Owerri West

Owerri West
LGA
Country	Nigeria
State	Imo State
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

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 of the Chairman of the local government are held through nominations by registered political parties as stipulated by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the supervision of Imo State Electoral Commission. Owerri West was carved out of the former Owerri Local Government Area in 1996. A very large portion of the local government constitute the capital city of Imo State, Nigeria.

It has an area of 295 km² and a population of 99,265 at the 2006 census.

The postal code of the area is 460.

Communities

1. Umuguma
2. Avu
3. Okuku
4. Oforola
5. Obinze
6. Nnekede
7. Ihiagwa
8. Eziobodo
9. Okolochi
10. Emeabiam
11. Umuokpor
12. Irete
13. Orogwe
14. Amakohia
15. Ndegwu
16. Ohii

Prominent locations in Owerri West include:

1. Federal Polytechnic Nnekede
2. Federal University of Technology Owerri - located at Ihiagwa and Eziobodo
3. Federal Secretariat - located at Umuguma along Port Harcourt Road
4. State Secretariat
5. General Hospital Umuguma
6. World Bank Housing Estates Umuguma, Area L, M, N
7. Federal Housing Estate Umuguma
8. Imo State Housing Estate Umuguma
9. Concorde Hotel

The Owerri West Local Government Headquarters is situated at the heart of Umuguma community by the central market square.

History

The ancestral homeland of Umuguma is traced to the banks of Nwaorie river, where Holy Ghost College (Arugo High School) Owerri is now located. Umuguma is a descendant of Arugo. According to oral history, Uratta gave birth to Ekwema, Arugo and others. Ekwema begat Owerre, and Arugo begat Umuguma.

Umuguma suffered a lot of pushbacks from the cousin Owerre, to the extent that the traditional boundaries have always been redrawn in favor of Owerre. The present physical geography of Umuguma comprise virtually the entire area referred today as "New Owerri" - which is a locational identity coined by recent settlers or non-indigenes to connote their new found metropolitan or urban settlement. But, it gradually became an acceptable way for the Owerri Municipal Local Government to usurp some Owerri West or Irete, Umuguma, and Nekede lands for their use. However, in the midst of all the controversies, Umuguma's physical geography stretches from the Northern part at the round-about on Sam Mbakwe Avenue by Dream-Land Hotel through the Coca Cola Factory off Irete road on the East, and the Federal Secretariat Complex on Port Harcourt Road to the West, stretching through Port Harcourt expressway including all the Housing Estates - World Bank, Federal and Imo State Housing estates. Umuguma as a community has traditional boundaries with Owerre at the north, Nnekede at the west, Irete and Okuku on the east and Avu at the south. Umuguma has contributed the largest landmass to the Owerri Capital Project in Imo State.

The traditional leadership of Umuguma community includes an Eze and President General of the Town Union. Umuguma has five traditional villages - Umuome, Umunwanyi, Umunkwo, Umuagu and Ogbuosisi. The traditional leadership stool (Eze) has moved through several ruling houses. In recent times, the Oparanozie ruling house in Umuome has produced Eze Herbert Oparanozie (Nnayereugo of Avu/Umuguma Autonomous community) who passed in 1987 and the stool remained vacant for several years. In 2000, Eze Nnamdi Ugorji from Ogbuosisi was crowned and he is presently the Eze Umuguma. The General Assembly of Umuguma is the Town Union, which deliberates on the social, political and economic well-being of the community and assists the Eze in maintaining peace and public order within the community. The affairs of the Town Union is presided over by the President-General, who oversees other Umuguma Town Union branch presidents, and is the custodian of the Town Union at home. The President-General is elected at a general assembly - the present elected President-General is Engineer Uzoma Kenneth Osuagwu (elected 2014)

Notable people

1. Chief Ignatius Umezurike - former Chairman Owerri Local Government Area (1988 - 1991)
2. Sir Levi Oguike - member Federal House of Representatives (1999 - 2003) and State Commissioner for Lands (2009 - 2011)
3. Sir Engineer Eddy Uwa Onuoha - British trained Engineer and Philanthropist
4. Commodore Ogechi E. Osuagwu - Retired very senior military officer and Philanthropist
5. Engineer Gibson Ozoemena - Director, Agip Oil
6. Sir Mike Eke - Chartered Accountant and former Bursar, University of Port Harcourt
7. Rev. Dr. Austin Chiagorom Okigbo, Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder, visiting professor at Williams College, Harvard, and Notre Dame
8. Dr. Barrister Eze Simpson Osuagwu - Harvard University Scholar and Legal Practitioner
9. Dr. Emeka J. Amanze - United States Army Veteran and Intellectual Property Law Scholar
10. Chief Chika Osuji - Chartered Accountant and Executive Officer, Nigeria LNG Bonny
11. Architect Newton Okoroafor - Director, Federal Ministry of Works
12. Dr. Bishop Ikwuagu - Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja
13. Rt. Hon. Barrister Uche Onyeagucha - Member Federal House of Representatives (2003 - 2007) and Special Adviser to the Governor 2014.