Ohafia is an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

town in the Ohafia local government area (LGA) in

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. It is an

speaking region. The ancestral capital of Ohafia town is the centrally located village of Elu. Ohafia

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

, is an administrative jurisdiction assigned by the Nigeria Government, which covers the entire Ohafia

villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and other

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

such as

Abiriba Abiriba pronounced E`biriba`/is an ancient Enuda kingdom in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, traditionally an Igbo speaking region. It is in the Ohafia local government area. History The origin of the Abiriba people is not as speculati ...

and

Nkporo Nkporo (Okwe ancient kingdom ) is a town in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, traditionally an Igbo speaking region. And it is in the Ohafia Local Government Area. History Nkporo is said to be one of the oldest communities among clans t ...

, with its Administrative Headquarters at Ebem Ohafia. The ancestors of the Ohafia people were renowned as mighty warriors. This aspect of the Ohafia peoples' history remains fundamental to the Ohafia people's sense of identity. The knitted warrior's cap or "leopard cap" () is well known and is an associated product of Ohafia. The Ohafia warrior tradition is embodied in the performance of '' iri agha''. Ohafia is home to the third largest military base in Nigeria, named

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

Barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

after Nigeria's former President -

. It houses the headquarters of the newly established 14

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

and 145

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

office complex of the Nigerian Army. Ohafia encompasses twenty-six villages with population strength ranging between 800,000 and 916,000 as of 2014. And it is at a distance of 50.1km away from the Capital city

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nig ...

in Abia State. The villages in Ohafia are Elu, Ibina (Ihenta), Nde Okala, Nde Anyaorie, Amuma, Amaekpu, Ebem, Nde Amogu, Okagwe, Nde Uduma Ukwu, Oboro, Nde Nku, Nkwebi, Amuke, Asaga, Ndi Uduma Awoke, Amankwu, Nde Ibe, Nde Orieke, Okon-aku, Amangwu, Ufiele, Eziafor, Abia, Akanu, Isiugwu.

Notable people

Ogbugo Kalu Ogbugo Kalu (died February 2004) was a former army officer who served in both the Nigerian Army and Biafran Army. Kalu was also commander of the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in Kaduna following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état. Nige ...

, former army officer who served in both the Nigerian Army and Biafran Army *

Eni Njoku Eni Njoku (6 November 1917 – 22 December 1974) was a Nigerian botanist and educator. He was vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (1962–1965) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1966–1970). He served in the Nigerian House of Represent ...

, first black vice chancellor of

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

and

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

Nsukka. The pioneer professor of botany in Nigeria. *

Ruggedman Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, known professionally as Ruggedman, is a Nigerian rapper from Ohafia, Abia State. Career A graduate of political science from Lagos State University, Ọ̀jọ́, Ruggedman started exploring music in 1999. He produ ...

, Afro-rap artiste * Ezinne Kalu, Female Basketball player *

J. Martins Martins Okechukwu Justice (born September 29, 1977), popularly known by his stage name J. Martins, is a Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter and producer. He is best known for his song "Oyoyo" "Jupa" and "Good Or Bad" J. Martins is also known ...

, Afro-pop artiste *

Ike Nwachukwu Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu mni (born 1 September 1940) is a retired Army officer and Nigerian politician who served twice as Foreign Minister of Nigeria and as a Senator in the National Assembly delegation from Abia State. Education and train ...

, military officer, former governor of old Imo state, diplomat and former senator *

Ebitu Ukiwe Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe (born 26 October 1940) is a retired Commodore in the Nigerian Navy who served as the de facto Vice President of Nigeria under military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida from 1985 to 1986. Family Ukiwe was born on 26 Octobe ...

, military officer, former military governor of

Lagos state Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

and

Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was fo ...

, former chief of general staff (de facto vice president) to General Babangida's military government *

Kalu Idika Kalu Kalu Idika Kalu (born October 14, 1939) is a Nigerian politician. He served as Finance Minister of Nigeria, Minister of National planning and Transportation Minister. He served twice as the minister of finance. He was a presidential aspirant in th ...

is a former finance minister of Nigeria, minister of national planning and transportation minister. He served twice as the minister of finance. He was a presidential aspirant in the 2003 Nigeria general elections, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the platform of The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). * Chief

Ojo Maduekwe Chief Ojo Maduekwe (May 6, 1945 – June 29, 2016) was a Nigerian politician of Igbo origin, from Ohafia, Abia State. Early life and education He was educated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and graduate with a law degree in 1972. Po ...

, a former minister of culture and tourism (1999), minister of transportation (2000–2003), minister of foreign affairs (2007–2010 and national secretary to the People Democratic Party. * Chief

Umeh Kalu Umeh Kalu Ikwuonwu (born 5 August 1961) is a Nigerian legal practitioner. He served as the Attorney General of Abia State and Commissioner for Justice of Abia State. Early life and education Umeh Kalu was born in Ohafia, Abia State where he w ...

, He served as the Attorney General of Abia State and Commissioner for Justice of Abia State. Office: Attorney General of Abia State (Since 2007), Previous office: Attorney General of Abia State (2009 - 2019), Education: Nigerian Law School · Imo State University.

References

Towns in Abia State Local Government Areas in Abia State Cities in Abia State {{AbiaNG-geo-stub