Onitsha ( or simply Ọ̀nị̀chà) is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the western bank of the Niger River, form a continuous metropolitan area.

As of 2016, the greater Onitsha area had an estimated population of around eight million people in central and southern Anambra state extending into neighboring Delta state to the west and Imo state to the south. Spread across parts of these three states, the greater Onitsha area is regarded as one of the largest metropolitan areas in Nigeria by both population and landmass. The continuous urban sprawl or conurbation of greater Onitsha spreads across several separate cities and their satellite towns and suburbs including Asaba, Obosi, Ogidi, Oba, Ogbaru, Nnewi, the Anambra State capital Awka down to Orlu in Imo State.

The indigenous people of Onitsha are Igbo and speak the Igbo language with Onitsha being the largest urban area and commercial hub of the Igboland region of Nigeria, the Igbo people's indigenous homeland. The Onitsha people are referred to as Ndi Onicha in Igbo. English and Nigerian Pidgin English are also widely spoken. Although the population is largely Igbo, there are many other ethnic groups in the Onitsha area mainly from other Nigerian ethnicities indigenous to the southeast of the country due to Onitshas position as an economic hub in the region.

According to Africapolis, was invited by Oba Esigie of Benin during the Benin-Igala war. Esigie had heard of a native doctor and of the tales of his diabolical powers, he ordered his men to bring Chima to his palace so he may help Benin win their war. After the war was won, Chima would found the kingdom of Ado N'Idu, after having been given land by Esigie.

However, a collapse in the relationship between Esigie and Chima would occur due to, depending on the account, of the Queen Mother, Idia, having either been beaten by Chima's men for intruding on their farmland, or having been denied tribute, would demand retribution from Esigie. Esigie, would call upon Gbunwara, the leader of the Benin army, to wage war on Ado N'Idu, and Chima informed of this gathered his men, and fought a fierce war against the armies of Benin for several days, before being overwhelmed by their superior numbers, and for the survival of his people, mounting a retreat.

In 1857 British palm oil traders established a permanent station in the city with Christian missionaries joining them.

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.

In 1965, the Niger River Bridge was built across the Niger River to replace the ferry crossing. This has helped to grow trade routes with western Nigeria and created significant economic linkages between Onitsha and Benin City and Lagos particularly.

Nigerian Civil War

The Nigerian-Biafran war brought devastation to Onitsha as the city was a major theatre of war for forces entering Biafra from the western front. The subsequent oil boom years of the 1970s and early 1980s witnessed a huge influx of immigrants into the city. The result has been hastily constructed and haphazard building which has created a huge number of slums.

Late 20th and early 21st century

thumb|Skyline of Onitsha

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").

Onitsha has played a creative role in the transformation to urban life in Eastern Nigeria famous as the setting for Onitsha Market Literature and as one of the hubs for the financing and distribution of Nollywood films.

Infrastructure has not kept pace with urbanization and haphazard building practices without zoning regulations has left in its wake a chaotic and congested city rife with lawlessness. The World Health Organization Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution database's 2016 update indicates that Onitsha is the most polluted city in Africa.

In recent times with the encroachment of neighboring communities, the Onitsha people have been involved in disputes over land ownership in the surrounding area with the people of Obosi and Nkwelle Ezunaka. Fegge, Awada, and 3–3 are Onitsha metropolitan areas being disputed by the communities of Obosi and Nkwelle Ezunaka, respectively.

Geography

Onitsha lies on the eastern flank of a major east–west crossing point of the Niger River across from the city of Asaba, Delta and occupies the northernmost point of the river regularly navigable by large vessels. It is the western terminus of the central Anambra hills. These factors have historically and in modern-day made Onitsha into major trading center 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 southwards of the existing one.

Rapid urbanization in recent years although promoting the economy, negatively affects natural vegetation and local landscape. the region is also considerably erosion prone

Climate

Onitsha has two main seasons: a warm, oppressive, and overcast wet (rainy) season from March to October, and a hot and partly cloudy dry season from November to February with both largely influenced by the SW and NE trade winds of the Atlantic International Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Saharan harmattan winds are experienced during the winter months, causing haze and poor visibility with thunderstorms common in March/April as well as in late September/October. Over the duration of the year, the temperature commonly varies from and is rarely below or above . The Köppen climate classification is Aw.

Environment

The amount of waste generation is attributed to the city's high population being a commercial area that draws in people from within and outside Nigeria for business purposes. They generate mostly food waste, polythene bags, paper and its related wastes and metal. Others are pieces of clothes, plastic, tins, bottles and glass materials. In 2016, PM10 levels exceeded the WHO's standard by 30 times.

The city's noise levels exceeds the federal ministry of environment stipulated limits of 90 dB (A) and that of NESREA's 70 dB (A) for an 8-hour working period, varying in dry season and wet seasons. The city's vast surface water, shallow subsurface water, and permeable soils put it at high risk of water pollution.

Demographics

Religion

Onitsha is a predominantly Christian city. People from Northern and Western Nigeria also practice Islam. In February 2006, armed militants killed at least 80 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 cartoon controversy in Denmark.

Economy

thumb|Harbor Industrial Layout of Onitsha

In 2012 the state government, through a joint venture, attracted SAB Miller to invest in Onitsha Brewery, which started production in August. It was the first large-scale investment in Onitsha since Premier Breweries, makers of the Premier Beer established production in Onitsha in the early part of the 1980s. In January it was announced that upgrades to the value of $110 million would triple the output of beer and malt drinks.

Culture

Once a year in October the kingdom of Onitsha holds the Ofala Festival which coincides with the traditional New Yam festival held in many parts of Igboland. The Ofala Festival in ancient times offered the people the opportunity to see the king and receive blessings from him. Nowadays, it is a way for the people of Onitsha to keep their culture alive, take stock of the communal activities and it has become a major event that draws visitors from far and wide to the city.

Dialect

Traditional title

Arts

Cuisine, sports, and fashion

Human resources

Education

thumb|centre|Young Onitsha students biding Dutch students entering their s over a ferry across [[Niger River ()]]

In colonial Nigeria, Onitsha was among the country's principal centres for education before the foundation of Anambra State in 1991. Early colleges were founded by the Roman Catholic and Christian Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries. Those college such as the All Hallows Seminary, founded in 1924, Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), founded in 1925, St. Charles College, founded in 1928, Christ the King College, Onitsha, founded in 1933, and Regina Pacis Model Secondary School, were all located in Onitsha. The oldest and first grammar school in Anambra was DMGS, which was founded on 25 January 1925. Further educational institutions were added in Onitsha in the 21st century, including the private Catholic Shanahan University, founded in 2024 as well as the first university in the city, and Onitsha Business School.

In 2002, Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju abolished the free education policy and announced tuition fees of 3,000 naira per term for state-owned secondary school students. The decision followed protests by students in Onitsha and Awka, hence prompted the government to reduce the fees to 1,900 naira. On 21 September 2023, the government of Charles Soludo announced that, starting with the academic year 2023–2024, parents will no longer pay school fees for students in nursery to junior secondary in public schools. Meanwhile, students of senior secondary schools will be paying 5,000 naira as school fees. On 26 September 2024, the government removed tuition fee entirely for all students. The directive saw controversy in Onitsha when four principals were suspended by the government for allegedly demanding school fees from their students.

Health

Transportation

Onitsha is not only accessible by rivers and land, but also by air. The city has an international cargo and passenger airport located at Umueri.

Twin towns

Onitsha is twinned with:

  • Compton, CAlifornia, United States (2010)
  • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (2017)

Notable people

See also

  • Onitsha Market Literature

Notes

Citations

Sources

Journals and scholarly articles

  • Mbajekwe, Patrick. "'Landlords of Onitsha': Urban Land, Accumulation, and Debates over Custom in Colonial Eastern Nigeria, 'ca.' 1880-1945." The International Journal of African Historical Studies 39, no. 3 (2006): 413–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40034825.

Chapters

Books

  • Ime Obi Onitsha website