Nnewi Social Club on Clubhouse

Description

Nnewi’s history dates back to the fifteenth century when migrants from Benin, Agbaja, Abatete, Ikenga and Ndoni settled in the area and were soon grafted into various descent groups. Nnewi’s organization structure is configured in four-quarter or territories: Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi. Each quarter is made up of a large descent group comprising smaller lineages and headed by an Obi, the chief of the quarter. The four quarters in Nnewi were the original names of the Sons of Nnewi: Otolo being the eldest and Nnewichi being the youngest of the sons. Edo is the supreme deity of all the Alusi (Igbo: deity) in the Anaedo Kingdom. The central shrine of this unifying Alusi is at Nkwo Nnewi, the central market. There are four other deities in Nnewi: Ana, Ezemewi, Eze and Ele.
Three of the quarters in Nnewi are connected together by the high goddess Edo. However, with the arrival of missionaries to Nnewi beginning in 1892, residents gradually converted to Christianity. The C.M.S. church was the first to come to town and it later established schools at Otolo, Nnewi and Uruagu.
The city’s central market Nkwo founded in 1901 is a major spare parts market in the country. It has various sectors dominated by the spare parts division, timber and furniture area, cloth area and food area.
Nnewi existed as an independent kingdom from the 15th century to 1904, when British colonial administration occupied the kingdom. The arrival of the British colonial officer Major Moorhouse signified a gradual change with the establishment of civil courts, a royal Nnewi court and the appointment of warrant chiefs. Igwe Orizu I was given a warrant for Nnewi.
In Nnewi oral history and mythology, the ‘ewi’ (Igbo: bush rat) played a great role in saving the founders of Nnewi during wars. Nnewi has used its military might to maintain its borders and because of this, the killing or eating of ewi in Nnewi is forbidden to the present day. The town’s name is a combination of ewi, a term for a rabbit and nne, mother, meaning Nnewi, mother of rabbits throughout its history.