Orogwe is a community located in Owerri west LGA of Imo state in Nigeria. The community shares boundaries with some neighboring communities; Irete by the south, Ogbaku by the north, Ndegwu by the west and Ohii by the east.
Orogwe community is easily assessable as it is located along the onitsha- Owerri expressway which cuts across the community at kilometres 7 before getting to the control Post roundabout in Owerri municipal.
HISTORY / ORIGIN
Orogwe community has a historical background as one of the five sons of the oha legend in the Igbo land of eastern Nigeria. Orogwe is a member of the famous and legendary umuoha ofo use autonomous community.
Orogwe community was then divided into six village heads; Umueze, Ubah, Umunjanwoke, Umuokpiri and Umunnomo.
LANGUAGE
Igbo language is mostly spoken by the indigenes of orogwe community owing to the fact that it is their native language. Although English language is used for communication in the community, aged indigenes still communicate with their native language.
ECONOMY AND TRADE
Economically, the indigenes of orogwe are mostly peasant farmers cultivating agricultural produce having a population of about 10,000 people. These farmers export their agricultural produces to the market for sales.
The main market in orogwe community is the Eke orogwe market. Aside the market, there are other traders who stay in their shops along the road selling their goods and services.
Other occupants of the community are civil servants or traders as a reasonable amount of educated indigenes have migrated to urban and exposed cities or oversees in search of a better life or greener pastures.
EDUCATION
Orogwe’s system of public education is overseen by the IMO state board of education which governs primary and secondary education institutes. Substantively, orogwe’s educational system is similar to those found in other neighboring communities such as irete, ogbaku and Ohio.
There are two government primary school and one secondary school ( entails both junior and senior sections) in the community. Other schools are owned by private individuals.
Community secondary school (C.S.S) orogwe, owerri west LGA was founded in the year 1981 by the community and later handed over to the government to manage its affairs. The school is located along onitsha- owerri expressway. With the handover, the school became a government school supervised by the ministry of Education and secondary education management board, owerri, imo state.
The pioneer principal of the school was Mr. A. I. Ekeanyanwu. The first WAEC examination taken by ss3 students of C.S.S. Orogwe was in the year 1986. it is worthy of note that the school produced the best teacher in Nigeria in the person of Mr. J. O. Ukonu according to the bournvita assessment in 2002.
The school was then dualized in 2005/2006 session with Mrs. Mbachu G.O as the first Senior secondary school principal. Since then, the administration of the school has been handed over to worthy persons who successfully oversee the school during their tenure. Mr. Nwogu, G.C. handed over to the present principal of the school, Mrs. Offor, C. C.
Ukwueze Nursery and primary school and Community primary school are the two government primary schools in orogwe community. The schools are also supervised by the ministry of Education and primary Education management board, owerri, imo state. Ukwueze primary school is located in umueze village along onitsha- owerri expressway while community primary school is located near the main market in orogwe.
There are also other private schools located in orogwe community such as Citylight International schools Orogwe among others.
There is also an IT and business training Academy in orogwe called Protocol IT Academy that offers top notch computer, IT and business training in orogwe.
CULTURE
just like every Igbo community, orogwe has a culture. These cultural practices are carried out by indigenes of the land. The community is most notable for their Uri opi and Okorosha masquarede dance. These cultural practices have different seasons and time of the year in which it is being done. Not only is it practiced during a particular time of the year,there are other necessary do’s and don’t as well as things prohibited during this period. For instance, during the okorosha dance period, new yams are not brought out to be sold in the market until after the dance.
RELIGION
The eastern part of Nigeria is mainly dominated by Christians. Christianity is one of the three major languages of Nigeria and Nigeria has the largest population of Christians in Africa.
According to a recent report conducted in 2011, 51.6% or more than half of Nigerians are Christians. Christianity is mostly practiced in orogwe community.
St. Georges Catholic parish is the only Catholic parish in orogwe. The sane goes for St. Mark’s Anglican church. There are various Pentecostal churches situated around the community ; overcomers Christian mission, Mercy Christian center, Redeemed Christian Church of God, among others.
ST MARKS ANGLICAN CHURCH OROGWE
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rccg parish orogwe
It is also believed that there are other religious practices aside Christianity in orogwe such as the traditional religious practices though not easily seen. Although there is no mosque in orogwe, the Muslims pray at their designated times.
POLITICS
Orogwe community is being governed by the laws of the federal republic of Nigeria and imo state. The current king of orogwe community is Chief Emmanuel Ejiogu. He presides over the affairs of the community.
The judiciary and customary court in orogwe is currently located at the former primary health center besides ukwueze primary school orogwe. It has been in existence since 2017.
Also in Orogwe community is a new pharmacy that was established in 2020. Branch Pharmacy is located in Uba orogwe.
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