What is "ukpor"

Ukpor is the headquarters of Nnewi South Local Government Area in Anambra State, South-East Nigeria. Ukpor has a collection of villages, with each coming from different quarters. A foremost native of this community is Chief Mbazulike Amechi, former Minister of Aviation, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ukpor is noted for its highly hilly topography, with one of the most notable of the hills, traditionally known as "ugwu ekwensu", which implies "the devil's own hill". In modern times however,continuous grading of the road that hosts this hill has been reducing the height of this specific (historic) high land. Ukpor people were predominantly farmers in the past. Subsequently, the town's leading lights became mainly traders and sundry types of business men and women. In contemporary times however,Ukpor has become the ancestral home of very many successful women and men of all walks of life. Hence,Nigeria's highly influential former Minister of Education/former Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, hails from this community (by birth). The Ukpor Improvement Union (U.I.U) remains the super-structural political, social and cultural organization in the town of Ukpor. Among the all time most influential leaders of this union must be counted Chief Gabriel Akachukwu Okeke (1929-1991). Fondly called Gab Okeke by his contemporaries, he was Secretary-General of this great union from 1961-1987 ( a period of twenty-six years).