Ogidi, Anambra

Ogidi
Ogidi is located in Nigeria
Ogidi
Ogidi
Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°9′N 6°52′E / 6.150°N 6.867°E / 6.150; 6.867
Country Nigeria
StateAnambra State
LGAIdemili North
Population
 (2009)
 • Total
70,418
 • Ethnicities
Igbo
 • Religions
Christianity Odinani

Ogidi is an Igbo speaking town and the headquarters of Idemili North Local Government area, Anambra State, Nigeria.[1] It has an estimated population of 70,000[2] people and share boundaries with neighbouring towns like Abatete, Eziowelle, Ṅkpọr, Ụmụnnachị, Ụmụoji, Ogbụnike and Ụmụdiọka.[3][1]

Traditional Festival

Ogidi is best known for its mid-July annual Nwafor Festival, an 11-day festival in July that takes place after cultivation of yams. The other very significant component of the festival is the offer of prayers "for a good season."[4] It usually starts on the first Friday of the month.[5] The festival is usually marked with funfare featuring display of different categories of masquerades.

Notable People

The town is the birthplace of internationally known author Chinua Achebe, the foremost in Nigeria.[6] An Ogidi indigene, Harford C. Anierobi (from Umuezeobodo, Ajilija-Uru Ogidi) was the prominent actor "Dominic" in the 1949 documentary titled Daybreak in Udi, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary and a BAFTA award for Best Documentary.[7] Also from Ogidi is Catherine Uju Ifejika (née Ikpeze) (born 28 October 1959), a Nigerian lawyer, and Chairperson/CEO of Brittania-U Nigeria Limited (BUNL), an indigenous petroleum company for upstream exploration and production, and Brittania-U Ghana Limited (BUGL). She has received both national and international awards for best practice in business leadership.[8]


Notable Places

Other attractions include the famous Iyi-Enu Hospital, and Aforigwe market.[9] The people are known for protecting pythons, as the creature is regarded as a deity.[10]

Ogidi means pillar.[11][12]

Traditional Ruler

  1. ^ a b "Chinua Achebe: Ogidi man first, Ogidi man last". Vanguard News. 2013-04-13. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  2. ^ "Ogidi, Nigeria - Facts and information on Ogidi - Nigeria.Places-in-the-world.com". nigeria.places-in-the-world.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  3. ^ "Idemili North | Nigeria Facts". nigeriafacts.net. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  4. ^ "Nwafor Festival... Preserving Culture Of Unity In Ogidi". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  5. ^ "Nwafor Festival… Preserving Culture Of Unity In Ogidi". guardian.ng. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  6. ^ Olofintuade, Ayodele. "A Tour of Chinua Achebe's Nigeria". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  7. ^ "Daybreak in Udi", Film Affinity.
  8. ^ "Catherine Uju Ifejika", Britannia-U.
  9. ^ "Nwafor ogidi festival". zbn.electricien-cabestany.fr. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  10. ^ About, Find Facts. "50+ Amazing Yams Facts to Give OMG Moments". Find Facts About. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  11. ^ "Ogidi in English. Ogidi Meaning and Igbo to English Translation". www.indifferentlanguages.com. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  12. ^ "English :: Igbo Online Dictionary". English :: Igbo Online Dictionary. Retrieved 2020-05-27.