Onicha Igboeze Smart City Development Foundation (OISDF)
Our Roots: History, Ancestry & Genealogy
➤ Onicha Igboeze Ancestry
The original name of the community, Onyichaa, meaning “the one who is above everyone and every other community,” reflects the high regard with which the ancestors of Onicha were viewed—warriors who dominated neighboring settlements through superior warfare strategies. The people of Onicha Igboeze trace their ancestry to Ezza Ezekuna, the legendary founder of the Ezza people in what is now the Abakaliki bloc. During his wide-ranging migration (described as a Normandy-style expedition), Ezekuna rested at Eziga, where he established a temporary home and fathered his first son. This landmark in Eziga is still revered as the cradle of Onicha Igboeze ancestry.
➤ Onyicha Genealogy and Dynasties
Onicha Igboeze evolved as a strictly patriarchal society where men were not only political heads of their families but spiritual and economic anchors. A man's power was often measured by the number of wives and children he commanded. Those with more than three wives were regarded as lords over their extended household empires. These men wielded such influence that they could command the labor of hundreds of workers daily—tilling land, rearing cattle, or harvesting yams—feeding them day and night.
➤ Onicha Igboeze Recent Past
Transitioned from a dominantly agrarian society to one that encountered Western influences during colonialism—embracing Christianity, Western education, and new governance models. Practices like polygamy and child betrothal, while now phased out, defined the social architecture of Onicha's past.