ENUGU IN THE AMALGAMATION: HERITAGE AND SITES

As we mark the 25^th Silver Jubilee Anniversary, Enugu state has been the major source of revenue to the country as early as 1903. Europeans first arrived in the Enugu  in 1903 when the British/Australian geologist Albert Ernest Kitson led an exploration of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate to search for  valued mineral resources under the supervision of the Imperial Institute, London. By 1909 coal was found under the village of Enugu Ngwo in Udi and Okoga areas and by 1913 the coal was confirmed to be in quantities that would be viable commercially. By 1914 the colonial government had already merged the Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorate to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

 In 1915 the British began talks with Enugu people about its acquisition in order to lay the Eastern Line railway and to build a colliery. The first houses built in the area were in a temporary settlement consisting of Igbo traditional mud housing inhabited by W.J. Leck and some other Europeans on Milliken Hill. Another settlement known as Ugwu Alfred or "Alfred's Camp", inhabited by an Alfred Inoma (a leader of indigenous labourers from Onitsha) and his labourers, was located on a hillside. 

After the land acquisition by the British, Frederick Lugard, the Governor-General of Nigeria at the time, named the colliery built at the bottom of the Udi Hills Enugu Coal Camp to distinguish it from Enugu Ngwo^.  The first coal mine in Enugu was at Udi mine opened in 1915 which was   shut down two years later and replaced with the Iva Valley mine. Enugu became a major coal mining area and the only significant one in West Africa. The Eastern Line railway connecting Enugu with Port Harcourt was completed in 1916 in order to export the coal through its seaport of which the city was created for this purpose. Enugu became one of the few cities in West Africa created out of contact with Europeans. By 1916 parts of Enugu reserved for Europeans were set up by the colonial government. The area now known as the Government Reserved Area (G.R.A) became the European Quarters located north of the Ogbete River; alongside this was a section developed for African residents located south of the river. The built-up area of Enugu comprised these two areas, and by 1917 the city officially gained township status. On the African side of the city a rapid influx of migrant workers sparked the development of squatter camps on the Udi Hills near the coal mines and the Iva Valley.

In 1938 Enugu became the administrative capital of the Eastern Region. The number of employed coal miners in Enugu grew from 6,000 (of mostly Udi men) in 1948 to 8,000 in 1958. Enugu's population rose sharply with its industrialization; the population of the city reached 62,000 in 1952. 

Mining in Enugu was sometimes turbulent, as demonstrated by the events of 18 November 1949 when 21 striking miners were shot and killed and 51 wounded by police under British governance. The massacre that came to be known as "The Iva Valley Shooting" fueled nationalist or "Zikist" sentiments among most Nigerians, and especially among Eastern Nigerians. "Zikisim" was a post World War II movement that was created out of admiration for Nnamdi Azikiwe who was a prominent nationalist of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). The shooting was right after a period of unrest when miners were angered by the belief that their full pay was being held back by the colliery management, a belief that was pushed by the nationalist press. Many of the Zikists tried to use the Iva Valley shooting to fuel their nationalistic agenda and push the British administration, who they viewed as imperialists, out of Nigeria.

Enugu State is endowed with natural and cultural tourism resources located all over the community, having the highest concentration in rural communities, which when harnessed can produce a distinctive tourism industry capable of generating income and raising the living standard of the people. Communities suffering economic bottleneck often have the necessary drive to actively consider development option, and an appealing opportunity is the potential offered by tourism. Therefore, the development and marketing of tourism potentials through community-based tourism will not only end at boosting the economy of the area and upgrade the living standard of the people, but will also better the social, political and the cultural lives of the host.

Enugu state which is noted for her cultural diversity, beautiful sceneries and undulating plateau. In Enugu state, we can boast of the best type of coal. Our uniqueness and charm comes from Ngwo Pine forest, Eziagu tourism complex, Iva valley coal mine, Awhum waterfall, Opi Lake Complex, Oldest Iron Smelting site in Africa Lejja, Milken hill, Ani Ozalla Lake, silicon hill and other attractions.

The State was created in 1991 from the Old Anambra state. The name Enugu means (On top of the hill) it is known as the oldest urban area in Igbo land, with about 7,161 km² (2,765 sq m) and is the 29^th largest state in the country. The vegetation is predominantly of guinea savannah type, Rainfall average from 700mm south-west at the extreme northern part of the state to 1000mm towards the south and south-west.

    Indeed Enugu state provides visitors from all the four corners of the globe a fascinating heaven for leisure and business activities. Visit Enugu state and be touched by one or more of its features of tourist spots, art and craft, ancient historical relics and above all hospitality to tourists and love for peace.

As a tourist destination, the states tourist attractions are quite distinctive from tourist attractions found in other states of the federation. Visit Enugu State you will be glad you did…

Let’s celebrate!

Enugu the pride of Eastern Nigeria!!

Tourism our heritage!!!

By

Johnpaul Ezeani

ezeanij@gmail.com

Travel & Tourism Consultant

Enugu State Tourism Board