Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of

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 ...

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 ...

, set in the heart of

Igboland Igboland (Standard ), also known as Southeastern Nigeria (but extends into South-Southern Nigeria), is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. It is a cultural and common linguistic region in southern Nigeria. Geographically, it is divided b ...

. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu,

Okigwe Okigwe is the third largest city in Imo state in Nigeria after Owerri and Orlu. Okigwe is located in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Nigeria. The city lies between the Port Harcourt- Enugu-Maiduguri rail line, being the nearest city to the ...

and

Ohaji/Egbema Ohaji-Egbema is an oil-rich Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is Mmahu-Egbema. Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area as presently constituted was created by the Gen. Ibrahim B. Babangida’s administration by the Augu ...

. Owerri consists of three

Local Government Areas 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, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

including

Owerri Municipal Owerri Municipal is a Local Government Area in Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the city of Owerri. It has an area of 58 km² and a population of 127,213 according to the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 460. Owerri city s ...

Owerri North Owerri North is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Orie Uratta. It has an area of 198 square km and a population of 175,395 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 460. Owerri North is sem ...

and

Owerri West Owerri West is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Umuguma. Owerri West Local Government is administered under the terms of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Elections to the office ...

, it has an estimated population of about 1,401,873 as of 2016 and is approximately in area. Owerri is bordered by the

Otamiri River The Otamiri River is one of the main rivers in Imo State, Nigeria. The river takes its name from ''Ota Miri'', a deity who owns all the waters that are called by his name, and who is often the dominating god of Mbari houses. The river runs south ...

to the east and the

Nworie River The Nworie River is a river in Nigeria that passes through Owerri and drains into the Otamiri River The Otamiri River is one of the main rivers in Imo State, Nigeria. The river takes its name from ''Ota Miri'', a deity who owns all the waters ...

to the south. The Owerri Slogan is ''Heartland''.

History

Owerri was the last of three capitals of the

Republic of Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

in 1969. The capital of the secessionist state was continuously being moved as Nigerian troops captured the older capitals.

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 ...

and

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 ...

were the other capitals before Owerri. Present-day Owerri does contain some statuary memorializing the war, particularly in locations which suffered heavy bombing, but most war artifacts and history are located in the museum at Umuahia, Abia State. On 5 April 2021, a mass

prison break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

happened in Owerri, in which 1,844 inmates were released. It is alleged that the

Eastern Security Network The Eastern Security Network (ESN) is the paramilitary organization of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra separatist movement. Background The Igbo people lost the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, during which they attempted to ...

was responsible for the attack.

Transport and trade

Owerri has an airport southeast of the city, called the

Imo Airport Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport , also known as Imo State Airport, serves Owerri, the capital city of Imo State in southeastern Nigeria. It is located in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Imo State. The building of the airport commenc ...

, located in Obiangwu,

Ngor Okpala Ngor Okpala is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Umuneke Ngor. It has an area of 561 km²; it has a population of 159,932 at the 2006 census. It is a notable place in Imo state because of the ...

LGA. The Airport (Sam Mbakwe Airport) provides flight services to

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Port Harcourt, and

. Right now, it serves as an alternate for Port Harcourt. Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport is now an International Cargo Airport. Some major roads that go through the city are; Port Harcourt Rd., Aba Rd.,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...

Rd., and Okigwe Rd. Roads within the city are; Douglas Rd. , Weatheral Rd., Tetlow Rd., and Works Rd. Relief market is the main market in Owerri after the demolition of Eke Ukwu Owere. Owerri sits in the

rain forest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

and produces many agricultural products, such as yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

and

palm 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 ...

products. Owerri also sits on huge

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

and natural gas reserves like most of the Igbo land areas.

Climate

Owerri has a tropical wet climate according to the Köppen-Geiger system. Rain falls for most months of the year with a brief dry season. The

Harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the ...

affects the city in the early periods of the dry season and it is noticeably less pronounced than in other cities in Nigeria. The average temperature is 26.4 °C.

Education

Universities/tertiary institutions

* African University of Science and Technology (AIST CCE Owerri) *

Federal Polytechnic, Nekede The Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, is a federal government-owned higher education institution located in Nekede, Owerri West local government area, Imo State, south-eastern Nigeria. It was established on a temporary site at the premise of Govern ...

Federal University of Technology Owerri The Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) is a federal government university in Owerri West, the capital of Imo State, Nigeria. The university is bounded by the communities of Eziobodo, Umuchima, Ihiagwa and Obinze. It is the premier ...

Imo State University The Imo State University (IMSU) in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was established in 1981 through law No. 4 passed by the Imo State House of Assembly. The university admitted the first intake of 392 pioneer students on 23 October, 1981. After th ...

Alvan Ikoku College of Education Alvan or Alavan may refer to: * Alvan (singer), a French singer * Alvan (biblical figure), a minor biblical figure * Alvan, East Azerbaijan, a village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Alvan, Iran, a city in Khuzestan Province * Alvan, Shadegan, ...

* Federal College of Land Resources, Oforola * Government Technical college Owerri * Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo *

Owerri MSME Business School Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

Aladinma Housing Estate, Owerri * Seat of Wisdom Seminary Owerri

Secondary/high schools

* Federal Government Girls' College, Owerri * Army Day Secondary School, Obinze * Christ the King Secondary School, Obike * Community Secondary School, Oforola, Owerri * Development Secondary School Owerri * Emmanuel College Owerri * Government Secondary School Owerri *

Holy Ghost College Owerri Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

* Madonna Model Secondary School, Owerri * Methodist High School, Owerri * Obube Comprehensive Secondary School (Egbelu Obube) * Obube Secondary School *

Owerri Girls Secondary School Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

* Pearlville Secondary School.

Food

One major food that is particular to the Owerri people is known as ofe owerri (ofe means soup, while Owerri is the capital of Imo state). It is sometimes referred to as the king of soup and in some Igbo communities, beautiful women are sometimes likened to Ofe Owerri. Ingredients for the soup, include

snails A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

, (cow skin),

goat meat Goat meat or goat's meat is the meat of the domestic goat ''(Capra aegagrus hircus)''. The common name for goat meat is simply "goat", while that from young goats can be called ''capretto'' (It.), ''cabrito'' (Sp. and Por.) or ''kid''. In South ...

, okporoko (dried hake fish),

dried fish Fresh fish rapidly deteriorates unless some way can be found to preserve it. Drying (food), Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Open air drying using sun ...

, oporo (smoked

prawns Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...

), grounded dried

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

, wraps of ogili (fermented soya beans), fresh pepper, grounded dried pepper, grounded uziza seeds ( Ashanti pepper),

cocoyam Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family (also known as Aroids and by the family name ''Araceae'') and may refer to: * Taro (''Colocasia esculenta'') - old cocoyam * Malanga ('' ...

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 ...

, sliced ugu leaves (pumpkin leaves), sliced oha leaves, sliced uziza leaves, stock cubes, achi powder and salt.

Sports

Owerri has a major Nigerian football club:

Heartland F.C. Heartland Football Club founded as Spartans F.C., later known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale from 1985 to 2006 is a Nigerian football club based in Owerri. The team play their home games at Dan Anyiam Stadium (but currently use the new Okigwe Stadium ...

It was known previously as Iwuanyawu Nationale, but the team retained its nickname: The Naze Millionaires. Popular '' super Eagle'' players hails from owerri, people like

Emmanuel Emenike Emmanuel Chinenye Emenike (born 10 May 1987) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker. He most recently played for Belgian club Westerlo. Club career Delta Force F.C. Emenike started his football career with Delta Force. At t ...

Kelechi Iheanacho Kelechi Promise Iheanacho () (spelled ''Ịheanachọ'' in Igbo) (born 3 October 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. Iheanacho began his senior career at ...

who played for major English clubs like

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club are an England, English association football, football club based in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English football. Fo ...

and Leicester City F.C., Former

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, Portsmouth F.C. striker and

Nigeria national football team The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in men's international Association football, football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners, with their most recent title in ...

player

Nwankwo Kanu Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was a member of the Nigeria national team, and played for Nigerian team Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Dutch side Ajax, Inter Milan of Italy, and ...

was born and raised in Owerri. He attended Holy Ghost College, a renowned local secondary school in the Owerri town.

Religion

Christianity is the dominant religion in Owerri. Catholics and Anglicans have the largest followings and Owerri is home to Assumpta Cathedral, the seat of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Overriensis'') is located in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. The Seat of Wisdom Seminary is in Owerri. The archdiocese covers an area of 2,996 km2. 670,986 of the 1.7 million pe ...

(Latin: Archidioecesis Overriensis) and the Seat of Wisdom Seminary. The archdiocese covers an area of 2,996 square kilometres. 670,986 of the 1.7 million people in the area are members of the Catholic Church. All Saints Cathedral, Egbu is the first and Largest Anglican Church in Owerri and the home of first Igbo translated Bible.

Gallery

File:Freedom Square Owerri Imo State.jpg, Freedom Square Owerri,Imo State File:Freedom Square Owerri.jpg, Freedom Square Owerri File:Statues in Hero's Square Owerri Imo State.jpg, Statues in Heroes Square Owerri, Imo state File:Freedom park Owerri.jpg, Freedom Park Owerri File:Akachi Monument, Owerri, Imo State Nigeria.jpg, Akachi Monument, Owerri, Imo state File:Assumpta Cathedral Owerri.jpg, Assumpta Cathedral Owerri File:Otamiri River (3) in Egbu, Owerri.jpg, Otamiri River in Egbu, Owerri

References

{{Authority control State capitals in Nigeria Cities in Imo State Towns in Igboland