Onitsha

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Biography

Onitsha ( or just ?n?cha ) is a city, a Commerce|commercial , educational , and religious centre and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State , southeastern Nigeria .

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" (see "Onitsha Matters" ). Though it experienced great suffering during and after the civil war, by virtue of its still-strategic geographic position Onitsha has continued to develop, and by 2001 had an estimated population of 511,000 with a metropolitan area|metropolitan population of 1,003,000. It is currently one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

The indigenous people of Onitsha are Igbo and speak the Igbo language . It is here worth noting that Onitsha should not be confused with the other municipalities of the same name Onicha lying further east in Nigeria: Onicha-Uboma, Onicha-Uburu, Onicha-Agu, Onicha-Nwenkwo, Onicha-EnuguEzike, Onicha Ngwa, Onicha Nkwerre etc.. On the west bank of the River Niger exists also Onicha Ugbo, Onicha Olona and Onicha Ukwuani. All of which speak Igbo as their native language.

History

Most theories on the word 'Onicha' point to the meanings "despiser" or "arrogant"; apparently the people of Onitsha were prone to "look down" upon the people of the towns adjacent to them. 'Onicha' may be a contraction of either '?n?s?l?-ncha', meaning 'too headstrong '; ?ny?s?l?-ncha, 'too headstrong '; or 'Ani-Ocha', 'the fair or white land'. Some claim that 'Onicha' is a contraction of Igbo and Edo language|Edo words, and perhaps from the word ' Orisha '. However, the existence of quite a number of communities bearing 'Onicha' in the eastern Igbo hinterland, whose history do not relate to Edo, did severely jeopardise this hypothesis.

Onitsha was known as ''Ado N'Idu by citizens who departed from the vicinity of the Kingdom of Benin near the far western portion of Igboland (near what is now Agbor ), after a violent dispute with the Oba of Benin that can be tentatively dated to the early 1500s. Traveling eastward through what is now Western Igboland (and various towns also called "Onitsha", for example Onicha-Ugbo , "farmland-Onitsha"), the Onitsha, led by one Chima eventually crossed the Niger River () and settled on the east bank in their current location

After their arrival on the east bank (Onicha-mmili,"Onitsha-on-water", see above), the community gradually became a unitary kingdom, evolving from a loosely organized group of "royal" and "non-royal" villages into a more centralized entity. Eze Aroli, was apparently the first genuinely powerful Obi of Onitsha , the ruler of the city.

In 1857 British Empire|British palm oil traders established a permanent station in the city, Christian missionaries joining them headed by the liberated African bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (a Yoruba people|Yoruba recaptive) and Reverend John Taylor (an Igbo Recaptive).. 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.

Modern history

Onitsha became 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 and palm oil which was going on on the coast of Bight of Bonny|Bight of Biafra since 12th century was now moved upwards and other cash crops also boomed around this river port in the 19th century. Immigrants from the hinterland of Igboland were drawn to the emerging boom town as did the British traders who settled there in Onitsha, and coordinated the palm oil and cash crops trade. In 1965, the River Niger Bridge (Onitsha)|Niger River Bridge was built across the Niger River to replace the ferry crossing.

Demography

Today, Onitsha is a modern day urban area|urban society, the people speak Igbo language|Igbo and English languages. There is a catholic cathedral, Anglican cathedral and it is the headquarters of so may church organizations and sociocultural groups. A federal government college is situated in the town. There is an army barrack, a school of metallurgy, and it is the home of the biggest market in the whole of Africa, the Onitsha Main Market .

Population

The population of Onitsha is not reflected in the Nigerian census figures and the trader migrate to their bases, neighbouring villages and states during census events reducing the official figures. Onitsha also serves as base for some major industries.

Economy

The state of Lagos and various northern towns are partially fed by supplies from Onitsha. Trade soared between the east and west of Nigeria because of Onitsha market. This made Onitsha the strategic gateway for trade between the former eastern and western regions. The Nigeria Civil War|Nigerian-Biafran war brought widespread devastation to the city; at its end came the subsequent oil boom years bringing a huge influx of immigrants into the city. The war-damaged facilities, still under repair, could not cope with the pace of the rural-urban exodus into the city. Slums consequently began to emerge from the hasty haphazard building construction to accommodate the huge influx.

Geography

Onitsha lies at a major east-west crossing point of the Niger River , and occupies the northernmost point of the river regularly navigable by large vessels. These factors have historically made Onitsha a major center for trade 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 near it. Today, Onitsha is a textbook example of the perils of urbanization without planning or public services.

Religion and politics

The Cathedral Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha|Cathedral Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha . The Church of Nigeria|Anglican church also has a cathedral in the city. The Anglican was the first missionary in Onitsha in 1857. Later came the Catholics in 1884. It is the residence of the traditional ruler of Onitsha, the Obi of Onitsha . There is also a teacher training college for women and a famous leper colony. Despite being one of the biggest commercial cities of west Africa, Onitsha remains congested from the over-concentration of all her huge markets within the old city center and minimal expansion of the colonial roads infrastructure.

In February 2006, armed Christianity|Christian militants killed at least 24 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 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|cartoon controversy in Denmark.

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