Obi of Onitsha, His Royal majesty Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe. CFR, mni is 80 years old today.
He is the 21st Obi of Onitsha dynasty.

Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe CFR, mni (born 14 May 1941) is a traditional ruler and the 21st Obi of Onitsha, in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. He is chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University since 2015, and was earlier chancellor of Kogi State University. Achebe also serves as the chairman of the board of Directors of Unilever Nigeria, and the Chairman of International Breweries (ABInBev) Nigeria. Before emerging as the Obi of Onitsha, in 2002, he had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Dutch Shell Group serving as Director in various companies in the group.

History of Onitsha

The history of Onitsha is said to have begun with the migration of its people from the Benin Empire towards the end of early part of the 16th century as a result of a wave of unrest, war and displacement unleashed by the Islamic movement from North Africa. One version said that it was during their passage through the outskirts of Ile-Ife that they acquired the name Onitsha, a corruption of Orisha Udo.

Another version has it that their migration to East of the Niger has to do with a misunderstanding that arose between the Onitsha family and Oba Esigie (1404-1550), following the slighting of their shrine, Udo, by the Oba. According to the legend, it was customary for newly installed Oba to pay homage to all important shrines in the Benin Kingdom by slaughtering a cow in the shrines enclave. But Oba Esigie is said to have refused to do this at the Onitsha people’s Udo-Shrine, hence the quarrel and the migration down towards the River Niger area and across it.

Ukpabi disagrees with the Oba Esigie angle and posits that the misunderstanding and migration was rather as a result of “a fight over a farmland. These other people fighting over farmland with the others and interest started coming. And because of interest, bitterness ensued and the two brothers decided to go their separate ways. One said, no, ‘I will now leave you, I’m going to Ado N’Idu.’ ‘Ado’ means border. ‘I will leave you and go and settle down on my own. I’m no longer going to be with you.’ That’s the issue. So, the two brothers had to separate.”

The immigrant settlers from Benin were said to have been helped by the Igalas to cross the river to settle in Onitsha in the 16th century, which was originally called Ado N’Idu. It soon became the capital of an Igbo Kingdom. In 1857, British traders in palm oil established a permanent station in the city, and Christian missionaries soon followed, headed by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (a Yoruba) and Reverend John Taylor (an Igbo).
In 1884, 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.

Historically, Onitsha became an important trading port for the Royal Niger Company in the mid-1850s. Following the abolition of slavery, trade in palm kernels and other cash crops boomed around this river port. Immigrants from the hinterland were drawn to the emerging boom town as did the British traders who settled there and coordinated the palm oil and cash crops trade.

Onitsha is made up of three groups of people, Ukpabi reveals. The first is the Edos, the Ezechima’s team. The second, Igalas. They were the people that were fishing at the Niger by the time Onitsha people came to settle there. The third, the Igbos who are very close to the Niger and had integrated with them. These three groups make up what is today known as Onitsha.”

“Their tradition is blended with the three peoples, first the Edos, second the Igalas”, Ukpabi says. “In fact, in the past, there were some villages in Onitsha that spoke Igala. And they are made up of two villages. They are still in Onitsha. Onitsha is made up of nine villages. Two out of the nine are purely the Igalas: Ogbodu and Obigboru. So, that is how Onitsha people came to be.

“The ones with Edo influence are the monarchy itself. That’s the Eze Chima, that is the ruling villages. They are four in number. Umueze Aroli, Okebunabu (which include Umudei and Ogbabu) and Olosi. The present Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Achebe is the 21st Obi of Onitsha.”

Inter-marriages, says Ukpabi, have long existed between the Igalas and the Edos. “The people our ancestors met fishing at the bank of the River Niger were purely Igallas. They were following the Niger all the way from their place to Onitsha. So, they don’t normally come to the upper land. They remain there. They have their buildings in their canoes. So, we attracted them into coming to the hinterland. We started intermarrying with them. One of the outstanding monarchs of Onitsha, Obi Eze Aroli, the mother, Enubi, is from Igala.”

Salute

Happy 8Oth birthday your majesty..

The rest write na trash.

Igwe iga di

And this drug sniffing liar is telling us he is 69years while his first daughter celebrated 60 years birthday last year.


Obi of Onitsha at 80 looking stronger than "69" years old liar that impregnated his wife at 9years.

Happy birthday Obi of Onitsha

May you live long igwe

Happy birthday obi.


@ op,why not talk about Achebe, wish him happy birthday and move forward.

If yo want to create a topic about onitsha, open a new thread and you will see people like you who will engage u.

Built2last:
Igwe iga di

Iseeeeee!

Watched him during his last ofala outing on YouTube. He is aging well.

HBD Ìgwè !!!!

Whoever wrote that long epistle is mad on goat dung

Lalasticlala

descarado:

Iseeeeee!

Watched him during his last ofala outing on YouTube. He is aging well.

He's actually right .....my grandfather told me that our ancestors migrated from Bini kingdom

And the igala part is also true .....that's why you will hear something like " nwa ebo n'igala" son of Ebo from igala

Happy birthday sir

TotoGame:



He's actually right .....my grandfather told me that our ancestors migrated from Bini kingdom

And the igala part is also true .....that's why you will hear something like " nwa ebo n'igala" son of Ebo from igala

Relocate to Benin and allow obosi takeover their land and expand further.

You are obviously a tenant and should be paying landed rents to your landlords the obosi people.

Your grandfather will be desecrating Igboland if he is buried here. People are buried in their ancestral land and not in foreign land. He supposed to be buried in Bini.

Juliusmalema:


Relocate to Benin and allow obosi takeover their land and expand further.

You are obviously a tenant and should be paying landed rents to your landlords the obosi people.

Your grandfather will be desecrating Igboland if he is buried here. People are buried in their ancestral land and not in foreign land. He supposed to be buried in Bini.

Just sharrap!!!! If you trace the origin of every community....you will find out that they migrated from somewhere before settling in their present location....your village is inclusive


Even the fulani's migrated from north Africa ....the binis migrated from ife etc

TotoGame:



Just sharrap!!!! If you trace the origin of every community....you will find out that they migrated from somewhere before settling in their present location....your village is inclusive


Even the fulani's migrated from north Africa ....the binis migrated from ife etc

Since you were told... What are you still doing in Igboland?

Sometimes, it amazes me how some of my Onitsha folks think. If you're from Benin why aren't you speaking Benin language? Ndi Ara.

Masterkernel1:



Since you were told... What are you still doing in Igboland?

Sometimes, it amazes me how some of my Onitsha folks think. If you're from Benin why aren't you speaking Benin language? Ndi Ara.

Not how they think but Obosi people should Institute a court case to start collecting rents from their lands or reclaim it totally.

Then the foreigners can go back to Benin to be given lands there..atleast they will be welcomed back home.

Juliusmalema:


Not how they think but Obosi people should Institute a court case to start collecting rents from their lands or reclaim it totally.

Then the foreigners can go back to Benin to be given lands there..atleast they will be welcomed back home.

Seriously it sounds stupid, and when I hear folks talk this rubbish, it turns me off. I grew up in Otu-Onitsha, I have my cousins from Umu-deyee.

If they're from Benin, why aren't they sharing culture and language? Just like you said, they have to pay rent to the indigenous people.

Masterkernel1:



Seriously it sounds stupid, and when I hear folks talk this rubbish, it turns me off. I grew up in Otu-Onitsha, I have my cousins from Umu-deyee.

If they're from Benin, why aren't they sharing culture and language? Just like you said, they have to pay rent to the indigenous people.

I am not interested in what they think whether it is stupid or not.

The land belongs to obosi people...cased closed.

Their opinion or what they think , speak or their culture doesn't matter at all...

The land is not theirs but their neighbors.

Masterkernel1:



Since you were told... What are you still doing in Igboland?

Sometimes, it amazes me how some of my Onitsha folks think. If you're from Benin why aren't you speaking Benin language? Ndi Ara.

If that is the case then ....what are you still doing in igbo land since you guys are decendants of Eri ....who happens to be an israelite ..... relocate to israel first!!!!!

Igbos are Igbos

Binis find your level

TotoGame:


If that is the case then ....what are you still doing in igbo land since you guys are decendants of Eri ....who happens to be an israelite ..... relocate to israel first!!!!!

I don't share in that story. If we're from Eri, why is our skin ebony when those in hotter areas of Middle East states still retain their originality?

Many of those folklore isn't real, Fulani said they're form from droplet of Milk, Yorubas with their own tales of God sending Obatala and so on! They're tales in the twilight.

TotoGame:


If that is the case then ....what are you still doing in igbo land since you guys are decendants of Eri ....who happens to be an israelite ..... relocate to israel first!!!!!

Quack logic when defeated......Ndi ala bini.

Two unrelated logics moreover isreall are jews..

Igboland are Christian dominated. The land they are is their land, they didn't forsake their land and relocate to another man's land and be claiming it.


You as a bini man claimig Igbo are you not ashamed of yourself. That u leave your tribe bini and be dragging another man's tribe with him.

The obosi people who are igbos are the owners of the land you migrants from bini are occupying.

If they lay claim to it they are right.

Chief Freemason in Nigeria

TotoGame:


If that is the case then ....what are you still doing in igbo land since you guys are decendants of Eri ....who happens to be an israelite ..... relocate to israel first!!!!!

Chia this one has spoilt everything.��
Guy why why why why you come type this kind nonsense na��.

Agbogidi, nwa onye ndida aku ide na erutelu ego...long healthy life I wish you. Very classy monarch.

TotoGame:



He's actually right .....my grandfather told me that our ancestors migrated from Bini kingdom

And the igala part is also true .....that's why you will hear something like " nwa ebo n'igala" son of Ebo from igala

Yes, Onicha Ado migrated from the west but at no point were they ever of Bini origin, at least no proof of that.