Owerri

Owerri (əˈwɛrɪ) city is the capital of Imo State, South East Nigeria. Owerri is set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city. Owerri is home to popular higher institutions such as the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State University, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, and several secondary and primary schools. There is a government hospital and a teaching hospital, and private hospitals of varying sizes. The town is located in one of the most densely populated areas of Nigeria and is inhabited by the predominantly Christian Igbo people.

Understand
The slogan of Owerri is "Eastern Heartland". It is called the "entertainment capital of Nigeria" because of its high density of spacious hotels, high street casinos, production studios and high quality centres of relaxation. It consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and Owerri West. Owerri is a major trade centre for yams, cassava, garri (cassava flakes), corn [maize], and palm products for a region of modified rainforest that also yields rubber for export.

In 2016, it had a population of 1.4 million people, and is approximately 100 km² (40 sq mi) in area. Owerri is bordered by the Otamiri River to the east and the Nworie River to the south. Owerri is home to the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State University, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, and several secondary schools. It is also served by a general hospital and a federal hospital – Federal Medical Center, Owerri.

It is bordered by the states of Anambra to the north, Abia (until 1991 part of Imo state) to the east, and Rivers to the south and west.

History
Owerri was founded in the 14th century by founding father Ekwem Oha. His mother's name was Arugo. He fled from Umuori Village, Uratta in Owerri North, the Local Government Area of Imo State, when his life was threatened by his younger brother Ndum. The British first entered the territory in 1901, when they established a military post in the region. Imo consists of coastal lowlands to the east of the Niger River. Most of the state’s original tropical rain forest vegetation has been replaced by more open areas of oil-palm bush. Owerri is mainly inhabited by the Igbo (Ibo). It is one of the most densely populated cities in Nigeria and Christianity is the predominant religion.

Get in
The town is at the intersection of major roads from Aba in Abia State, Onitsha in Anambra State, Port Harcourt in Rivers state, and Umuahia in Abia State.

By plane
Prospective visitors wishing to access Owerri by air have to use Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (IATA: QOW, ICAO: DNIM). Despite the name, as of June 2021, there are passenger flights from Abuja (1 hr, from ₦114,000) and Lagos (1 hr, from ₦114,000) on Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines. United Nigeria also flies from Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Asaba. Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport is located in Ngor Okpala LGA in Imo State. It was the first state-government-built airport and the funding of the airport was by contributions and levies paid by Imo indigenes.



By bus
Many transport companies in Owerri offer daily services from almost all major cities and states around the country as well as international destinations in West Africa like Ghana and Cameroon. The buses are usually comfortable for short and long journeys. You can travel to Owerri from major cities like Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin and Kano. Some of the transport companies are Imo Transport Company (ITC) (with air conditioned bus), ABC Transport (with air conditioned luxurious bus rides), Ekene Dili Chukwu, Chisco Transport (CTN), The Young Shall Grow, God Is Good Motors, Peace Mass Transit and Abia Line.

Get around
The main forms of transportation in the city are buses. Okada (motorcycles) are not allowed to ply in Owerri city, however, there are designated streets in that allows Okada transportation. Most transport enters and leaves the city of Owerri through Egbu Road Motor Park and Control Post Motor Park.

See



 * Freedom Square
 * Chief Uwunna Recreational Park
 * Chief Uwunna Recreational Park

Do

 * Oru Owerri which is also known as Oru Eze (the kings festival) is a festival and cultural carnival celebrated annually Owerri people in remembrance of the creation of Owere (Owerri) by Ekwem Oha. It is celebrated by five traditional villages in Owerri Municipal. The festival is celebrated every year in July and it lasts for one week.The festival kicks off at Ugwu Ekwema (Ekwema's hill) where a community civic centre was built. The festival commences with roasting and eating of special yams.

Markets
There are two main urban markets in Owerri namely: Ekeukwu Owerri Market and Relief Market. These markets operates daily from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, shops in the market are usually locked, then traders stay by the road side and sell their goods.

Most goods in Owerri are sold in open markets or by street hawkers. A significant number of street hawkers are children and youth. Relief Market is a major market for the sale of garri, baskets of tomatoes, bags of onions, etc. It is patronized by merchants from stats such as Aba, Umuahia, Enugu and Onitsha. Non-food goods are also sold in Relief market while Ekeukwu Owerri market clothing, household wares, beauty products are sold there and also food items.



Supermarkets
There are also beautiful supermarkets for shopping. Some of them offer in-store shopping, pick-up, and delivery.


 * Everyday Supermarket Eporium 4 at Israel Nwoba Street. It offers a wide range of products from hair and beauty products to groceries, snd household items.
 * Glorisco Supermarket at # 14 Mbaise Road
 * Estevia Supermarket #39 Quinters Youth Opp Civic Centre Estate, Concorde Ave, New Owerri
 * Multilife Supermarket at #30 Mbari Street
 * Macjeo Supermarket at #10 Old Market Road

Eat
There are numerous restaurants and fast foods where you can eat local and delicious cuisines. Most of them offer dine-in, takeaway and delivery.



Drink
Owerri has a number of spots where visitors and tourists can drink and sample a taste of the city’s amazing local dishes like nkobi and ugba. Such spots include:



Budget




Splurge






Stay safe
Visitors moving around in Owerri should endeavour to sanitize their hands and wear nose masks to avoid being infected with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The region has also reportedly been under siege by the army and constant attacks by "unknown gunmen". It is advisable to be careful and not to stay out late.

Cope
To ensure the environmental cleanliness of the city, various social amenities that would help ensure a healthy environment are provided for easy access by both visitors and occupants of Owerri environs. These amenities include, health centres, public toilets, waste buckets, etc. and are strategically placed in different parts parts of the Owerri City.





Go next
From Owerri you can go to some other cities and states in Nigeria like:


 * Okigwe
 * Orlu
 * Enugu
 * Anambra
 * Abia
 * Rivers