Okpofe

Okpofe is an autonomous community located in Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA, Imo State, Nigeria with common boundaries with Itu, Ezeagbogu, Ihitte and Amumara autonomous communities. Okpofe is the very centre of Ezinihitte Mbaise Clan, and it is the only town in Ezinihitte Mbaise that does not share a boundary with another local government area in Imo State. It is quite a unique town in Ezinihitte. Most of the general activities of Ezinihitte that are held in Okpofe are held there due to its central position. It is also on record that the Roman Catholic Church first established in Okpofe town in the whole of Ezinihitte Mbaise (by 2018, the town will be marking the centenary celebration of the existence of the Roman Catholic Church in Okpofe.) The Anglican Juniorate in Mbaise is located in Okpofe.

Okpofe is a community in Ezinihitte Mbaise. Its first traditional ruler was the late Eze Ewulonu Modestus C. Anyankah, who ascended the throne at the age of 42, born by an Umuimee daughter to an Okwu man. Today, the traditional affairs of the town are under the care of His Royal Highness Eze Sir Reginald Jesse Chukwuma Aguwamba, who has been described as "the man of the people", and whose uncle was the last warrant chief that also crowned the Late Eze Anyankah in the late 70's. Eze Reginald Aguwamba was born by an Umuimee man. (Take note of the importance of this village Umuimee in the history of Ezeship in Okpofe). A surveyor by profession, Eze Aguwamba retired voluntarily from the Owerri Capital Development Authority to serve his fatherland as the Eze Oha II. He has, so far, led the community to an enviable position in the Oji Ezinihitte Festival that no other community in the clan has attained during the 2013 Oji Festival at Okpofe and the recently concluded one at Ezeagbogu. Within his first few months in office, some other developmental projects from the Imo State Government came into Okpofe. This is the sign of a good choice of traditional ruler!

The story of Okpofe cannot be complete without mention of Late Sydney Ngozi Njoku. He almost single-handedly built Okpofe Secondary School, Okpofe Town Hall and the Okpofe Post Office. He made immense financial contributions for these projects. He undertook and concluded several human and structural developmental projects in Okpofe, Ezinihitte and Imo State at large. "Singoz", as he was popularly called, died in 1983 at the age of 42 years.