The migration of the Onitsha people to their current position parallels that of numerous other settlements west of the Niger River.
They migrated from Ile-Ife, according to oral and written historical sources, after a protracted sojourn in the former Benin Empire. The early fifteenth-century* political instability in the Empire prompted their flight.
Traditional and cultural affinities indicate that the migration passed through what became known as the Mid-West and continued on to the great River Niger. Chima, one of the then-Benin Empire’s warlords, was supposed to have led the escape. This resulted in the discovery of numerous communities as well as the blue-blood tribe of Umuezechima (descendants of King Chima). According to W, Chima may have been compelled to flee Benin. R. T. Milne in his intelligence report on Onitsha, because of a kingship conflict in 1468.
After conquering the Oze people in a series of communal battles, Oreze, one of Chima’s sons, evidently inspired by his father’s wish to settle across the Niger, led some groups to cross and settle at the present-day Inland Town.
Due to the strategic importance of Onitsha to the British commercial enterprise, especially the slave trade, the British government entered into an arrangement with the Onitsha people in 1857 to give a steamboat, a form of worship, under the supervision of Dr. Baikie for the defence* of the town. Bishop Ajayi Crowther accompanied the missionary expedition from Sierra Leone and founded the Church Missionary Society in the town later that same year.
Contemporary Onitsha
In 1879, as a result of this and other treaties between Onitsha and Europeans, a variety of commercial enterprises joined to become the Royal Niger Company. The British administration installed the first telephone/telegraph cable across the River Niger to Onitsha in 1906. In 1905, Onitsha became the political headquarters of the Central Division.
Obi Samuel Okosi I, the traditional ruler of Onitsha at the time of Obi Anazonwu’s death in 1899, was awarded a certificate of recognition by the British government as the 17th Obi of Onitsha.
Onitsha maintains its position as the “commercial nerve center”* of Nigeria’s South-east and South-south regions and is also a significant commerce hub in West Africa. The Onitsha Main Market is one of West Africa’s largest markets. The majority of Eastern Nigeria’s leading import merchants have their headquarters within the market. The market is heavily patronized by traders from the ECOWAS subregion, including Accra, Abidjan, Douala, Niamey, and Cotonou.
In the contemporary state of Anambra, Onitsha has likewise evolved into a modern metropolitan society. Notable institutions include a federal government college, an army cantonment, and a school of metallurgy.
Onitsha is also one of the initial locations for early missionaries in Nigeria due to its conversion to Christianity. In 1857, the Anglicans were the first missionaries to arrive in Onitsha. In 1884, Roman Catholics eventually arrived. As they preached Christianity among the Igbo-speaking people, these missionary organizations used Onitsha as a staging area. Today, Onitsha is home to the All Saints’ Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese on the Niger of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and the Cathedral Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, the seat of the Onitsha Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Onitsha people were the first in the entire southeast region of Nigeria to adopt western education. Onitsha is home to some of the oldest secondary educational institutions in the region, including the Dennis Memorial Grammar School and the Christ the King College, which were founded in 1925 and 1933, respectively. The city has produced several prominent individuals, like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, often known as Zik of Africa. He was the first president of Nigeria after its independence and Owelle of Onitsha. Sir Louis Mbanefo, the first Igbo-speaking lawyer, Professor Chike Obi, the renowned mathematician, and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Games gold medalist, are also natives of the city (high jump).
