How 20 Major Igbo Cities Got Their Names

Cities are mostly named after people, historical events and then important geographic locations, traditional beliefs or even a deity. For Igbo cities and towns, they are mostly named due to a particular geographic setting or on a particular traditional or cultural heritage.

We will be going through about 20 major Igbo cities and how they actually got their names and the meaning of the names. This goes beyond the South East.

Enugu

Enugu, capital of the state named after it, is one of the Igbo cities built by the colonial power. The city that once served as the capital of the Old Anambra, capital of Eastern Nigerian capital of Biafra and is now the de-facto capital of the South Eastern part of the country is named according to it’s topography, a rather hilly and mountainous environment.

Founded in 1904 when coal was discovered in the city, Enugu is formed from the Igbo word, “Enugwu” meaning top of the hill and this is because of the hills and mountains that is scattered abroad in the area.

Onitsha

Onitsha can as well be called the economic hub of the south eastern part of the country because it houses the largest market in West Africa in terms of size and volume of goods sold.

Read this – Onitsha vs Nnewi, contrasting the commercial towns in Anambra State

The word Onitsha is the corruption of the word “Onicha” in Igbo. The city Onitsha or rather “Onicha” was named after the famous ‘Mmili Onicha’ popularly known as the River Niger.

Orlu

The city, Orlu is the second most developed city in Imo state and is one of the most rapidly developing cities in the South Eastern part of the country.

The name Orlu is gotten from the Igbo word ‘Olu’ (Ulu, as the case may be) which means “the second child” which might be male or female, although the female is widely used for it.

This name “Olu”, “Ulu” or “Orlu” as the case maybe as now proven its name in being the second established (second born) city in Imo State.

Okigwe

Okigwe is the third biggest city in Imo state and as the name implies, it means someone who is skilled in metal works, as the main occupation of the Okigwe people is agriculture and metal work.

Awka

Awka is the English corruption of the Igbo name “Oka”. It is one of the oldest cradle of Igbo settlement as well as civilization. This name has a great historical background and can be tracked back to the time of the early settlers of the place we now know as Awka, the Ifiteana people.

The god or deity they worshipped then was called “Okika na – ube” (Oka na-ube), literally translated as the deity or god renowned for the spear and the people of Ifiteana was named the “Umu Okanube’ meaning ‘children or worshippers of “Oka na-ube”.

Related – Where to have fun in Awka

Oka is also an Igbo term for a blacksmith and that was the major occupation of the Ifiteana people asides from farming. It’s from this that the name, Oka tat Awka was gotten from.

Nnewi

The city of Nnewi is a self-made industrial and commercial centre in Anambra State. The name Nnewi is gotten from the “Ewi” which they consider as sacred for leading them to their present location when they left Aguleri area, protecting them on the way.

Read this – Why you should set your startup in Nnewi

To this day, the killing and eating of the ewi is highly prohibited in the city of Nnewi. The name Nnewi means “mother of ewi”. The people of Nnewi are also called Anaedo which means the land of Gold, also named after the pprimary deity of the Nnewi people, the goddess named Edo.

Arochukwu

Arochukwu is one of the most historic towns in Igboland and is the third-largest city in Abia state. The origin of the people widely referred to as the “Aro” people is a popular one in the Igbo setup.

Related – Power and reach of ancient Aro

They are said to be originally from the Ibibio group that arrived from Southern Cameroon before mixing up with the people of Igbo extraction. The real origin of the word ‘Aro’ is not really definite. While some argue that it was named after their King, Eze Aro, others argue that it is a term People (Aro) of God (Chukwu).

Agbor

The story of how Agbor came to be has numerous oral accounts. One of these accounts is that the founder of Agbor originally called Ominije was called Omini originally from Aguleri. Ominije or Omini Eze Ije means “Omini the king of Travel”.

The town was later renamed Agbor which is an Igbo term for lineage.

Asaba

Asaba is currently the capital of Delta State and is also one of the three towns in Oshimili LGA of Delta State. The Founder of Asaba is called Nnebisi and the name of the place now called Asaba was initially called ‘Ahaba’ (Ahabam) which is a popular quote from the founder of Asaba which means “I have chosen Well”.

Read this – All factories in Asaba ranked

It is for the purpose of founding a suitable name with pronunciation that the British that came into early contact with the people of Ahaba corrupted the name to Asaba.

Umuahia

Umuahia is the state capital of Abia State and from the name, anyone who is cognizant of the Igbo language will easily know the meaning and origin of the name. According to many Igbo legends, Umuahia was derived from the Igbo term “Ama Ahia” which means market square or marketplace.

Related – The best schools in Umuahia ranked

The name was initially Amaahia but due to evolution and many other factors, it was changed to Umuahia which conveniently means “Children of the market”.

Aba

Aba is one of the most commercial cities in the South Eastern part of the country. In fact, it is the second most commercially competitive city in the region, or third, depending on who you ask and where they place Nnewi.

Read this – Besides shoes, what and what else is Aba known for?

Aba is named after the Aba River and is mainly occupied by the Ngwa people.

Abakaliki

Initially the capital of the Ogoja province and now the capital of Ebonyi State, Abakaliki was initially known as “Aba Nkaleke” which is named after Nkaleke, an important community in Izzi land.

Related – Five really good schools in Ebonyi State

Abakiliki has enjoyed a rapid transformation since it was made a seat of government. For instance, when the Old Abia State was considered, four contributed to its name. Abakaliki was not one of them and this was just in 1991.

Nsukka

There is a legend that the current people habiting Nsukka migrated from Igala and were led by one Asadu who was the Prince of an Igala town. Initially, he was in the good books of the king at Igala but when they fell out, he advised his sons to flee and they eventually got to Nsukka.

Read this – Five awesome places to propose to your lover in Nsukka

The first son settled at the place currently called Okpuje, the other at Obukpa, the third at Eha Alumona and the last at the present location of Nsukka town formerly called Ideke.

Owerri

This is the largest city in Imo State and one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the whole of the Southeast geopolitical region. The term Owerri is the corruption of the word “Owerre”.

Read this – Top places to have fun in Owerri

According to legends, the founder of Owerri is Ekwem Oha whose mother’s name is Arugo. Another legend says that Arelle a son of Eri founded Owerri and that the name Owerri is the corruption of the word Obi-Arelle.

Afikpo

Still one of the ancient Igbo cities, Afikpo was initially known as Ehugbo. According to myths, the first people that inhabited Afikpo were called the Egu and they were very skilled in crafts and other handworks.

Port Harcourt is the fourth or fifth biggest city in Nigeria, depending on whether which of Benin City and Port Harcourt you feel is bigger. Only Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan are definitely bigger.

Named Igweocha in its local tongue it was named Port Harcourt, in 1913, by Lord Lugard, named after a British colonial Lewis Vernon Harcourt, who was the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Oji River is a town in the southernmost part of Enugu State, located in a local government area named after it. It is a town whose people are closely related to the people of old Aguata in Anambra State.

Known for its famous leprosy rehabilitation settlements and a now-abandoned power station, the town is named after one of the major rivers in the Enugu-Anambra axis

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