BENIN KINGDOM IS THE ORIGIN OF ONITSHA.

           

            The Benin Origin Of Onitsha: By Late President Nnamdi Azikiwe- Oral tradition.


Prior to Nigerian independence in 1960 they were known not to have kings except perhaps for the Obi (from Oba: king) of Onitsha, hence the common saying: "Ibo enwero eze" (the Igbo has no king). Individual towns, clans and families see themselves as independent as they are very clannish. They are also known to look down on other peoples, hardly integrating with their hosts though also feigning friendliness. Not surprisingly foreigners see little motivation in investing and residing in their homeland. Indeed the name of one of their most prominent settlements, Onitsha, is said to be derived from Onini (to despise) and Ncha (others), meaning "one who despises others." Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, former Nigerian president and Igbo leader, even described the attitude as supercilious.
Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Genealogy and Nativity "Thus, in tracing my paternal lineage, I could say that both parents of my father are direct descendants of Eze Chima. As for me, I can trace my paternal ancestry in this wise: I am the first son of Chukwuemeka, who was the third child and first son of Azikiwe, who was the second son of Molokwu, who was the third son of Ozomaocha, who was the second son of Inosi Onira, who was the fourth son of Dei, the second son of Eze Chima, the founder of Onitsha."

SOURCE - Nnamdi A zikiwe: My Odyssey, Chapter I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" P4
"I can trace my maternal ancestry thus: I am the first son of Nwanonaku Rachel Chinwe Ogbenyeanu (Aghadiuno)Azikiwe, who was third daughter of Aghadiuno Ajie, the fifth son of Onowu Agbani, first daughter of Obi Udokwu, the son who descended from five Kings of Onitsha. Five of these rulers of Onitsha were direct lineal descendants of Eze Chima (PRINCE OHIME), who led his warrior adventurers when they left Benin to establish the Onitsha city state in about 1748 AD.
" SOURCE - Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Odyssey, Chapter I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" P5 "One day I asked her (grandmother) the meaning of the word 'Onitsha'. She explained that it had historical significance. The terminology meant one who despised another. It is a contraction of two words, Onini to despise, and Ncha meaning others. So that the two words when joined together mean one who despises others. Then I asked her why we despised others. She patted me on the back and told me that it was due to our aristocratic background and tradition. I insisted that she should explain to me the basis of this supercilious social attitude. She told me that we despised others because we descended from the Royal House of Benin and so regarded ourselves as the superiors of other tribes who had no royal blood in their veins, "

"I continued to belabor my grandmother to tell me more of the history and origins of the Onitsha people. She narrated that many many years ago, there lived at Idu (Benin) a great Oba who had many children. Due to a power struggle regarding the right of precedence among princes of the blood and other altercations, there was a civil war in Benin. One day, the supporters of one of the princes insulted and assaulted Queen Asije, the mother of of the Oba of Benin, who was accused of having trespassed on their farmland. Enraged at this evidence of indiscipline and lawlessness, the Oba ordered his war chief and brother, Gbunwala Asije to apprehend and punish the insurgents. In the attempt to penalize them, Chima (OHIME), the ultimate founder of the Onitsha City-State, a Prince of the blood in his own right, led the recalcitrants against his Uncle, Gbunwala. This intensified the civil war which rent the kingdom of Benin in two and led to the founding of Onitsha Ado N'Idu,  "As the great trek from Benin progressed, some did not have the stout heart of the pioneer-warrior, and decided to settle at different places, known today as Onitsha -Ugbo, Onitsha-Olona, Onitsha-Mili, Obior, Issele Ukwu, Ossomari, Aboh, etc.

 " SOURCE - Nnamdi Azikiwe: My Odyssey, I (Spectrum Books, 1970) "My Genealogy and Nativity" P 11 - 12.
Most Igbo men knew about Zik's book and the rest. Most also know the history of the Onitshas, Zik paid homage to the Oba of Benin during his life time. Even Ogwuta claim to descend from Benin.