Anam is located in Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria on latitude/longitude 6° 21’34°N of the Equator/6°44′ 59″ E of the Greenwich Meridian.
It’s situated northwest of Onitsha (the famous third largest commercial market after Lagos and Kano), northeast of Asaba (Ahaba Ibe Okwe), stretching northwards across the River Niger East of Anwai and Ugbolu in Delta State.
Anam is sandwiched between the River Niger on the western axis, the River Omabala on the eastern axis and the River Ezichi on the northeast stretching up to Eziagulu-Otu/Ogwulugwu frontiers in the Anambra East Local Government Area. The northern border has Echeno, Ika and Omabo in Ibaji Local Government Area Kogi state. Nzam and Inoma (both Igala speaking communities of Anambra state) make up the northeast axis.
SIZE: Anam is estimated to occupy a land mass in excess of about 240 square kilometers. It’s one of the largest and most populous homogeneous communities of the Omabala region.
RELIEF: Anam is a table land which makes it prone to an annual three month flooding when its three surrounding rivers overflow their banks during the rainy season.
DRAINAGE: Anam is drained by its three major rivers, the: Niger Omabala (Anambra) and
Ezichi.
Other minor waterways includes Nkwo-Owali river and Aribo stream. These are besides other countless numbers of streams, lakes and ponds.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE: Anam has two dominant seasons: raining and dry seasons.
The raining season starts between March and April and ends by October while the dry season starts and ends by November and March respectively.
Humidity is at 79% and average temperature is at 27.5 degree Celsius.
VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE: Anam lies within the tropics in the equatorial region of sub-saharan Africa.
Its location, abundant rainfall and fertile soil owing to the deposition of rich alluvial silts from the annual floods bequeath it’s the lush, thick and impenetrable rainforest and freshwater swamp vegetations.
These in return account for its divergent and abundant wildlife which includes Elephants, Buffalos, Leopards, Chimpanzees, Warthogs, Bush wallabies, Gorillas, African Civets, Pythons Monkeys Antelopes, Monitor lizards, Grass cutters, etc.
Its waterways are homes to marine creatures like the Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Freshwater seals, Toads, Frogs, Newts and diverse species of fish.
Birds and insects are equally in abundant supply and some of them are only seen globally in Anam peninsula. These and many more make Anam a potential tourist hub.
MINERAL RESOURCES: Anam has a substantial deposit of Crude oil and Natural Gas. In fact, Mmiata, Umudora, Umuoba and Umuikwu house Nigeria largest deposit of hydrocarbons.
Orient Petroleum has an ongoing oilfield exploration in the Eziagulu-Otu stretch.
Its waterways boast of good supply of sandy soil which can be utilised by Glass manufacturing industries.
PEOPLE AND POPULATION: Anam is occupied mostly by Ndi Igbo.
Languages spoken are mostly Igbo, Pidgin and English.
Their Igbo dialect is Omambaloid which used “V” in place of”F” and “R” in place of .”H”. Example “Ave” rather than”Afe” (shirt), “Aru” instead of “Ahu” (body), etc.
Of the 166,744 Anambra West Local Government Area’s population, Anam population contributes over 80% of it.
The people are renowned for their hospitality, honesty, kindness and the premium they place on industriousness.
They practice the Igbo traditional religion (Odinani) and Christianity. Popular festivals are Nzireani, Otite and Igba Ada.
Its cultural, economic and biological ties extends to beyond Anambra state to places like Delta, Edo, Kogi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Benue, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Plateau States and even as far as Cameron, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, etc.
They have a great cultural heritage and history deep in agriculture, animism, art, oratory, philosophy, masquerades, wars, gods and goddesses.
Due to lack of strong scribal tradition, their philosophies finds expressions in words and artistic works. These reflect in their daily jokes, quotes, riddles, idioms and names they use when identifying people, animals, plants, things, ideas, natural phenomenons or its natural constituents. Example:
- Ara na-ewo nli ji ugbo (use in referring to an ill fate that brings serial misfortune to its victim)
- Enu wolu onyenwe awuwo (use in referring to someone mentally challenged)
- Avo onyenwe neni ini (use to in referring to a wicked person)
- Ivu awo n’ijo (use in referring to something unusual)
- Mmanwu lulia mkpala (use to refer to referring to someone that escaped an extremely dangerous situation by the skin of the teeth
- Aja bali na nlie (use in referring to someone facing some mental challenges)
- Obiloko Obiolo ( a local version of the English term Mr. A or Mr. B).
- Tinyeli any ive n’ukpa (used mostly in soliciting for financial support in a given situation)
- Ikocha iku anya (used in referring to a situation where one lacks shame or an act of shamelessness).
- Aja bari na nli oluru (one who creates confusion he goes/a whirlwind)
One of Ndi-Anam’s greatest philosophers of all times is Okechukwu Ogeme whose witty sayings are widely used in everyday conversations.
The Anam nsala soup delicacy prepared with fresh fish and eaten with either pounded yam (nli ji) or cassava foofoo (nli akpu/nwa egwumma/mkpicha) is one of their gifts to the world of cuisines. It’s widely sought after in restaurants nationally and far beyond.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES: Ndi-Anam are mainly farmers, hunters and fishermen. They cultivate yam and cassava on a large scale, as well as sweet potatoes, rice, vegetables like okro, pepper, garden eggs, tomatoes, Pumpkin leaves, etc are cultivated for commercial and subsistence purposes. The food products of Ndi-Anam contribute well above sixty percent to the food basket of Anambra state, thus the appellation “THE FOOD BASKET OF ANAMBRA STATE”.
Ndi-Anam are well into commerce, arts and crafts.
The potentials of cassava production on the Anam peninsula makes it a viable location for pharmaceutical companies to harness the available raw materials inherent in cassava to boost the industrial base of the state. Other food processing industries are not left out in search of expanding the industrial drive of the Southeast region of Nigeria. These are indicators that point to the Anam peninsula as a sleeping giant and an industrial hub in the making.
The beauty of it all is that Anambra state derived her name from Anam. It will interest us to know that during the colonial era, the area today known as Anambra state and beyond were usually described by the colonialists to their colleagues in the western and northern parts of Nigeria as Anam branch. This over time translated to Anambra on combination giving what we currently have as “the light of the nation state”.
References:
1.Anam:the Genesis of Anambra by Bishop Paul Ekwoba(2009)
2.Anam:the food basket of nation by Sunday Maduneme Chigbata(2019)
3.Anam Clan by Emmanuel Iwoba Nnachor (2006)
(Culled from THE ANAM HISTORY, CULTURE AND TRADITIONS by Udo na Oganiru Anam Association)