HOW MBAISE WAS CREATED

There are many oral traditions of origin for the people of Mbaise. “Nfunala” by Ekwerazu and Ahiara, claim that the people did not migrate, instead their ancestors were created in the present location. Oboama na Umunama in Ezinihitte believe Orie-Ukwu, was where God (Chineke) came down to earth and created people of the world, who migrated to their present location.
Another myth suggests a relationship with Ngwa clan. According to tradition while the people where migrating they stopped to drink and eat yam. As the Imo River was rising the people of Ngwa, “Ndi Ngwa Ngwa” (fast fast) picked up their yam and ran across the river to the other side leaving the people of Mbaise “Ndi-Ohuhu” (the roasters).
The name Mbaise never existed during the early colonial era. Before 1940, the area was an array of villages located side by side. Ahiara, Onicha, Nguru, Ezinihitte and Ohohia were some of the prominent villages.

The area of modern day Mbaise, formed part of the Niger Coast Protectorate created on 1 February 1896, by the British. Sir Ralph Moor was the Commissioner and Consul-General. In 1900, he became the High Commissioner of Southern Nigeria Protectorate, formed by the merger of Niger Coast Protectorate and the chartered territories of the Royal Niger Company.
Memo by the Major H.C. Stevenson District Officer, submitting report of Mr G. I. Stockley, Assistant District Officer In 1931, an intelligence report on the study of Ekwerazu and Ahiara, Owerri Division, was written by Mr G. I. Stockley, Assistant District Officer. The report which was certified by the Major H.C. Stevenson District Officer, amongst other challenges sought to address the problems of the internal administration.
The region which was volatile, came under the jurisdiction of the Nguru Native court, which was destroyed on 10 December 1929 during the Women’s Riot. The report noted that there had been three distinct attempts to address the administrative shortfalls in the region, all of which had failed.
The report proposed to merge Agbaja, Ezinihitte, Ekwerazu and Ahiara into a federation in the future, the first time such an administrative structure had been formed.

In 1943 the merger of Agbaja, Ahiara Ekwerazu, Ezinihitte and Ovoro was completed under the Native Authorities Ordinance No.17 of 1943. Mba (village/town) ise (five) was created from the five communities or clans which emerged from the British, colonial, native courts. The native courts were located in the following areas:

1. Ekwerazu – Uzuaku-Obohia in the North
2. Ahiara – Orie Ahiara in the North
3. Ezinihitte – Itu in the East
4. Oke-Uvoro – Uvuru in the South
5. Agbaja – Enyiogugu in the West

Most of Igbo land including Mbaise resisted the British colonial rulers in many ways, manifesting in a series of violent wars and battles. The Women’s War of 1929 was the breaking point, which redefined the history of colonial administration in Igbo land and the entire Eastern Nigeria. In 1930, the British set up a commission of inquiry, which documented gross failings and fundamental flaws by the colonial administration. The report led to urgent reforms, which created “native authorities” under the Native Authority Ordinance (No. 43 of 1933).
The formation of councils removed the practice of the warrant chiefs and spread authority among council members. Every clan under the Owerri Province formed part of a council, which gave rise to the modern day Mbaise.

In 1905, the location of modern Mbaise came under the Owerri district which was created 1902, with Harold M Douglas as the first District Commissioner. In 1897, Douglas arrived in Nigeria and was a major contributor to Aro expedition. The people knew him as a brutal autocratic ruler. He was a hard task master that used punitive military action to punish anyone who opposed his authority. He was renowned for physically assaulting any Igbo person who failed to follow his orders.
With Douglas in charge of the newly created Owerri District, the colonial administration established district officers, government houses, courthouses, warrant chiefs and road construction. Using forced labour, Douglas was keen to construct a road network, which opened up the hinterland to enable easy trade access for the British administration.

From his appointment up until to 1906 when he was transferred to Onitsha, Douglas had constructed over two hundred miles of roads in the Owerri district. As a notorious man he became known by many names such as the road-building whiteman (Beke ogbu ama) and beke ojoo (bad whiteman). It is speculated that Owerri, having the best road network in Eastern Nigeria, was the reason it remained, the only major, colonial city in the region, not connected to the rail network by the British colonial administration.
Following 1960 Nigerian independence, three local government areas (LGA) were created from the five clans as part of the new Imo state carved out in 1976, from the former East Central State. Ahiazu Mbaise LGA from Ahiara and Ekwerazu, Aboh Mbaise LGA from Oke-Ovoro and Agbaja and Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA excluding Umu-Ohiagu and Isu-Obiangwu which merged with Ngor-Okpala.