12/06/2025
Ugwuanyi🗣️..
Nwa Ajangwu
WHO ARE THE NSUKKA PEOPLE?
(Written by Ekene Ugwuanyi)
Nsukka people are the Northern Igbos found in Enugu State that share boundary with the Idoma people of Benue State and the Igala people of Kogi State. Nsukka falls within Southeast Geo-political zone while the aforementioned neighbours fall within the Middle belt. In the First Republic, Nsukka fell under the Eastern region while those of her neighbours were parts of the Northern Nigeria. However, Nsukka is the borderland between these communities and other Igbos. In fact, in a nutshell, Nsukka can be said to be the Gateway to the East.
Certain terms need to be properly explained to enable an outsider understand the terms as they are used. Nsukka as a term can mean three things, viz:
Nsukka as a town
Nsukka as a local government
Nsukka as a cultural zone within the Igbo tribe
Nsukka as a Town
In one of my articles published by Opera news I explained that Nsukka is a popular name in Nigeria and all over the world in that it is the host community of the first indigenous university in Nigeria, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). However, many people especially outsiders and even some people from other parts of Igbo land seem not to understand which communities make up what we presently call Nsukka. Currently when we say Nsukka or the people of Nsukka, we are referring to independent communities that are over 70 in number. These communities before the coming of the white man were each separate sovereign communities with their respective government and armed forces. They had separate names they were identified with and even though they have similar dialects, there are still noticeable differences here and there as they speak that mark their respective distinctness. Of these communities, one of them is Nsukka. Nsukka is a separate community just like Obukpa, Ovoko, Ikem, Onyohor, Aku, Ugbele-Ajima etc are separate communities. In other words, inside these communities we currently refer to as Nsukka, there is a community called Nsukka. That community, together with Obukpa and Orba, is where the University of Nigeria, Nsukka is located.
Nsukka, originally is a town that shares boundary with Obukpa, Alor-Uno, Ede-Obara, Eha-Alumona, Edem etc. Nsukka as well as these aforementioned communities falls within Nsukka local government. Before the coming of the British colonisers in this part of the world, all these communities as well as Nsukka existed as sovereign states each. In other words, Nsukka was a sovereign state, Obukpa was a sovereign State, Ede-Obara was a Sovereign State, Edem was a sovereign state etc. By sovereign state is meant that they had their separate government, separate defined territories, separate armed forces and makes laws and enforce them within their respective territories without interference from others. Nsukka therefore, was originally the name of this town called ‘Nsukka.’ However, when the white man came down here, they made Nsukka town their administrative headquarters and referred to all the neighbouring communities as Nsukka. The name affected all these other communities and Nsukka town seems to be losing her identity because of how other communities have been subsumed under the broader name of Nsukka.
Nsukka as a Local Government
Aside Nsukka being the name of a town, Nsukka is also a local government in Enugu State. Nsukka constitutes one of the 17 local governments that make up Enugu State. During the creation of local governments in Nigeria, a group of communities close to Nsukka town were arranged together and given the name ‘Nsukka’ and thus forming Nsukka local government. The name Nsukka was used because of how popular the name of the town had become being the administrative headquarters of the then Nsukka Province under the British colonial administration.
Nsukka as a Cultural Zone in Igbo Tribe
The Igbo tribe is divided into cultural zones according to the similarities and variations of cultures existing among these zones. Each cultural zone in Igboland has similar dialects distinct from the dialects of other zones. Even though each of the dialects of each of the communities of each zone may differ, they still understood each other within the zone. We have, for instance, the Ngwa Cultural zone found predominantly in Abia and some parts of Rivers State, we have the Nsukka cultural zone, Ikwerre cultural zone, Abakaliki cultural zone, Onitsha cultural zone etc. The neighbouring communities to Nsukka that share similar cultures and dialects with Nsukka, are referred to as the members of Nsukka cultural zone. The communities that form the present Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu State and some communities of in Isi-Uzo Local Government like Ikem belong to Nsukka Cultural Zone. Before Ebonyi State was carved out of Enugu State, the old Enugu State was divided into these three zones:
i. Enugu
ii. Nsukka
iii. Abakaliki
Isi-Uzo was part of Nsukka zone then. In other words, communities that make up the Nsukka cultural zone are found in 7 local government areas of Enugu State viz:
Nsukka Local Government
Igboeze-South Local Government
Igboeze-North Local Government
Igbo-Etiti Local Government
Udenu Local Government
Uzo-Uwani Local Government and
Isi-Uzo Local Government
The Lists of the Communities In Nsukka
The list of the various communities that make up Igbo Nsukka and their local governments are listed below:
Nsukka Local Government
Alor-Ụnọ
Anuka
Edem
Ede-Oballa
Eha-Alumona
Ibagw-Ani
Lejja
Nsukka
Obimo
Ọbụkpa
Ọkpaligbo
Okpuje
Okutu
Opi
Igboeze-South Local Government
Alor-Agụ
Ụnadụ
Itchi
Nkalagu-Ọbụkpa
Ibagwa-Aka
Iheakpụ-Awka
Uhunowerre (formally known as ‘Ihọ’ọrọ)
Ovoko-Ụlọ
Ovoko-Agụ
Iheaka
Igboeze-North Local Government
Enugu-Ezike and
A good number of Ette people speak Igala.
Igbo-Etiti Local Government
Ukehe
Ụmụnko
Diogbe
Ekwegbe
Ụmụna
Ọzala
Ọhodo
Ọnyọhọ
Ochima
Ikolo
Akụ
Idoha
Idume
Ohebedim
Udenu Local Government
Amalla
Ezimo
Obollo
Imilike
Ogbodu-Aba
Orba
Ụmụndụ
Igugu
Ụzọ-Uwanị Local Government
Nrobo
Abbi
Ugbene
Nimbo
Nkpologu
Ụvụrụ
Akpugu-Ezedike
Adani
Ogurugu
Asaba
Igga
Ojor
Ụmụlọkpa
Adaba
Nkume
Ukpata
Isi-Ụzọ Local Government
Eha-Amufu
Ikem
Neke
Mbu
Ụmụalor
These communities are divided into:
i. Igbo-Odo
ii. Igbo-Omabe and
iii. Igbo-Manwu communities.
The people of Igbo-Odo are found basically among the communities under Igbo-Etiti, Isiuzo and some parts Uzo-Uwani because they celebrated Odo Festival.
The communities that make up Igbo-Omabe are basically found under Nsukka, Igboeze-South, Igboeze North and Udenu local governments because they celebrated Omabe festival. These Igbo-Omabe communities were the communities closer to the Igala people of Kogi State.
The Igbo-Manwu communities are found in some parts of Uzo-Uwani: Umulokpa, Ukpata, Adaba etc are regarded as Igbo-Manwu communities as they celebrated Manwu Festivals.
Having explained the three ways the term ‘Nsukka’ can be used, it is necessary to point out that outsiders outside the Nsukka cultural zone usually mean all the members of the Nsukka cultural zone whenever they use the term ‘Nsukka.’ For instance, when an Onitsha man says ‘Nwa Nsukka’ (meaning Nsukka child), what he has in mind is ‘NSUKKA CULTURAL ZONE.’ The members of any of these communities that make up the Nsukka cultural zone understand what this Onitsha man mean and answers ‘Nwa Nsukka’ even though he may not be from Nsukka zone. To clear this confusion of identity, the term ‘Igbo Nsukka’ is used by the members of these communities that make up Nsukka Cultural Zone to refer to themselves generally. However, Nsukka as a term is used to refer to Nsukka town. When they refer to Nsukka as a local government, the term ‘Local Government’ is usually attached to it.
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