Inyi, Nigeria

Bronze metal statue of a woman moulding a pot, erected in 1960 independence of Nigeria
Arial map showing the various village and main roads within Inyi town

Inyi is a town in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Geography

Inyi is a town located in the Oji River Local Government Area within Enugu State in Nigeria. Its about 60 kilometers to Enugu City, the capital of Enugu State, 45 kilometers to Awka, the capital of Anambra State, and 35 kilometers to Nnewi via Ufuma Town. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group, an area also known as the Waawa people.

The name INYI is derived from a tree called Inyi, under which the father of inyi descendants was found and adopted.

Inyi comprises nine villages, namely: Enugwu-Inyi, Umuome, Obune, Agbariji, Amankwo, Umuagu, Nkwere, Alum and Akwu. Recently the government of Enugu created five autonomous communities out of Inyi. These autonomous communities are Agbada-Inyi (Umuome, Obune, Amankwo and Nkwere), Ugwu-Inyi (Agbariji and Akwu), Enugu Inyi, Alum, and Umuagu.

It is bordered by Achi, Awlaw, Akpugoeze, Ugwuoba (all in the Oji River Local Government Area) and Ufuma.

History

According to oral history and cultures in practice, the forebearer Inyi himself was born in Agun'ese, near Umueji in what is now Ufuma, Anambra State. He had foundational issues with his parents because he grew the upper part of the teeth first — something considered as taboo in Ufuma and Igbo land then. He was thrown out to the Ufuma evil forest near Mmamu River where he was picked by a farmer and a hunter called Ji-Ala. Ji-Ala picked him sheltering under a tree named "Inyi" in Igbo language, hence he (Ji-Ala) named him after the tree. Ji-Ala took the picked child Inyi from that Ufuma evil forest to his town and territory -Jiala Town. Ji-ala and his descendants hold the spiritual gift powers of beholding taboos and abomination(igbuju ala, iji-ala and Ipufu-aru) cleansed Inyi spiritually of his abominations(the taboo) and made Inyi his Child and trained Inyi to manhood. Inyi progressed there from since then. Inyi helped Ji-Ala to father a son via Ji-Ala's daughter because the latter had problems of his sons' mortality, which actually made him to adopt Inyi as a child in the first place, coupled the Jiala's powers to behold abominations. That Child of Inyi and the daughter of Jiala continued the generation of Jiala as UmuJiala(children of Ji-ala) even though bearing the blood of Inyi and Jiala alike. That blood convergence of Patriarch Jiala and Patriarch Inyi in UmuJiala of the Present has made UmuJiala the first royal and custodians of the Odu-na-ala and Ome-na-ala (mores or laws) of all Inyi Nation's religion, culture, honor, etiquette, customs, manner and affairs per Igbo Mores (per Dr. Francis Arinze 1978:30).

Inyi later had five sons (Ome, Enugu, Obune, Iji and Nkwo) of his own, who were known as Inyi Agu n'ese Omeire, or the Five Active Tigers. One of his sons, Iji, had a son Agbara and a daughter Chieze, who founded Abgariji Village and Alum Chieze Village, respectively. The other four sons founded their respective villages by name; Umuome, Enugwu Inyi, Obune and Amankwo. In line with how Jiala picked and trained him(Inyi), Inyi picked three sons also in addition to his sons, who later founded their villages also. They are Nkwere, Umuagu and Akwu, bringing the number of Inyi villages to nine.

Ji-Ala's descendants had remained as the Centre village of Inyi clan -ISI ALA keeping the custodians of what binds and unites the Inyi Nations together and servicing the other villages with the spiritual gift powers of beholding taboos and abomination(igbuju ala, iji-ala and Ipufu-aru) until the colonization of Nigeria took place and were administratively absorbed into Enugu Inyi and Ajala Village into Umuome Inyi as well , but UmuJiala remain as the 'Titular Father'2 holding the ancestral Ahiajioku Shrine, Nji-ichie Jiala/Inyi/Enugwu shrines, Agwu-Ikpa(the ancestral healing shrine of the Inyi Clan, Ooji Inyi(pronounce as Ooohji - meaning the ancestral staff of a patriarch from Jiala to Inyi) and the Ancestral Ofo of the Clan of Inyi Nation. REFERENCE BOOKS : <Inyi Home Affairs by Professor C. Agodi Onwumechili 2006 :4-11,Coming A Long Way 2010 at page 6 by the same Prof. C. A Onwumechili, 2. See this quotation of Professor Onwumechili in the IGBO TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT WITHOUT KINGS by Professor Cyril Agodi Onwumechili at the AHIAJIOKU LECTURES Year 2000 published in pages 101 -110 in the Book of Emeritus Prof. Alexander O. E Animalu, Professor(Mrs.) Francisca N. Okeke, and Jeff Unaegbu (2011). ‘Biography of the Eminent Pioneer Geophysicist -CYRIL AGODI ONWUMECHILI –Professor of Physics’ 

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Places of interest

Inyi has many tourist sites, including the Nwachighi stream; Ajala Inyi, Okpu-ogho, Oji arum; Iyi oku; the Sacred Heart Church; Nkwo market, the biggest market in Enugu State; Ngwara stream for swimmers, Ogba Anike and others.

Inyi is situated centrally, with fertile arable land, clay deposit and very good people. inyi is more like a place for pottery in the earlier period though. this is also shown in the status of the woman with a pot.

Education

Between 1976 and 1977, two secondary schools were built in Inyi by community effort and with approval from the State Ministry of Education, formerly Anambra. These schools are the Boys High School Inyi (now known as Model Comprehensive Boys Secondary School) and Girls Secondary School Inyi.

Today, there are many more secondary and tertiary institutions in Inyi and prominent among them is the School of Health Technology Inyi, which is a school of paramedical studies located in Enugu-Inyi.

Culture

Abacha ncha made from Cassava and Palm oil etc.

Inyi people are known to be a very hospitable and cheerful race. They are most notable for the manner in which they entertain their guests after the initial offering of kola nut (Oji) in any simple or complex gathering/Event. Inyi people traditional entertain their visitors by preparing Ncha by form of a delicay, served with fish and palm wine.

Washed down with a fresh Palm wine (White Palm Sap water) from local Palm wine tapping, which has been noted to be beneficial to the sight with its yeast content, when drank in moderation, as it is also intoxicating. Inyi people enjoy the company of each other so much so that they are said to drink from the same cup without any fears or reservations. The people of Inyi are primarily farmers, wine tappers and petty traders. The women are proficient in pottery and the making of abacha varieties - food items deriving from cooked cassava tubers shredded to sizes and types. It is this abacha that forms the main component of the delicacy called ncha. Inyi can be said to be the headquarters of ncha in Nigeria. A visitor is offered this delicious dish just after the presentation of kola nuts.

Weather Condition in Inyi

Weather conditions in Inyi consists of two major seasons, the Dry season and the Wet season (Raining season).

The dry season begins in November and extends till April, but between December and January, the days are at its driest and windy, nights and early morning are colder. This is generally referred to as the Harmattan season. The northeastern winds come often in spells that last from a few days to more than a week. Nights become chilly and temperatures may even drop below the 18 °C, coming back to an average 32 °C during the day with occasional peaks above the 36 °C during the day. The hot harmattan winds evaporate body moisture quickly and give a sensation of coolness to the skin. It is these Sahara winds that carry large amounts of dust to the state, leaving a thick fog in the morning and a hazy sky for the rest of the day behind.

However, the rain season falls between May and October with the heaviest rains in June and July during this season, the rain is mostly preceded by strong winds and skies filled with lightning and Thunder. In the absence of rain, weather is clear and cool, around 26 °C; during the day and 20 °C in the night, however humidity prevails. The annual rainfall in Enugu State is between 1.5 and 2 metres.

People from Inyi

Beniah Madueke, Francis Emeribe, John Anyaji, Basillos Onyebuchi,EzeChukwu Maduekesi(1st Warrant Chief), UdeEkwo Nwokolo, Udeagbara Uzoka, Edward Mba, Alfred Obika (Enugwu), Micheal Amuche, Matthew Anyafuluzo, Ezekiel Ike and Pa Obika (Agbariji) and a host of others were the pioneers who received Christianity about the 1917 and founded the two early churches which formed the bedrock of western civilization and education with the founding of Primary Schools at the time. Later their son's Nze Aaron Obika, Prof Agodi Onwumechili, Morris Chukwu, Felix Madueke, Adrain Orah, Beneth Maduka and their peer group co-founded Inyi Welfare Association (IWA) and worked tirelessly to uplift the literacy level of the town and founded Inyi Boys Comprehensive High School and Inyi Girl's Secondary School. It is pertinent to acknowledge the Legal and intellectual reform brought to Inyi people by Pa Richard Chukwunakpunze who was among the pioneer Court-Clark of then Southern Nigeria and equally a descendant of His Royal Majesty Igwe, Maduekesi, Lion King of Inyi Kingdom and other sphere of Influence. Some prominent Inyi people include

  1. President General Ugwu Inyi. # PDP Enugu West Zonal Chairman # CEO Cobi Computers

References

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