Nibo
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| Nibo | |
  Nibo
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Nigeria |
| State | Anambra State |
Nibo is a town in Awka South, Anambra State, Nigeria.
There are four major villages that make up the town, they are in order of seniority; Ezeawulu, Umuanum, Ifite and Ezeoye. Nibo is a community of cooperative men and women that work jointly for the development of the town. Influential families in Nibo include the Moh’s, Nnebe's, Ubosi’s, Adike's (Okafor Uduozo), Nnama’s, Onyilofor's, Orji's and the Ezekwe families.
[edit] Traditional institutions
Nibo operates rotational governance. The traditional stool which is held for life, rotates among the four villages though this was not always the case. There has been some dispute over who was the first traditional ruler (referred to as 'Ezeike') of Nibo between Umuanum and Ezeawulu villages. The ruler of Ezeawulu village was His Royal Highness Oke Ezekwe/Ezekwem while that of Umuanum was HRH Nnama Orjiakor-Eleh.
HRH Nnama Orjiakor Eleh was the ruler of Nibo before the coming of the British and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1896 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Britain together with other southern Paramount rulers such as HRH Onyeama of Eke, HRH Kodilinye of Obosi, HRH Onwurah of Awka, Obi of Onitsha, HRH Agwuna of NRI and HRH Ukpo. HRH NNAMA was appointed the President of Awka Customary Court of Appeal (1898- 1945), He also served as a Judge in the Provincial Court of Appeal for Onitsha Colonial Residency covering the Niger Provinces (what is now known as Anambra and Enugu States). HRH NNAMA was deputy judge in the Omenuko Court presided by the legendary Okoli Ijoma ruling over the old Awka province involving over 100 towns. He was from Umuanum village, which was at war with Ezeawulu and HRH Ezekwe over who was the ruler of Nibo. After decades of war, peace finally prevailed when Nnama and Ezekwe decided that Nnama's 1st son Orji Joshua Nnama and Ezekwe's 1st daughter Mgbafor Selina Ezekwe should marry, this appeared to be the best resolution that united both villages at which point HRH Nnama Orjiakor remained as ruler of Nibo till his death in 1945.
Upon death, his son Prince Joshua Nnama chose to pass over the throne to pursue his Christian work as a missionary in SE Nigeria, at which point his own son GCD Nnama was given the throne, unfortunately proper ceremonial rights were not done for many years, and Nibo was officially without a ruler till the town decided to vote and pass the rule that in order to make it fair, they should rotate it among villages. Prior to that Nibo never had rotational governance. His Royal Highness, Onwuegbune from Umuanum Village the next in seniority was coronated in the 1970s, and upon his death His Royal Highness Micheal C. Ngene from Ifite village ascended the throne and is currently the Ezeike of Nibo . Upon his death, the traditional stool will move next to Ezeoye village in that order.
There is a Nibo Town Union which is headed by a President-General (Arc. David Rob Moh) and the secretariat is manned by a Secretary-General. The town union is the engine room of the town administration. They handle revenue collection, enforcement of rules and infrastructural development. Usually, town unions are organised where ever Nibo people are all over the world and linked to Nibo. The Nibo USA group has a website located here [1] and is a very active group with their annual Nibo conference held every Labor Day weekend (1st weekend of September) in a preselected US city.
[edit] Nnemulu – Obodo women group
This is the women wing of town administration. This a very strong organ of women that also enforce discipline among the indigenes. The Nnemulu – Obodo Society of Nibo” comprising all women of Nibo was founded in mid 1950s by Selina Mgbafor Nnama (nee Ezekwe) signifying the emancipation of Nibo women as they gathered together to build the Nibo Maternity and Health Centre. In the early fifties, Nibo had no maternity home and there were none in the neighboring towns of Mbaukwu, Nise, Umuawulu and Isiagu. The nearest maternity home was in St Faiths Church Awka about 10 miles away, the next was in Catholic Hospital Adazi about 12 miles and lastly Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi about 20 miles from Nibo. The implication was that most women delivered their babies at home using the expertise of traditional midwives. Those who could afford to deliver their babies in the maternity experienced unbearable transport difficulties as they were mostly carried on head or bicycles due to scarcity of motor vehicles in those days. In the early fifties, there was nothing like motorcycle service or "Okada" as it is commonly known today. A good number of women with breach, facial presentations and other labour complications were not so lucky to make it to these distant maternity homes and hospitals.
Endowed with her indefatigable virtue, Mgbafor was in no way deterred. In unprecedented rally at Eke Nibo, thousands of women gave her a standing ovation and endorsed her plans that a maternity should be built and also that Nibo women will unilaterally enforce the control of cows and bulls which wander around the town and feeding on agricultural farms, by literally "holding the bulls by the horns" and fining the owners 3 British pounds, an amount which at 1954 prices could buy three modern bicycles and was enough to pay three months salary of a grade two teacher. Nibo women elected notable ladies of blessed memories such as late Nwangbafor Agubalu, a renowned traditional midwife from Ezeawulu, Late Mrs. Okeke from Umuanum, Late Mrs. Pricillia Okafor, a re-know bread baker from Ifite and late Mrs. Chine from Ezeoye to assist Chief Mrs. Selina Nnama in co-coordinating the activities and programs of Nnemuluobodo Society. The Nibo USA group is currently undergoing a project that involves expanding the Maternity Centre and donations are being accepted.
[edit] Festivals
Nibo has various traditional festivals which include Onwa Asa (New Yam festival) Onwa Asato and Nibo Day. Nibo Day is usually presided over by Ezeike-in-council. It is a very important day usually held on 26th December every year. It is usually a day for recognition of prominent sons and friends of the town who contribute to the development of the town.
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