HISTORY: The history of saint holy nweje

 

#History HOLY NWEJE: 

The story of an Igbo Saint: 

Hezekiah Okoro Nweje, was an Anglican priest.

A native of Onitsha in Anambra state. He was born in 1919 and died in June 1962.

He was nicknamed "Holy Nweje" because of his very humble, extreme righteous, easy going & a humanitarian life he lived. He was tenaciously devoted to the things of God. Whatever gifts he receives from the church he shepherded was always shared with those in the vineyard, the poor and the less privileged. He doesn't hoard·them at the expense of the needy.

In his philosophy, he believed that wealth was sharing what you have without hoarding it. At a time, he was nominated for the position of the Anglican Bishop on the Niger, he declined and nominated someone he felt was more qualified

Rev. Hezekiah Okoro Nweje was seen as an upright, spotless and a righteous man. It was all those outstanding qualities he possessed while alive that brought about the name "Holy Nweje". Depicting how holy one can be. He believed ones anger should not see the next moment.

In May 1956 Onitsha and Obosi were tussling for a piece of land, Rev Nweje was called as a witness, he told the Judge that none of the towns owned the land, na "Ani bu ani Chukwu" The land and thereof is of the lord. That ended the land tussle. He was always on the side of peace.·

Around April 1956, during the daytime local thieves invaded his house in Onitsha and stole tubers of yam and fowl, he ran after them and told them to come and take more cited hunger as the reason for their unconventional behavior. What a man!

Growing up in Igbo land, if seen or perceived as an upright person, you would be called or nicknamed "Holy Nweje" When next you're called HOLY NWEJE, do not feel ashamed or mocked. It tells good of you. Nweje Lane in Onitsha metropolis is a street named to immortalize him.

Source 📸 Igbo History Facebook 

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NZE NA OZO TITLE IN IGBO CULTURE: A PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION ON ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN A CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Initiation into the aristocratic Nze na Ozo society marks the person as nobility. To become Ozo implies that the title holder is now an Nze, implying a living spirit and an ancestor.^[3] One then becomes the moral conscience of the community and is seen to be a fair adjudicator in cases of disputes within the community.^[4] In times of crisis, most Igbo communities will rely on Ozo members for leadership.^[5] Generally, in most Igbo communities, only holders of Ichi title may become candidates for Ozo title.^[6] Anthropologists ^[7] have seen cases of women with Ichi scarification, although only men are amongst the Ozo, a title which accords the individual extreme prestige, power, and influence in the community.

Taking Ozo title is extremely expensive with the lower grades costing in excess of US$25,000 in initiation cost and up to another US$2000 in annual subscriptions. Although there is hegemony across Igboland on the notion of Ozo,^[8] categorisation and grades of Ozo titles are different across Igbo communities. For example, with the exception of the Onitsha and Delta Igbo, certain titles of the Ozo such as ‘Ezeana’ may not be taken until the candidate was seen to have been ‘a man’.^[9] Being that Igbo’s are gerontologic in outlook,^[10] the basic pre-condition for such an assessment was to ascertain whether the father of a candidate was still alive. If a candidate’s father was still alive, the title could not be taken. This rule however does not apply to Onitsha Igbo’s who can take Ozo title while a candidates father is alive. In other Igbo communities, especially those in the Awka-Nri axis, some exceptions are made where the candidate completes the initiation rites into Ozo, but is referred to as ‘Nze-agbala’ until the father dies. Such a person may however not be allowed to dance to Ufie music which is a sacred music danced by Ozo holders on special Igbo religious festivals such as the New Yam Festival. Another major difference in taking of Ozo title in Igboland relates to the pre-requisite for the candidate to have earlier taken Ichi title (gbue Ichi).^[11] While taking Ozo title in most Igbo communities in the Awka-Nri axis requires the candidate to have taken Ichi title, in Onitsha, Ichi is not a recognised institution and is therefore not undertaken by the Onitsha Igbo and some of the Delta Igbo.^[12] The Nze na Ozo society does not exist in most southern Igbo communities such as the Aro. Instead, these communities have masquerade societies such as Okonko ^[13][14][15] and Ekpe.

In most parts of Igboland, there are generally two major classes of Ozo. The first is nnukwu Ozo (big Ozo). Within nnukwu Ozo, there are three grades consisting of Dunu, Dim and Ezeana. In the second class of Ozo referred to as obele Ozo (small Ozo), again there are generally three grades consisting of Eyisi, Ezuzo and Okpala.^[16] It must however be recognised that until about 1930, nnukwu Ozo had a fourth (and highest) grade of Ozo referred to as Igwe (Sky) which only the Eze Nri, the spiritual leader of the Ozo system held. This has however changed with most Igbo communities being led by a senior Ozo holder referred to as Igwe or Eze. The different grades of Ozo are not necessarily distinct based on nomenclature alone. For example, while Ozo Okpala is regarded as obele Ozo, the position is usually taken by the first son in a lineage who by taking the title becomes responsible for arbitrating internal family disputes.^[17]

HISTORY OF OJI RIVER

Oji River is a Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria to the south bordering Anambra State and Abia State. Its headquarters are in the town of Oji River. The towns within Oji River L G A are:- Inyi, Achi, Awlaw, Akpugoeze and Ugwuoba . Enugu and Ebonyi States are sometimes referred to as the ' Wawa States'

It has an area of 403 km² and a population of 126,587 at the 2006 census.

The postal code of the area is 401.^[1]

The Oji River thermal power station in Oji River in Enugu state, Nigeria, is one of the small satellite power stations built in the South-East of Nigeria before Independence of 1960 and the commissioning of the large National Hydroelectricity power station in Kainji Dam/Jebba Dam.

It was built to produce 10MW Capacity of Electricity. With the aid of the river alongside the site and coal transported from Enugu Coal site on overhead cable buckets 50 km away. After the Nigeria - Biafra civil war (in which over 1 million people died, mainly children of the Igbo tribe who were killed by the Nigeria government policy with the help of the British government), the thermal power station was upgraded to 30MW, supplying electricity the immediate area and also some parts of Udi, Achi area.

28 January 1956: Queen Elizabeth II, on a three-week visit to Nigeria, during which she visited the leper settlement and newly built power station, at Oji river in East Nigeria. The plant reportedly last generated power in 2004. The Nigeria government has debated plans for recommissioning the plant, considering that its water level has drastically gone down such that it cannot power its turbines to generate electricity, as well as the closed coal mines at Enugu city.

Oji River town has one of the largest and oldest running leprosy rehabilitation settlements in the south-east, bordering Anambra state. It had been originally set up by English missionary churches in the 1930s in Nigeria. In 1944, the then Governor of Nigeria Sir Arthur Richards visited the Uzuakoli Leper Settlement officially. Following this visit, the Nigerian government took active interest in missionary activities to eradicate leprosy in Nigeria by taking over the Oji River Leprosy Settlement from the Church Missionary Society (CMS now Anglican). It also built a Leprosy Control Centre at Oji River.

Most people from Oji River are Christians with majority either practising Catholics or Anglicans while the rest practise local believes.

Oji River town hosts one of only four sites nationally, for the Recruitment and training at police cadets in a Police College in Oji River, which also offered training to other security personnel, such as armed immigration officers. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is designated by Section 194 of the 1979 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country.

History of Enugu State

Enugu, usually referred to as Enugu State to distinguish it from the city of Enugu, is a state in southeastern Nigeria. Its capital is Enugu, from which the state – created in 1991 from part of the old Anambra State – derives its name. The principal cities in the state are Enugu,Ngwo, Agbani, Awgu. Enugu State is one of the states in the eastern part of Nigeria. The state shares borders with [[Abia State]] and [[Imo State]] to the south, [[Ebonyi State]] to the east, [[Benue State]] to the northeast, [[Kogi State]] to the northwest and [[Anambra State]] to the west. [[Enugu]], the capital city of Enugu State, is approximately 2½ driving hours away from [[Port Harcourt]], where coal shipments exited Nigeria. Enugu is also located within an hour's drive from [[Onitsha]], one of the biggest commercial cities in Africa and two hours' drive from [[Aba, Nigeria|Aba]], another very large commercial city, both of which are trading centres in Nigeria. The average temperature in this city is cooler to mild (60 degrees Fahrenheit) in its cooler months and gets warmer to hot in its warmer months (upper 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and very good for outdoor activities with family and friends or just for personal leisure. Enugu has good soil-land and climatic conditions all year round, sitting at about {{convert|223|m|ft}} above sea level, and the soil is well drained during its rainy seasons. The mean temperature in Enugu State in the hottest month of February is about {{convert|87.16|F}}, while the lowest temperatures occur in the month of November, reaching {{convert|60.54|F}}. The lowest rainfall of about {{convert|0.16|cc|cuin|lk=on|}} is normal in February, while the highest is about {{convert|35.7|cc|cuin}} in July. 

History 

The name of the state derives from its capital city, Enugu. The word "Enugu" (from Enu Ugwu) means "the top of the hill". The first European settlers arrived in the area in 1909, led by a British mining engineer named Albert Kitson. In his quest for silver, he discovered coal in the Udi Ridge. The Colonial Governor of Nigeria Frederick Lugard took a keen interest in the discovery, and by 1914 the first shipment of coal was made to Britain. As mining activities increased in the area, a permanent cosmopolitan settlement emerged, supported by a railway system. Enugu acquired township status in 1917 and became strategic to British interests. Foreign businesses began to move into Enugu, the most notable of which were John Holt, Kingsway Stores, the British Bank of West Africa and the United Africa Company. From Enugu the British administration was able to spread its influence over the Southern Province of Nigeria. The colonial past of Enugu is today evidenced by the Georgian building types and meandering narrow roads within the residential area originally reserved for the whites, an area which is today called the Government Reserved Area (GRA). From being the capital of the Southern Provinces, Enugu became the capital of the Eastern Region (now divided into nine States), the capital of now defunct Federal Republic of Biafra, thereafter, the capital of East Central State, Anambra State, (old) Enugu State, and now the capital of the present Enugu State through a process of state creation and diffusion of administrative authority. 

Politics 

The State Government and the Local Government are the two levels of government in Enugu State and in all other states of Nigeria. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the current executive governor of Enugu State. He was elected by the people in April 2015 and was sworn in on 29 May 2015. Sullivan Chime is the immediate governor succeeding Chimaroke Nnamani. He was elected by the people of Enugu State in April 2007[4] and was sworn into office on 29 May 2007.[5] The governor is above a group of commissioners who he has placed as heads of ministries that oversee various portfolios such as Health and Housing; both the governor and the commissioners form the Executive Council of Enugu State. Government House, Enugu is where the government of the state is based. 

Local Government Areas 

Enugu State consists of 17 Local Government Areas.They are: • Aninri • Awgu • Enugu East • Enugu North • Enugu South • Ezeagu • Igbo Etiti • Igbo Eze North • Igbo Eze South • Isi Uzo • Nkanu East • Nkanu West • Nsukka • Oji River • Udenu • Udi • Uzo-Uwani

Economy 

Economically, the state is predominantly rural and agrarian, with a substantial proportion of its working population engaged in farming, although trading (18.8%) and services (12.9%) are also important. In the urban areas trading is the dominant occupation, followed by services. A small proportion of the population is also engaged in manufacturing activities, with the most pronounced among them located in Enugu, Oji, Ohebedim and Nsukka. The state boasts of a number of markets especially at each of the divisional headquarters, prominent of which is the Ogbete Main market in the State capital, Enugu. There is also one of the largest grains market East of the Niger, the Orie Orba Market which plays host to most farmers from the North Central States of Benue, Kogi, Nassarawa and Plateau who use the market to dispose their produce for consumers in South-East and South-Southern Nigeria . Every four days, grains and other farm produce are found in large quantities and at highly competitive prices. 

Energy 

Electricity supply is relatively stable in Enugu and its Environs. The Oji River Power Station (which used to supply electricity to all of Eastern Nigeria) is located in Enugu State. With the deregulation of electricity generation in Nigeria, and the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), it is hoped the State Government would assist private investors to negotiate the take over and reactivation of the Oji Power Station. This is more so with the proximity of the Enugu coal mines to the power station, a driving distance of about 20 minutes. There are also traces of crude oil in Ugwuoba, in the same Oji-River Local Government area of the state. The state will also negotiate with investors interested in investing in the coal mining in Enugu. The coal industry used to be one of the biggest employer of labour in the state and the state is looking to attract investors in the industry. 

Education 

Every community in Enugu State has at least one Primary/Elementary school and one Secondary school, funded and run by State Government. There are also large numbers of private nursery, primary and secondary schools in Enugu State. Nigeria's first indigenous university, (University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)), is located in Enugu State. The state also hosts the Enugu State University of Science & Technology (ESUT), Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Federal Cooperative College, Oji River (FCCO); Enugu State College of Education Technical, Enugu; Caritas University, Amorji-Nike, Renaissance University, Ugbawka; Command Day Secondary School Enugu, Federal Government College Enugu, Federal School of Dental Technology & Therapy, College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, Queen's School Enugu a Prominent high school for girls in the Eastern region; St. Theresa's College, Nsukka; Special Science Boys' Secondary School Agbani, Nkanu West l.g.a; [St. Patrick's Secondary School], Emene, Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu; Awgu County College, Nenwe; Community Secondary School, Ugbo-Okpala, Ugbo; Corpus Christi College, Achi, Royal Crown Academy, Nsukka, Enugu State, Enugu]; Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology, Enugu; and the Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, Seat of Wisdom Secondary School Trans Ekulu Enugu,Osisatech boys secondary school. There are also a host of private computer schools and training centres concentrated in Enugu and Nsukka. There are also notable private Tertiary Institutions in Enugu such as Caritas University, a Catholic university founded by a Catholic Priest: Father Edeh, and Renaissance University.

Medicine 

The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) is located in Enugu State, as is the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine. In addition to numerous private hospitals and clinics in the state, there are seven District Hospitals at Enugu –Urban, Udi, Agbani, Awgu, Ikem, Enugu-Ezike, and Nsukka – and at least one health centre or cottage hospital in every one of the 17 Local Government Areas and 39 Development Centres in the state. The University of Nigeria Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) is also located in Enugu. 

Demographics 

Enugu State had a population of 3,267,837 people at the census held in 2006 (estimated at over 3.8 million in 2012). It is home of the Igbo of southeastern and few Idoma/Igala people in Ette (Igbo-Eze North) of Enugu State, Nigeria. 

Religion 

Christianity, Odinani and neutralist.