, and then one of their number crossed the great river, and settled at Œnicha Mmiri, which is today known simply as Œnicha, or as the British colonists three centuries later transcribed it, Onitsha.

Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (1932-2017)

Topics:

- Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (1932-2017)
- OBJ offered Ekwueme Senate Presidency – Ngige
- DR. ALEX EKWUEME: A DEVOUT ANGLICAN IN LOVE WITH THE 'HOLY ROSARY'
- HOW SHAGARI PICKED EKWUEME AS VP
__________________________________

- Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (1932-2017)
~The Guardian Nigeria. Friday, December 1, 2017.

Late Dr Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme

Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, the cerebral, quiet, urbane and quintessential statesman who died in a London clinic the other day, was no ordinary politician. To term him a politician, as many tributes have done, is to demote him to the category of vainglorious power seekers who criss-cross the country for self-gain and clannish privileges. Beyond the man and his actions, Ekwueme was an enriching but unwittingly inadequately acknowledged concept in Nigeria's political lexicon.

His demise has further depleted the dwindling number of great political thinkers and leaders in the country. From the moment he was sworn in on October 1, 1979 as the first elected Vice-President of Nigeria, Ekwueme made the unity, stability and development of Nigeria his lifelong project. He was one political leader who worked underground for the stability of democracy in the country, by weaving together the scarce qualities of patriotism, loyalty, consistency, in a very sacrificial manner for the national cause.

As the running mate of former President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, he maintained utmost loyalty, even to a point of dignified subservience, notwithstanding his cerebral endowment and professional success. Despite his unjust incarceration by the military junta of the then Major General Muhammadu Buhari that toppled the Shagari government in 1983 and his subsequent release by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, Ekwueme remained undaunted in his service to the fatherland.



Two things, it seems, could have made this possible: one was his gift of serenity and the other was his incorruptibility. Whilst the report of the Justice Samson Uwaifo-led judicial tribunal established by the Babangida regime detailed his incorruptibility, his serenity was demonstrated by his commitment, focus and sincerity of purpose which knew no bounds. It was these attributes that drove his formation of the group of 34 eminent Nigerians (G34) that firmly opposed the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. They also demonstrated his positive influence at the 1994 national constitutional conference to deliver Nigeria from the shackles of military rule. In furtherance of this resolve, the G34 became the nucleus of democratic idealists that formed the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Uzokwe's Searchlight: NIGERIA - THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY - OBSERVATIONS FROM MY 2016 DECEMBER VISIT TO NIGERIA

Written by Alfred Obiora Uzokwe, P.E
Email: obiuzokwe@comcast.net
Author of the books:
1. Nigeria: Contemporary Commentaries and Essays
2. Surviving in Biafra: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War


n May of 2016, after a four-year hiatus from Nigeria, my wife and I decided to visit again. The last time I visited was for something painful – to bury my beloved mother. I left Nigeria then with many painful memories that dampened the prospects of future visits by me. This time, though, after overcoming my skepticism about visiting, we were determined to make the visit an enjoyable one.

Our departure date was set for December 13, 2016 and preparations began. On the appointed day, we drove to Washington DC Dulles airport. After checking in and boarding, by the time the 7:00PM hour came around, the wide-bodied Lufthansa 747 jumbo jet was already “kissing” the evening skies headed to Frankfurt Germany. Except for a few moments of air turbulence, when my wife would grab and tightly hold onto my hands as if that would ease the turbulence, the flight was smooth. I later teased her that she was acting in consonance with the biblical admonition that a woman must leave her family, join together with her husband and they shall be one and not even aircraft turbulence would put them asunder judging from the way she held onto me. We laughed about it.

After our layover in Germany, we boarded a Lufthansa airbus and the flight to Lagos Nigeria commenced. The flight was also smooth but just when the aircraft was roughly about 90 minutes to landing, two young men, each with a glass of red wine in his hand, appeared in front of our cabin. One was burly and of average height. He had a series of gold jewelry around his neck and a few tattoos adorned his arms. I had earlier seen him sitting in the business class cabin fully clothed but now he was wearing just a black tank top. I thought to myself that someone who could afford the business class should at least have the decency of not wearing tank tops in an airplane. He seemed to have removed his shirt on purpose to “show off” his tattoos and I wondered if he was aware that not everyone is enamored by tattoos.

The second man was very thin, in fact he looked malnourished. His pants were pulled down below his waist, fully exposing the boxer shorts he was wearing. Both men began a conversation, at first in low tones, but as the minutes passed, they became louder and louder. I must have been sitting about 10 rows away from them but I could hear some of what they were saying. Passengers trying to use the rest rooms located next to them were having hard time going past because they were partially blocking the right isle. With every minute that passed, they grew louder. They must have been there for about 35 minutes when one passenger, sitting closer to them, stood up angrily and addressed them: “Go to your seats,”, he said, “you are disturbing the rest of the passengers”. It was as if he spoke for the rest of the passengers in the cabin because many nodded their heads in agreement and started looking to see what the men would do. The burly man simply said they would lower their voices but the slim one erupted. He claimed to have been insulted by the passenger. 

Dashing toward the passenger, he boasted: “When the plane lands in Lagos, I will deal with you, you don’t know who I am”. I took one look at a guy who was telling someone that he would deal with him and he looked so malnourished and did not seem as if he could withstand a slight shove. I wondered where he was going to get the strength to “deal with “someone. It would have been laughable if not for the seriousness of what was unfolding.

Europeans wrongly believe Igboland is a region for criminals - Ebede

Written by Akoma Chinweoke

Vanguard, Nigeria. Sunday, March 20, 2016

Leader of the Nigerian Igbo Community in Europe, NICE, Chief Chris Ebede, has faulted reports circulating in the United Kingdom and some countries in Europe which describe South-East Nigeria (Igboland), Anambra State in particular, as insecure and a no-go area for visitors.

According to him, the claim that the South-East is a haven for armed robbers, kidnappers, advanced fee fraudsters and ritual murderers is untrue and unfortunate.

He pointed out that the reports circulating in the United Kingdom and some countries in Europe had led to a steady degeneration of social and economic infrastructure in the south-eastern states, coupled with the neglect of the zone by the Federal Government and secondly by the poor and dishonest leadership and governance style of the governors in spite of bogus claims of achievements.

"Another negative report was abysmal lack of employment generation facilities especially for youths in the zone which has exacerbated the rate of crime in the zone which, in this case, was true in the recent past in Anambra State, resulting, among other repercussions, in our people residing outside the state,those in diaspora not visiting home to contribute to the development of the state," Ebede, who led a delegation of NICE on a fact-finding visit to Anambra, stated.

He explained that the reports, which did not go down well with Igbos in diaspora and, therefore, were tabled at the organization's biennial annual conference/convention and, consequently, the conference resolved to send the fact-finding delegation to the South-East to investigate the situation on ground.

He added that due to some logistic challenges, the organization restricted its first mission to only Anambra, using it as a pilot project.

Anambra: New beginning in Ogidi as Nwafor Festival ends without usual violence

Written by DOM EKPUNOBI, Onitsha

In the past, it was unusual to observe the Nwafor Ogidi, the annual festival of the Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State without tales of violence, maiming or even death.

The festival is the largest celebration in Ogidi and the community regards it more than Christmas, New Year and Easter festivals. It is usually observed by Christians and non-Christians in Ogidi and beyond.

However, the festival is largely pagan-related, though people of other religious groups participate fully in it to the extent that Ogidi natives resident within and outside Anambra State fix their annual leave within the festival period in order to be involved or to observe the festival.

The Nwafor Festival usually takes place on the first Friday that falls on the local market day of Afor every year and it lasts for three days, that is, Friday Afor to Sunday of the festival week.

This year, the festival started on Friday July 3, and lasted till Sunday July 5.

Some of the peculiar features of the age-long festival were exchange of visits, merriment, exchange of gifts and masquerading by young men, irrespective of their religion.

An old man in the area told Oriental News that when it comes to Nwafor Festival, everything about religious inclination was put aside as everybody was fully involved.

In the past, some ugly stories were normally associated with the festival especially in relation to the masquerades, where some unbridled young men use machetes and other dangerous weapons to fight themselves.

This year, as preparation for the festival was going on, the President-General of the town's union, elders and other stakeholder were apprehensive, anticipating crisis of diverse magnitude and thus began on time to put down plans to stem such unpleasant actions.

The leaders took proactive measures to ensure that all those who would participate in the masquerading were guided to abide by the rules stipulated by the community to ensure a violent-free festival.

The leaders also directed that non-natives in Ogidi should not participate in the masquerading to enable the elders monitor movement and activities of the masquerades.

Other security arrangements made was that on the day of the masquerading proper, the elders dressed in their white attire should patrol the roads with a view to discovering masquerades and persons who might go out of the way to constitute nuisance to other people.

Orient targets 3,000 barrels of crude oil per day in Anambra

Written by Tony Okafor, Awka.  

The Orient Petroleum Resources Plc in Anambra State plans to increase the production of crude oil in its wells to 3,000 barrels per day by September.

The firm, which was conceived by the Anambra State Government under former governor of the state, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, was inaugurated in August, 2012 by former President Good luck Jonathan.

The company said it had concluded arrangements with an indigenous company, Nails & Stanley Limited, to establish a gas plant in Umueje in Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state.

Managing Director of Orient Petroleum Resources, Mr. Sunny Okoye, said these on Monday after a meeting of the Board of Directors of the company with the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

Okoye added that the company had revved up activities in two new oil wells in its Aguleri oilfields that would shore up the company's production capacity to 3,000bpd before September this year.

He said, “Orient is not only working assiduously in boosting the production capacity of its oil wells, the company is also developing the vast gas resources in the state.

"We are dealing with gas development on two fronts. The first one is the gas production we have right now, side by side with oil. We are looking at how to transform it to an income earning venture.”

The managing director explained the plan to generate income from the gas resources informed its partnership with Nails & Stanley to produce Compressed Natural Gas that would be used for industrial power as well as powering automobiles and a sundry other activities.

Okoye stated, "We are engaging Nails & Stanley for that. They are on track to install their compressor cans soon, and as soon as we are ready to flag their operations off in the state, we are going to develop the ANU Gas Field.

“We have a well, which we are going to use to produce sufficient gas for increased power production in Anambra State. That's the second plan of our gas development plan."

Anambra State 'rewarded' with Boko Haram prisoners

It started off as a rumour. Within days, the rumour has gained legitimacy and momentum leading to widespread demonstrations by civil society groups in the South-east. The chat that sparked massive public protests was that Boko Haram prisoners were transferred from their holding place in the North to a low security prison in Ekwulobia, a local community in Anambra State.

It did not take long for the rumour to be confirmed. In the stillness of the night on Sunday, 28 June 2015, 47 Boko Haram prisoners were ferried secretly from their prison in the North to the Ekwulobia prison. Unfortunately, what was meant to be executed in secret had been blown open in the public sphere. This is not surprising. In the age of new media, it is hard to conceal spine-chilling decisions made by the Federal Government, in particular decisions that are intended to imperil ordinary people's safety, wellbeing, interests, and lives.

In the end, no one was fooled. Unusual presence of soldiers in the Ekwulobia prison premises, as well as the odd presence of armoured tanks positioned in a quiet community that has not seen violence or warfare for many decades confirmed to everyone that Boko Haram terrorists have indeed been transferred to the low security prison in Ekwulobia.

It is wrong to use armed soldiers and armoured tanks to intimidate and restrict the movement of local people in Ekwulobia. Soldiers are not always the solution to every problem, you know. There are instances in which diplomacy has proved to be a more productive way of resolving a sticky problem. You cannot silence people's right to express their opposition to an unfair decision that threatens their lives.

Renowned British playwright William Shakespeare said while it is excellent for anyone to have a giant's strength, it would be tyrannous to use that power like a tyrant to bully and oppress other people. This is not the image that President Muhammadu Buhari wants to cultivate in the first few months of his government. He has nothing to lose but the goodwill and support of the local communities to gain if he could rescind the transfer of Boko Haram prisoners to Ekwulobia.

Anambra, NIA partner on Awka model city

welcome to Anambra State

ANAMBRA State, partnering the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) through its Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), is set to bring its capital, Awka, at par with modern cities across the world in terms of layout and infrastructure.

To this end, stakeholders converged over the weekend to brainstorm on its modalities, with the theme, "Developing an Effective Urban Master Plan for Awka Capital Territory," organised by NIA and ACTDA for the 2015 NIA state chapter annual conference.

To achieve this, "ACTDA was mandated to accelerate infrastructure development of the Awka Capital Territory, prepare a master plan and implement it, provide infrastructure services and coordinate all building developments of the private sector and government agencies within the territory."

According to him, the territory consists of six local councils – Anaocha, Awka North, Awka South, Dunukofia, Njikoka and Orumba North, in part or in whole. He added that the model city concept for Awka considered and adopted most efficient, productive, lucrative and affordable design principles before settling for three capital cities of Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Seoul (South Korea) and Kigali (Rwanda).

He said the ACTDA has completed the aerial photography using a mapping that produces higher digital terrain model height accuracy for urban planning and engineering designs, and aerial photogrammetric method of surveying that involves measurement and interpretation of features directly from aerial photography.

State NIA Chairman, Peter Okpala, noted that the conference theme was "informed by our decision to partner the current administration of Governor Obiano, who has shown good desire to lay a solid foundation for orderly infrastructure development."

Okpala noted: "Everyone will agree that since the creation of Anambra in August 1991, not much has been done to change the capital from its rural nature to its current status. Instead, the reckless subdivision and sale of lands by individuals and government agencies tends to tilt the town towards urban slums.

Anambra govt bans motorcycles, tricycles on highways

The Anambra Government yesterday, banned the operation of private and commercial motorcycles and tricycles from major highways in the state, with effect from June 1, 2015.

The government's action which was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uju Nwogu, in Awka, confirmed an earlier media reports in which Okada operators in the state, warned against possible dire consequences of a ban on their operations.

"All motorcycle and tricycle operators in the state will from next week Monday, June 1, be barred from plying the Enugu-Onitsha highway, as well as Arthur Eze Avenue and Zik's Avenue in Awka.

"Similarly, it will be illegal for all motorcycles, either private or commercial, to ply the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, Awka Road, Borromew-Upper Iweka-Bridge Head road, Old and New Market roads and Oguta Road, all in Onitsha.

"In Nnewi, they are prohibited from the Nnewi-Nnobi road and Nnewi-Oba road.

"All commuters, who must ply these restricted roads are by this announcement, advised to use tricycles or the taxis and buses provided by the state government and other commercial vehicle owners," the statement read in part.

While noting that the law enforcement agencies would ensure strict compliance to this directive, the government warned that operators caught violating the directive would have their motorcycles or tricycles impounded.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) it, however, stated that a fine of N5,000 for motorcycles and N10,000 for tricycles, for first offenders, would be paid to retrieve such impounded motorcycles or tricycles.

It warned that subsequent arrest for a second violation of the directive would attract outright confiscation of the motorcycle or tricycle by the state government.

The statement also warned motorcycle operators in the state to desist from carrying more than one passenger on a trip.

Niger Bridge at 50: Eloquent testimony of a nation's unity

an ALPHONSUS AGBORH and SUZY ORUYA report.

The Niger Bridge (also known as the Onitsha Bridge) sits majestically atop the River Niger connecting two major parts of Nigeria. With one end of its stretch, it touches the South South/South West, with the other it opens the door to the South East. Built in 1964/5 and despite moves by the government to complete a second Niger Bridge, the present one remains one of the most compelling testaments of the nation's evolution.

Particularly, the year 1964 saw the French construction giant, Dumez, embark on the construction of the Niger Bridge with the sole aim of linking Onitsha (Anambra) in the Eastern part to Asaba (Delta). It was reported that the cost of the bridge was put at £5 million.

The bridge provided the nexus of interaction, securing the privilege of movement from one axis of the country to the other. A few years after, the Nigerian Civil War broke out in 1967, lasting till 1970. Biafran soldiers, bent on halting the advancement of the Nigerian army, destroyed the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha, which ensured that they were unable to cross from the other side. After the war, the bridge was rehabilitated.

For many Nigerians who lived on the immediate divides of the bridge, its allure has held significant impressions on them.

"It brought a lot of goodwill to the East"

According to an Onitsha-based lawyer, Ifeanyi Onwuanyi, "the bridge is worth celebrating. In its own way, it brought a lot of development to the East of the Niger. It is strategically important to the economic growth within the Eastern region and what happens beyond Delta State.

"The bridge has helped in the area of transporting goods and services from this part to the South West. The bridge is very weak because this is the second time it will be going through renovation.  The government should ensure that all the necessary things needed to be used in strengthening the bridge are provided."

"It's one of the best things the East got"

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Reverend Osita Ogwuaka confessed that the bridge was one of the best things to have happened to them in the South East.

"I was too tender when the bridge was constructed but I was told how people used canoes to cross over the river. It was tedious.  The bridge is of great importance to the people of the South East. It is one of the best things that ever happened to us," he said.

Ogwuaka, however, felt bad when the bridge started showing signs of weakness, just as he called on the government to do something speedy about the construction of the second Niger Bridge.

For Mr. Christopher Ike, "Now that we are celebrating the bridge, it is high time the Federal Government quickened the building of the second Niger Bridge because for some time now, we learnt that the bridge is sinking. The traffic that is daily seen on that bridge is enormous. If care is not taken, it will collapse and the resultant effect will be the economic life of the South East and South South. While celebrating the first Niger bridge, let's hope that the sister bridge is quickly completed."

Obiano sworn in as Anambra state governor

Written bY Tony Edike & Vincent Ujumadu, Nwabueze Okonkwo - Vanguard.

Vows to tackle power, security challenges

Obi 'll soon become FEC member -President

As CJ denies getting court action to stop swearing in

AWKA


Dr. Willie Obiano and Dr. Nkamakonam Okeke were yesterday, sworn in as governor and deputy governor of Anambra State respectively with a pledge to tackle headlong the perennial problems of power failure and insecurity which they identified as the biggest constraints to the full manifestation of the ingenuity for which Anambra people were known.

Chief Judge on court order

This was even as the state Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, denied ever flouting any court order by swearing them into office.

However, the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Matters, Chief Ben Obihas announced the appointment of former Governor Obi, as the honourary Adviser on Finance to President Goodluck Jonathan and would soon become a member of the Federal Executive Council, FEC.

Society's enduring virtues of love, unity and brotherhood were some of the central themes that dominated the inaugural address of the new Governor, Obiano after taking the oath of office, in an elaborate ceremony in Awka, the Anambra State capital.