Enugu a winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007, was born in Enugu in 1977 and grew up in Nsukka. The Enugu Rangers, a first-division professional league association football team, is Enugu's home team that plays in the Nigerian Premier League and are based in the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. Former Rangers players include Jay-Jay Okocha and Taribo West. Enugu's main sports centre is the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, named after Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria. The stadium remained the centre of sports for the whole of the Eastern Region until the Nigerian Civil War broke out. At the
Enugu and the A343 from Abakaliki to Enugu's west, makes Enugu the site of a major junction. Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern Nigeria. The city had a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name "Enugu" is derived from the two Igbo words "Énú Ụ́gwụ́" meaning "hill top" denoting the city's hilly geography. The city was named after Enugwu Ngwo, under which coal was found. Since the 17th century the location of present-day Enugu has been inhabited by the Nike ( ) subgroup of the