Awo-Omamma

Awo-Omamma (also Awo-Omamma), in the northeast of the Niger Delta basin, is an oil-rich indigenous Igbo town on the banks of Njaba River. It is a potential tourism hub in the region due to its species of wildlife in Umuezukwe and green vegetation.

Besides its natural resource endowments, Awo-omamma, many Igbo communities and cities, and indeed the entire indigenous Igbo country continuously prosper and increase in value because of increasing trade volumes, business and Organisations' operations and related economic activities and job creation. Situated in Oru-East, Awo-omamma is some 25 kilometers from the largely hospitality Igbo city of Owerri and 62.5 kilometers from her commercial city of Onitsha. The community and indeed entire indigenous Igboland is connected and accessible internationally to Africa and indeed the entire world (or globe) by land, waters and air. There are a number of International Airports within the indigenous country. For example, Awo-omamma is about 2 hours drive from Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa, 45 minutes from Sam Mbakwe Airport International Cargo Airport, about 2.5 hours from Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, Umueri within greater Onitsha or Omambala and just about 3 hours from Asaba and Enugu International Airports respectively. It covers about 89.2 square kilometres, on the bank of Njaba River and lies in tropical rain forest, with hot and rainy seasons. According to Rich Piazza, a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Awo-omamma, a four-day torrential downpour typifies the extreme of the rainy season in the town. Awo-Omamma is bounded in the North by Amiri, Imo State in Oru-East, and Mgbidi and Otulu Oru both in Oru-West. In the East it shares boundaries with Okwudor in Njaba LGA. In the West Awo-Omamma is bounded by Akabo, Oguta LGA, Awa, Oguta LGA, Abiaziem and Ngbele communities in Oguta LGA, and in the South by Eziama Obiato and Njaba River which runs through Oguta Lake and Orashi River on the other end into the sea. Ideally rather than flying, passengers using the road could travel from Abuja to Owerri through Okene and Onitsha. They can also travel from Lagos route to Owerri through Benin and Onitsha.

In 1958, a health and community development project under Dr. Ben Nzeribe was established in Awo-omamma, his native home. Before the Biafran war, Dr Nzeribe and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) helped the community build themselves the famous Awo-omamma Community Hospital (ACH) a seventy-five-bed hospital. They also built two new schools, Awo-Omamma Community Grammar School which later became Awo-Omamma Education Project (AEP), which included a Grammar Department, School of Business Administration and Technical Department, a Boarding School Santana Primary School, and an unpolluted water system, six well baby clinics, and a post office. They also assisted in introducing modern agricultural methods.

Beside the famous Community Hospital, Awo-omamma is home to many other private and public health establishments including Chinwendu hospital, Rose Clinic, Awo-omamma Dispensary, Umuokwe Community Health Centre, and many others. Similarly, there are Umuezukwe Health Centre and Isieke Dispensary in Umuezukwe and Isieke sub-communities respectively.

In 1959, the Holy Ghost Fathers, also known as Spiritan Congregation of Roman Catholic priests opened their Philosophy campus (now known as Awo-Omamma Catholic Seminary) in the town.Awo-Omamma is predominantly Roman Chatholics, and a sizable percentage of the population are Anglicans, and CMS (Church Missionary Society of British). Some of the notable Roman Catholic parishes included: The Saint Patricks Isieke, Saint Basil's The Great Umuokwe, Christ The King, Sanit Johns, Saint Pauls, Saint Mary's, St Anthony's and St. Michael's Catholic Churchs. Among other Protestant churches are: The Saint Mary's Anglican Church Isieke, and Saint Augustine's Anglican Church Umuokwe.

Awo-omamma is developing into an economic centre and a large Urban area. There are branches of some Nigerian financial institutions in the town including that of First Bank of Nigeria.

Consolidated Breweries Plc, which became a subsidiary of the independent global brewer, Heineken in 2005, has one of its breweries in Awo-omamma. The Consolidated Breweries Plc emerged from the merger of Continental Breweries Limited and Eastern Breweries Limited in 1982. The plant's brands cover the lager, stout and malt categories and include "33" Export Lager Beer, Turbo King Dark Ale, Williams Dark Ale, Hi- Malt and Maltex Malt.

The management of Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, another subsidiary of Heineken confirmed merger with Consolidated Breweries (CB) Plc with effect from 31 December 2014. During the commissioning of a block of six classrooms and a library built and donated by Nigerian Breweries Plc to Ubachima Primary School, Awo-Omamma, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, disclosed that the company invested N3bn in upgrading of facilities at its Awo-Omamma Brewery, less than a year after the merger with Consolidated Breweries.