Okigwe is the third largest city in

Imo state Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...

in Nigeria after Owerri and Orlu. Okigwe is located in the Okigwe

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 ...

of Nigeria. The city lies between the Port Harcourt-

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border form ...

rail line, being the nearest city to the biggest cattle market in Nigeria located in the

Umu Nneochi Umu-Nneochi or Umunneochi is a Local Government Area (LGA) in Abia State, Nigeria. Officially known as "Nneochi", Umunneochi is made up of three major septs: Umuchieze, Nneato, and Isuochi. The major towns of Umunneochi are Umuelem, Ndiawa, A ...

Area of

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 ...

. Thus, the city has grown into a major cattle transit town for the southeast and south subregions of Nigeria. Okigwe has a population of 132,237 (2005 census). Most of the population is made up of immigrant workers from other states. Okigwe city was the primary host site of the old Imo State University (now Abia State University). Okigwe has various tourist and historical sites. The Federal Government College in the city has remained one of the best unity schools in Nigeria. Okigwe remains one of the breadbaskets of Nigeria with terrace cultivation practised on its hilly farmlands. Okigwe also boasts many relaxation spots such as Alexandra Suites & Hotels Limited Okigwe Imo state which is situated at No 1 Alexandra Ave, Umuchima Road, Ubahu. St. Mary's Cathedral in Okigwe is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Okigwe The Roman Catholic Diocese of Okigwe ( la, Okigwen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Okigwe, Imo State in the Ecclesiastical province of Owerri in Nigeria. As at 2016, the diocese has 43 missions, 219 lay religious (33 brothers, 186 sist ...

. In 2016, the

government recommissioned a new cattle market in the city in respect to the previous one that has been relocated to Abia.

Autonomous communities and villages

Okigwe has five autonomous communities with different villages (in bracket) namely; *Ikigwu (Aro-ubaha, Aro-Okigwe, Ope, Ubanaka, Umuka, Umuokpara), *Otanzu (Amaeze-Ogii, Umuawa-Ogee, Umualumoke), Amuro (Amuro, Aro-Amuro), *Umulolo (Agbobu, Agbuala, Aku/Ihette, Aku/Ikenga, Amaosu, Amasator, Aro-Agbobu, Aro-Umulolo West, Aro-Umulolo East, Ibinta, Ndi-Oji, Ndi-Okoroji, Okanachi, Umuawa-Ibu) *Ihube (Agbala, Akpugo, Amagu, Amalator, Amano, Nkoto, Ogube, Ozara) *Otan-Chara (Alaike-Ogwaku, Alaocha-Igwaku, Ihitte-Isiokwe, Ikenga, Ikenga-Isiokwe) umuinem, umuzegem, Umueze, Umukeoke

Agriculture and soil

The soil is predominantly partly red clay and black or dark brown. The major crops grown in the district on its hilly farmlands are

palm trees Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

(

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

and palm wine), cassava, and vegetables.

References

Local Government Areas in Imo State Cities in Imo State Local Government Areas in Igboland Towns in Imo State {{Imo-geo-stub

Autonomous communities and villages

Agriculture and soil

See also

References