Ekwulobia

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Ekwulobia
Town
Ekwulobia
Coordinates: 6°01′28″N 7°04′45″E / 6.02444°N 7.07917°E / 6.02444; 7.07917

Ekwulobia is an Igbo-speaking town in southeastern Nigeria.^[1] It is one of the largest cities in Anambra State after Awka, Onitsha, and Nnewi and their respective conurbations.^{[citation needed]} It is the headquarters of the present Aguata local government and the headquarters of the old Aguata Local Government that comprised the present Aguata local government and Orumba North and South local governments.^[1]

Ekwulobia contains nine villages, traditionally treated as two sectors: Ezi and Ifite. The villages under Ezi are Umuchiana, Umuchi, Okpo, Nkono, Abogwume, and Ihuokpala, and the villages under Ifite are Agba, Ula, and Eziagulu.^{[citation needed][2]}

The traditional ruler, or igwe, is Emmanuel Chukwukadibia Onyeneke.^[3]

The town houses an Anglican cathedral called the Cathedral Church of Saint John, a Roman Catholic cathedral called the Saint Joseph's Cathedral, and other churches. In March 2020, Pope Francis installed Peter Okpaleke as Bishop of Ekwulobia after the creation of the new diocese.^[4] He had previously served as Bishop of Ahiar until his resignation in 2018.

The town also contains a central park, a large daily market, various primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions, hotels and resorts, a prison, a soccer stadium, and the Ekwulobia General Hospital. Ekwulobia is known for its special masquerades called the Achikwu,^[5] typically occurring during Christmas and Easter celebrations.