History, Origin, Culture and Traditions of Ifitedunu Town in Anambra state

 
Ifitedunu is a town located in the Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. It shares borders with Abba, Awkuzu, and Ukpo to the north, Abagana to the south, Umunachi to the east, and Umudioka and Umunya to the west.

##History
Ifitedunu is the second son of Dunu, who was famously known as Okofia. Dunukofia, as it is called, has five children: Ukpo, Ifite, Umunnachi, Umudioka, and Ukwulu. As the second son of a notable man, Ifite grew up with strength and wisdom. He maintained a particularly close relationship with his elder brother, Ukpo, which is why he was originally referred to as Ifite Ukpo.

Many people mistakenly believed that Ifite-Ukpo was a town within Ukpo. While this was incorrect, this misconception hindered the development of Ifitedunu as an independent town. To address this, on December 28, 1991, the town union, under the leadership of Jasper Elias Nwakeze Azodo (President General) and HRH Igwe Augustine Ezechi Okoye Eze Dunu I, decided to officially rename the town to Ifitedunu.

Before the arrival of colonial rule, Ifitedunu, then known as Ifite-Ukpo, was a peaceful and serene community governed by elders and a chief priest. However, with the advent of colonialism, the British introduced Warrant Chiefs, who assisted colonial authorities in collecting taxes and other levies. Chief Amadu Obinabo was the Warrant Chief of Ifitedunu, and he was answerable to Chief M. A. Eze, the Warrant Chief of Ukpo, to whom the chiefs from Ifite, Umunachi, Umudioka, and Ukwulu reported.

After the Civil War, the town decided to shift governance from the chief priest to what is now known as the President General of the town union. In 1970, A. N. Uzowulu became the first President General of Ifitedunu. Z. O. Dibiaezue succeeded him in 1971 and served until his death in 1975, after which his brother, B. Dibiaezue, took over. During B. Dibiaezue's tenure, the long-awaited establishment of a king was realized, and in 1976, Augustine Ezechi Okoye Dunu I was crowned the first king of Ifitedunu.

This was a significant achievement of Dibiaezue as President General. In 1981, he handed over leadership to Elias Odili, who served for 10 years. In 1991, Evang. Jasper Elias Nwakeze Azodo took over as President General. He played a key role in restructuring the town union presidency and formulating a constitution. After completing his tenure, he passed the leadership to Ignatius Okafor in 2000. Following the new constitution, power was handed over to Afam Maduegbuna in 2003, who then transferred leadership to Uche Udedibia in 2006. Uche Udedibia handed over to Anthony Udedibia in 2009, and Nezianya Obinabo succeeded him in 2012. In 2015, Chief Samuel Nweke assumed office as the President General of Ifitedunu Town Union. His leadership saw notable developments, including the completion of the Ifitedunu Civic Center and Ifitedunu Plaza. He handed over the role to Chief Sir Uchenna Nwoye Oragwuncha Isimmili Ifitedunu on December 30, 2019. As of the time of this report, Chief Uchenna Nwoye is the current President General.

##Notable People

Bishop Godfrey MaryPaul Okoye (CSSP) – First Bishop of the Diocese of Port Harcourt and second Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.

Bishop Simon A. Okafor – Renowned bishop.

Mark Chukwuemeka Okoye – Prominent individual.

Peter Okoye and Paul Okoye (Psquare) – Internationally recognized superstars in the music industry.

Ben Akabueze – Notable figure.