Ogbaru is a

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 ...

Anambra Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi Stat ...

State, south-central

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 ...

. The area's local government headquarters is in the port city of

Atani Atani is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River in Anambra State, Nigeria.Atani is the headquarter of Ogbaru Local Government Area, a Local Government in the Northern Senatorial District of Anambra State. It is one of the communities in ...

History

Ogbaru people are

farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

as well as known warriors from its history; the Ogbaru people share clan lineage and boundaries with

Anioma Anioma people are a subgroup of the Igbo ethnic group in Delta State, Nigeria. They are made up of communities which span across 9 Local government areas and speak different varieties of the Igbo language, including the Enuani language, Ukwuani l ...

people in Delta State and Ndoni people in

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa ...

Economy

Ogbaru has a Nigerian naval base, an industrial river harbor, a

refinery A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ...

, a federal road under-construction leading to Rivers State in Nigeria. Ogbaru is a projected link road to other parts of the

southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

and south zones of Nigeria with construction of more inland link roads and the construction of a

Second Niger bridge The Second Niger bridge is a Nigerian Federal Government project that is long and furnished with other ancillary infrastructure including a highway, Owerri interchange and a toll station all at Obosi city, inaugurated in March 2022. It opene ...

Geography

The Ogbaru people consider the Niger-River waters that run through its region as their territorial lands. Ogbaru is surrounded by river Niger to the west, from okpoko town to Ogwu-ikpele boundary with Rivers state (west end) and the

Orashi River Orashi River (also Urashi or Ulasi), is a river of the lower Niger River basin, and a tributary of Oguta Lake, southeastern Nigeria. Urashi takes off, 183 m above mean sea level, from the rocks in Ezeama community of Dikenafai, Imo State. Desc ...

to the East along Ogwu-aniocha and Osomari forest reserve (east end), Ogbaru boundary with Ihiala and goes up to

Okija Okija is the largest town in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State in Southeast Nigeria. The town is the oldest of all the towns in Ihiala local government area, and one of the biggest towns in Igboland. The people of Okija are predominantly Christians. Ok ...

, Ihiala, Owerri Onitsha road, also borders

Ozubulu Ozubulu is a larger town in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Ekwusigo Local Government Area. The town has an official Post Office. Its neighbouring towns are Nnewi, Ukpor, Ihembosi, Okija Okija is the largest town in Ih ...

, Oraifite and Oba to its northeast.

Climate

The shallow depth of the River makes the area subject to frequent flooding due to heavy rainfall in the rainy season which impacts local farms and crops. A major flood in 2018 killed 12 people and polluted nearby rivers. In 2020, a major flood displaced 1000 people and again impacted farms in the region. Towns within the region include

, Akili-Ogidi, Akili-Ozizor, Amiyi, Mputu, Obeagwe, Ohita, Odekpe, Ogbakugba, Ochuche Umuodu, Ossomala/Ossomari, Ogwu-aniocha, Umunankwo, Umuzu, Okpoko, and Ogwu-Ikpele. Ogbaru is neighbored to the north by

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. I ...

, a major commercial city in Nigeria also located in

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...

. Ogbaru is an Igbo clan that stretched into three Nigerian states,

, Delta State and

in Nigeria. Ogbaru was a food basket in Biafra country, during the civil war.(But little logistics for distribution across the war torn land).Civil war never came to Ogbaru it was inaccessible by road, or air, and covered in forest.

2022 Flooding

The overflow of River Niger and downpour in the past few days fuelled the rise of the water level.Houses, farmlands, markets and business houses have been swallowed by the flood.flood has taken over places like Ogwu Ikpele, Akili Ogidi, Obeagwe, Ossomala, Umunankwo, Ogbakuba, Ochuche, Akili Ozizor,

, Ohita, Odekpe, Amiyi, Iyiowa, Ogbeukwu, Okoti, Ochuche Umuodu and parts of the

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily ...

Okpoko near the commercial city of Onitsha.Total number of 76 citizens living in flood-ravaged areas Ogbaru were drowned when their boat capsized trying to leave their flooded homes. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ogbaru has the highest number of victims with 286,000 persons. One of the impact of the flood is house collapse causing death in the community.

Education

Secondary schools in Ogbaru Local Government Area include Ogbaru High School, Ogbakuba Ideke Grammar Secondary School, odekpe Unity Comprehensive Girls’ High School, Okpoko Community Boys’ Secondary School, Okpoko Community Girls’ Secondary School, Okpoko Community Secondary School, Atani Government Technical College, Osomala Community Secondary School, Odekpe Josephine Oduah Memorial Secondary School, and Akili-Ozizor Anthony Obaze Memorial Community Secondary School, Ochuche Umuodu.

People

Notable people and personalities from Ogbaru include: * Oseloka H. Obaze, diplomat and author, born in Ochuche Umuodu * Stella Oduah, Nigerian Senator and former Minister of

Aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

, born in Akili-Ozizor * Omu Okwei, the "Merchant Queen of Osomari", born in the region in 1872 * Oscar N. Onyema, chief executive officer of the

Nigerian Stock Exchange The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) now Nigerian Exchange Group is a Nigerian stock exchange founded in 1961 in Lagos. As of November 2019, it has a total of 161 listed companies, with 8 domestic companies on the premium board, 144 companies on the ...

, from Ogwu-Ikpele *

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe (March 17, 1936 – May 11, 2007), often referred to as just Osita Osadebe, was a Nigerian highlife musician from Atani. During his career spanning over four decades, he became one of the best known musicians of I ...

Igbo highlife Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. It first started off in the southeast region of Nigeria, during the 1920s in Lagos. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with rare characteri ...

musician, born in