Nibo
Encyclopedia
Nibo is a town in Awka South
, Anambra State
, Nigeria
.
There are four major villages that make up the town, they are in order of seniority; Ezeawulu, Umuanum, Ifite and Ezeoye. Nibo is a community of cooperative men and women that work jointly for the development of the town.
HRH Nnama Orjiakor Eleh was the ruler of Nibo before the coming of the British and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1896 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Britain together with other southern Paramount rulers such as HRH Onyeama of Eke, HRH Ojiako Ezenne
of Adazi, HRH Kodilinye of Obosi, HRH Onwurah of Awka, Obi of Onitsha, HRH Agwuna of NRI and HRH Ukpo. HRH NNAMA was appointed the President of Awka Customary Court of Appeal (1898–1945), He also served as a Judge in the Provincial Court of Appeal for Onitsha Colonial Residency covering the Niger Provinces (what is now known as Anambra and Enugu States). HRH NNAMA was deputy judge in the Omenuko Court presided by the legendary Okoli Ijoma ruling over the old Awka province involving over 100 towns. He was from Umuanum village, which was at war with Ezeawulu and HRH Ezekwe over who was the ruler of Nibo. After decades of war, peace finally prevailed when Nnama and Ezekwe decided that Nnama's 1st son Orji Joshua Nnama and Ezekwe's 1st daughter Mgbafor Selina Ezekwe should marry, this appeared to be the best resolution that united both villages at which point HRH Nnama Orjiakor remained as ruler of Nibo till his death in 1945.
Upon death, his son Prince Joshua Nnama chose to pass over the throne to pursue his Christian work as a missionary in SE Nigeria, at which point his own son GCD Nnama was given the throne, unfortunately proper ceremonial rights were not done for many years, and Nibo was officially without a ruler till the town decided to vote and pass the rule that in order to make it fair, they should rotate it among villages. Prior to that Nibo never had rotational governance. His Royal Highness, Onwuegbune from Umuanum Village the next in seniority was crowned in the 1970s, and upon his death His Royal Highness Micheal C. Ngene from Ifite village ascended the throne and is currently the Ezeike of Nibo . Upon his death, the traditional stool will move next to Ezeoye village in that order.
There is a Nibo Town Union which was unified and stabilized by the late Dr Nelson Sunday Chukwunedu Ugooji-Ekwunife is now headed by the President-General (Okey Nwankwo) and the secretariat is manned by a Secretary-General. The town union is the engine room of the town administration. They handle revenue collection, enforcement of rules and infrastructural development. Usually, town unions are organised where ever Nibo people are all over the world and linked to Nibo. The Nibo USA group has a website located here http://www.nibounionusa.org and is a very active group with their annual Nibo conference held every Labor Day weekend (1st weekend of September) in a preselected US city. Nibo kwenu!
Endowed with her indefatigable virtue, Mgbafor was in no way deterred. In unprecedented rally at Eke Nibo, thousands of women gave her a standing ovation and endorsed her plans that a maternity should be built and also that Nibo women will unilaterally enforce the control of cows and bulls which wander around the town and feeding on agricultural farms, by literally "holding the bulls by the horns" and fining the owners 3 British pounds, an amount which at 1954 prices could buy three modern bicycles and was enough to pay three months salary of a grade two teacher. Nibo women elected notable ladies of blessed memories such as late Nwangbafor Agubalu, a renowned traditional midwife from Ezeawulu, Late Mrs. Okeke from Umuanum, Late Mrs. Pricillia Okafor, a re-know bread baker from Ifite and late Mrs. Chine from Ezeoye to assist Chief Mrs. Selina Nnama in co-coordinating the activities and programs of Nnemuluobodo Society. The Nibo USA group is currently undergoing a project that involves expanding the Maternity Centre and donations are being accepted.
Awka South
Awka South Local Government Area is made up of eight towns, namemly,OKPUNO, Amawbia, Awka, Ezinato, Isiagu, Mbaukwu, Nibo, Nise and Umuawulu. In the past, the people of Awka South LGA were well known for blacksmithing. Today they are respected among the Igbo people of Nigeria for their technical...
, Anambra State
Anambra State
Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its name is an anglicized version of the original 'Oma Mbala', the native name of the Anambra River. The Capital and the Seat of Government is Awka. Onitsha and Nnewi are the biggest commercial and industrial cities, respectively. The state's theme is...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
There are four major villages that make up the town, they are in order of seniority; Ezeawulu, Umuanum, Ifite and Ezeoye. Nibo is a community of cooperative men and women that work jointly for the development of the town.
Traditional institutions
Nibo operates rotational governance. The traditional stool which is held for life, rotates among the four villages though this was not always the case. There has been some dispute over who was the first traditional ruler (referred to as 'Ezeike') of Nibo between Umuanum and Ezeawulu villages. The ruler of Ezeawulu village was His Royal Highness Oke Ezekwe/Ezekwem while that of Umuanum was HRH Nnama Orjiakor-Eleh.HRH Nnama Orjiakor Eleh was the ruler of Nibo before the coming of the British and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1896 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Britain together with other southern Paramount rulers such as HRH Onyeama of Eke, HRH Ojiako Ezenne
Ojiako Ezenne
His Royal Highness, Ogbuefi Ojiako Ezenne was a Nigerian who was appointed by the Colonial government to serve as Warrant Chief and then Paramount Chief , of Adazi-Nnukwu, currently in Anambra State in Nigeria...
of Adazi, HRH Kodilinye of Obosi, HRH Onwurah of Awka, Obi of Onitsha, HRH Agwuna of NRI and HRH Ukpo. HRH NNAMA was appointed the President of Awka Customary Court of Appeal (1898–1945), He also served as a Judge in the Provincial Court of Appeal for Onitsha Colonial Residency covering the Niger Provinces (what is now known as Anambra and Enugu States). HRH NNAMA was deputy judge in the Omenuko Court presided by the legendary Okoli Ijoma ruling over the old Awka province involving over 100 towns. He was from Umuanum village, which was at war with Ezeawulu and HRH Ezekwe over who was the ruler of Nibo. After decades of war, peace finally prevailed when Nnama and Ezekwe decided that Nnama's 1st son Orji Joshua Nnama and Ezekwe's 1st daughter Mgbafor Selina Ezekwe should marry, this appeared to be the best resolution that united both villages at which point HRH Nnama Orjiakor remained as ruler of Nibo till his death in 1945.
Upon death, his son Prince Joshua Nnama chose to pass over the throne to pursue his Christian work as a missionary in SE Nigeria, at which point his own son GCD Nnama was given the throne, unfortunately proper ceremonial rights were not done for many years, and Nibo was officially without a ruler till the town decided to vote and pass the rule that in order to make it fair, they should rotate it among villages. Prior to that Nibo never had rotational governance. His Royal Highness, Onwuegbune from Umuanum Village the next in seniority was crowned in the 1970s, and upon his death His Royal Highness Micheal C. Ngene from Ifite village ascended the throne and is currently the Ezeike of Nibo . Upon his death, the traditional stool will move next to Ezeoye village in that order.
There is a Nibo Town Union which was unified and stabilized by the late Dr Nelson Sunday Chukwunedu Ugooji-Ekwunife is now headed by the President-General (Okey Nwankwo) and the secretariat is manned by a Secretary-General. The town union is the engine room of the town administration. They handle revenue collection, enforcement of rules and infrastructural development. Usually, town unions are organised where ever Nibo people are all over the world and linked to Nibo. The Nibo USA group has a website located here http://www.nibounionusa.org and is a very active group with their annual Nibo conference held every Labor Day weekend (1st weekend of September) in a preselected US city. Nibo kwenu!
Nnemulu – Obodo women group
This is the women wing of town administration. This a very strong organ of women that also enforce discipline among the indigenes. The Nnemulu – Obodo Society of Nibo” comprising all women of Nibo was founded in mid 1950s by Selina Mgbafor Nnama (née Ezekwe) signifying the emancipation of Nibo women as they gathered together to build the Nibo Maternity and Health Centre. In the early fifties, Nibo had no maternity home and there were none in the neighboring towns of Mbaukwu, Nise, Umuawulu and Isiagu. The nearest maternity home was in St Faiths Church Awka about 10 miles away, the next was in Catholic Hospital Adazi about 12 miles and lastly Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi about 20 miles from Nibo. The implication was that most women delivered their babies at home using the expertise of traditional midwives. Those who could afford to deliver their babies in the maternity experienced unbearable transport difficulties as they were mostly carried on head or bicycles due to scarcity of motor vehicles in those days. In the early fifties, there was nothing like motorcycle service or "Okada" as it is commonly known today. A good number of women with breach, facial presentations and other labour complications were not so lucky to make it to these distant maternity homes and hospitals.Endowed with her indefatigable virtue, Mgbafor was in no way deterred. In unprecedented rally at Eke Nibo, thousands of women gave her a standing ovation and endorsed her plans that a maternity should be built and also that Nibo women will unilaterally enforce the control of cows and bulls which wander around the town and feeding on agricultural farms, by literally "holding the bulls by the horns" and fining the owners 3 British pounds, an amount which at 1954 prices could buy three modern bicycles and was enough to pay three months salary of a grade two teacher. Nibo women elected notable ladies of blessed memories such as late Nwangbafor Agubalu, a renowned traditional midwife from Ezeawulu, Late Mrs. Okeke from Umuanum, Late Mrs. Pricillia Okafor, a re-know bread baker from Ifite and late Mrs. Chine from Ezeoye to assist Chief Mrs. Selina Nnama in co-coordinating the activities and programs of Nnemuluobodo Society. The Nibo USA group is currently undergoing a project that involves expanding the Maternity Centre and donations are being accepted.