Awka is one of the earliest places where blacksmithing has deep roots. When a man from Ezeagu in the present day Enugu State called Nebechi Uzo visited Awka to ply his blacksmithing craft in the town, he met people already in the trade.
Awka was famous for metal works including making farming implements, den guns for hunters and other fabrications. The Awka blacksmith also makes implements of various shapes and sizes for school children, mothers, men and people in other skilled vocations.
Awka was the site of the Nri civilization that produced the earliest documented bronze works in Sub-Saharan Africa dated around eight hundred AD.
In the pre-colonial times, the smiths of Awka took their trade far beyond the boundaries of Igbo land, rendering services to communities in Benin, Urhobo , Itsekiri, Igala, the Efik and the Ejegam people.
The Awka blacksmiths were so famous that the Late Queen Elizabeth The Second is said to have commissioned an Awka blacksmith , Nweke Uzoka, to build the gate of the Buckingham Palace in London, Great Britain, for her. Nweke Uzoka built and installed the gate by himself which still stands the test of time till today.
There is, therefore, need for a blacksmith village to be established in Awka. This is because despite new discoveries in the realm of science and technology, the craftsmanship of the Awka blacksmith is still bringing innovation in local science and technology that served emerging needs of the people.
In this period of unemployment in the country, the establishment of a blacksmith village can create job opportunities while providing a great platform for innovations, manufacturing, expansion of industries and practical learning for students in various fields.
The existence of two tertiary institutions, major markets, branches of leading commercial banks and Central Bank of Nigeria, Anambra Broadcasting Service and other major institutions, malls, and economic centres, increase the potential of a blacksmith industry to thrive in the city as these institutions will provide needed support to boost access to technical research, credit facility and promotion.
The technological importance of a blacksmith village cannot be overemphasized in view of the numerous implements and structures the blacksmiths can produce for the development of the state which falls in line with the Solution government’s vision to promote made in Anambra products.
The Awka blacksmith village will rekindle and drive the technological craftsmanship and industrial potential of the Awka people and Anambra in general.
