Nigerian Community • New York City
Urhobo Community in New York City
40,000–60,000+ Nigerian-born in NYC metro • UA NY/NJ/CT est. 2006 • UHS founded NYC 1999 • Bronx: Tremont / Highbridge • Brooklyn: East Flatbush • Queens: Southeast • Healthcare • Finance • Government
New York City has been the historic center of organized Urhobo diaspora life in America. The first national Urhobo convention in North America was held here in 1994. The Urhobo Historical Society was inaugurated in New York City in 1999 and continues to hold its annual international conference at NYU. Today, the Urhobo Association of New York, New Jersey & Connecticut (UA NY/NJ/CT) — an UPUA chapter founded in 2006 — anchors community life for Urhobo families across the tri-state area. The Bronx is the primary settlement zone: the East Tremont Avenue corridor has Nigerian restaurants, African markets, Church of Nigeria congregations, and RCCG parishes within walking distance. The Urhobo community here is not new, not small, and not without infrastructure — it is one of the most institutionally rooted Delta State diaspora communities on the East Coast.
Last updated: March 2026 • Full Nigerian Community guide for New York City →
Why Urhobo Families Choose New York
New York City is the largest city on earth for opportunity — and the Urhobo people, historically from the Niger Delta’s Warri, Ughelli, Sapele, and Uvwie corridors, have always been entrepreneurial and mobile. The same cultural drive that built trade networks across the Delta brings Urhobo professionals to New York’s healthcare systems, financial institutions, city government, and transit infrastructure. Nigerian immigrants are the most highly educated immigrant group in the United States: 61%+ hold bachelor’s degrees, 29%+ hold graduate or professional degrees. In New York, those credentials find immediate application.
Healthcare is the defining sector. NYC Health + Hospitals — the largest public hospital system in the United States, with 11 hospitals and 70+ community health centers — is a major employer of Nigerian-immigrant nurses and physicians, including Urhobo healthcare professionals. Mount Sinai Health System, New York-Presbyterian, and Northwell Health similarly employ Nigerian-born professionals at scale. The CGFNS credential verification pipeline from Nigeria to New York nursing licensure is one of the most well-worn pathways in global healthcare migration, and Urhobo nurses from Delta State are active participants.
Beyond healthcare: finance and banking (UNANA’s founding membership explicitly included Urhobo banking professionals), New York City government agencies (Department of Education, Health Department, social services), and the MTA (NYC Transit) all employ significant numbers of Nigerian-American New Yorkers including Urhobo. And for those carrying the entrepreneurial tradition of the Niger Delta trade culture, New York’s borough economies — particularly the Bronx and Brooklyn — offer the density and diversity of customers that supports African-owned business.
Urhobo Language & Identity
The Urhobo are a distinct people of Delta State, Nigeria — not Edo (from Edo State and the Benin Kingdom), not Igbo (from southeastern Nigeria), not Yoruba (from the Southwest). Understanding this distinctiveness matters because New York’s pan-Nigerian social landscape can blur identities that are sharply defined at home. Urhobo identity is rooted in three anchors: Delta State and the Niger Delta, the Urhobo language, and the Ohworu masquerade tradition.
The Urhobo Language
Urhobo is a Southwestern Edoid language within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family — related to but distinct from Edo (Bini), the language of Benin City in Edo State. Urhobo is spoken across 24 traditional kingdoms (clans) of Delta State, spanning local government areas including Ughelli, Ethiope, and Sapele. The Agbarho dialect serves as the accepted written standard for all 24 kingdoms. Population estimates vary by source: the ethnic group numbers approximately 7 million; native-language speaker counts range from 1.1 million to 2–3 million depending on the survey methodology and year. Whatever the precise count, Urhobo is a fully living language — spoken at home, taught in cultural programs, and actively preserved by organizations like the Urhobo Historical Society.
In New York, language maintenance is a priority. The UHS Digital Archive at waado.org contains Urhobo language resources — vocabulary, grammar references, oral literature — that Urhobo parents use to pass the language to children born in America. The 2024 UHS conference at NYU Stern explicitly addressed “Aspects of Urhobo Culture: Folklore & Poetry, Music, Language, Cosmology, Religion” — language preservation is a live institutional priority, not a nostalgia project.
The 24 Kingdoms & the Urhobo Nation
The Urhobo are organized around 24 traditional kingdoms (referred to as “clans” in British colonial records — a label the Urhobo have historically pushed back against). Despite dialectal variation across kingdoms — Urhobo is spoken in 21 of the 24, with three speaking related Edoid languages — the Urhobo share a unified cultural and political identity as a nation. The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), founded in Nigeria, is the pan-Urhobo umbrella institution; its American arm, UPUA, replicates this pan-kingdom unity in the diaspora. In New York, a Urhobo person from Ughelli and one from Sapele or Uvwie identify as community members — kingdom of origin is personal heritage, not a basis for organizational separation.
Delta State, Petroleum, & the Niger Delta Identity
The Urhobo homeland sits at the center of one of the world’s most significant petroleum-producing regions. Delta State holds massive crude oil reserves; the Urhobo-inhabited areas contribute substantially to the state’s oil and gas output, and since the 1960s the Urhobo homeland has been one of Nigeria’s main petroleum-producing zones. This history has shaped Urhobo political consciousness: the tension between resource extraction and community benefit, environmental degradation of the Niger Delta waterways, and the push for greater resource control are living political questions for Urhobo families — including those in New York who remain engaged with Delta State politics and development. The Niger Delta is not background context; it is the landscape that formed the Urhobo worldview, and it travels with the community to the Bronx and Brooklyn.
The Ohworu Masquerade — Water, Spirit, Community
The Ohworu festival in Evwreni, in the southern Urhobo area, is one of the most visually dramatic cultural events in the Niger Delta: a two-day annual celebration built around the Ohworhu water spirit, swimming contests, community processions, and the display of the Eravwe Oganga — the great masquerade. On the second and final day (Ohworhu-Ode), the “Huge Beast” (eravwe gangan), the largest and most elaborate masquerade piece, appears. Ohworu is not merely performance; it is religious (invoking ancestral and spirit power), social (displaying rank, adjudicating disputes), and aesthetic (music, costume, choreography). The water-spirit cosmology reflects the ecology of the Niger Delta — where rivers, creeks, and seasonal flooding shaped every aspect of life, belief, and livelihood.
In New York, Ohworu cultural elements appear at UA NY/NJ/CT annual galas and community events. No standalone public Ohworu festival in NYC has been confirmed in available sources — a full traditional performance requires the Evwreni community infrastructure — but cultural showcasing at the annual gala and UHS conferences keeps the tradition visible. Contact the UA NY/NJ/CT (urhobonynjct.org) for the current events calendar.
Urhobo vs. Edo, Igbo, & Yoruba — A Clear Distinction
In a pan-Nigerian city like New York, these distinctions matter and deserve stating plainly: Urhobo are not Edo. The Edo people are from Edo State and the ancient Benin Kingdom — a separate state, a separate language, a separate royal institution. Though Urhobo language belongs to the broader Edoid family (as does Edo/Bini), the peoples are distinct, with different histories, different traditional rulers, and different states. Urhobo are not Igbo — the Igbo are from the Southeast, a different language family entirely. Urhobo are not Yoruba — the Yoruba are from the Southwest. Urhobo identity is Delta State, Niger Delta, Edoid-speaking — and that specificity is worth honoring, both in how this community is described and in how newcomers introduce themselves when building networks in New York.
Where Urhobo Families Live in New York
The Urhobo community clusters within the broader Nigerian-settled geography of New York City, with three distinct zones reflecting different stages of arrival, income, and family size. No Urhobo-exclusive neighborhood exists — the community shares space with Igbo, Yoruba, Edo, and other Nigerian groups — but within these zones, the organizations, churches, and markets that serve Urhobo families are accessible.
The Bronx (Tremont / Highbridge) — First Landing Zone
The Bronx hosts an estimated 25,000–30,000 Nigeria-born residents — the largest Nigerian concentration in New York City and one of the largest in the country. East and West Tremont Avenue form the commercial spine: Nigerian restaurants, African markets, hair braiding salons, and community businesses line this corridor through Highbridge and Morrisania. The neighborhood’s affordability makes it the natural entry point for new Urhobo arrivals. Two Church of Nigeria (Anglican) congregations are here. Multiple RCCG parishes serve the Pentecostal community. Sanbra African Market (861 E Tremont Ave) stocks the ingredients for banga soup and other Urhobo cooking. For someone just arriving in New York from Delta State, the Bronx is where you go first.
Brooklyn (East Flatbush / Flatbush) — Established Community
Brooklyn’s Nigerian community is more established and more commercially developed than the Bronx. East Flatbush, Flatbush, and Crown Heights — the Church Avenue/Flatbush Avenue/Nostrand Avenue/Utica Avenue corridor — is the largest Nigerian/West African residential zone in Brooklyn, with higher property investment and business ownership than the Bronx. Wazobia African Market (1204 Flatbush Ave) is the anchor West African grocery for this community. BUKA Nigerian Restaurant (1111 Fulton St, Bed-Stuy) has been named one of NYC’s best Nigerian restaurants. Brooklyn represents Urhobo New Yorkers who have been here longer and moved up economically. The Delta People’s Forum in Cambria Heights, Queens (16-52 233rd Street) also confirms Delta State community organization presence extending into the outer borough homeownership zones.
Southeast Queens (Jamaica / Rosedale / Cambria Heights) — Homeownership Zone
Southeast Queens — Jamaica, Rosedale, St. Albans, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Cambria Heights — is where Nigerian families with children and established incomes buy homes. The homeownership rate in the Queens Village/Rosedale/Bellerose PUMA was 72.9% — one of the highest in any Nigerian-settled zone in the city. These are quieter residential streets with better-funded schools. Commuter access to Manhattan is via the E, J, and Z subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. Urhobo professionals who have secured stable employment — especially in healthcare at Queens Hospital Center or Jamaica Hospital — settle here for the long term.
Newark / Essex County NJ — Tri-State Extension
The UA NY/NJ/CT serves New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut for a reason: Newark, Irvington, and East Orange in Essex County, NJ are a cost-effective overflow zone for Nigerian families who cannot afford NYC rents. Many Urhobo professionals live in Essex County and commute to NYC. The UA NY/NJ/CT association actively programs for all three states and should be the first contact point regardless of which state a new Urhobo family lands in.
Urhobo Organizations in New York
New York City is the birthplace of organized Urhobo diaspora life in America — the first national Urhobo convention was held here in 1994, the Urhobo Historical Society was founded here in 1999. The institutional infrastructure is layered and deep.
Urhobo Association of New York, New Jersey & Connecticut (UA NY/NJ/CT)
urhobonynjct.org • Founded: 2006 • EIN: 20-8165909 (registered nonprofit) • Parent body: Urhobo Progress Union America (UPUA)
The anchor organization for Urhobo community life across the tri-state area. Mission: promoting unity and maintaining Urhobo culture, tradition, and language; creating health and wellness awareness for Urhobo people in diaspora and back home in Nigeria; being part of UPUA to foster unity among all Urhobos in diaspora. Charitable work includes responding to crises in Nigeria with food and relief materials and ongoing giving to communities in Urhoboland.
Signature event: Annual Anniversary & Fundraiser Gala Night (17th anniversary held in 2023) — formal dinner-dance featuring Urhobo cultural showcasing and fundraising for charitable activities. This is the primary annual gathering of the Urhobo tri-state community.
For new Urhobo arrivals in New York: UA NY/NJ/CT is your first contact. They will connect you to the social network, the churches, the employment leads, and the community events that make an unfamiliar city navigable.
Urhobo Congress (Tri-State)
Email: urhobocongress@gmail.com
A separate tri-state Urhobo community body focused on social, humanitarian, and cultural activities. Signature events include an annual summer family picnic — the most accessible informal gathering for Urhobo families, especially those with children — alongside cultural festivals, educational programs, community outreach, symposia, and town hall meetings. The summer picnic is the easiest first point of contact for new arrivals who want to meet the community informally before attending the more formal gala events.
Urhobo Historical Society — Annual Conference at NYU
urhobodigitallibrarymuseum.com | waado.org
Founded in New York City on August 29, 1999, the Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) is the intellectual and cultural preservation institution of the Urhobo diaspora. The 2024 International Conference and General Membership Meeting was held at NYU Stern School of Business, 44 West 4th Street, New York (July 26–27, 2024), with the theme “Aspects of Urhobo Culture: Folklore & Poetry, Music, Language, Cosmology, Religion.” The conference concludes with a Gala Night and service awards — in 2024 honoring Father Abaka Oghenejide (Lifetime Service Award), Chief Simeon Ohwofa (Distinguished Service Award), and Chief Rebecca Efeotor (Business and Professional Award).
The UHS Digital Library and Museum (waado.org) is the most comprehensive online archive of Urhobo history, language, and culture — an essential resource for Urhobo families raising children in America who want to pass on their heritage.
UPUA Young Adults (UPUAYA)
Instagram: @upuaya • upuaya.wixsite.com/upuaya
The Urhobo Progress Union America Young Adults network serves Urhobo diaspora professionals under approximately 40 — young professionals, graduate students, and new arrivals navigating their early years in the US. Active on Instagram. For Urhobo New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s, this is the peer-network entry point: mentorship, professional networking, and community connection without the more formal structure of the main association.
Churches & Worship
The Anglican (Church of Nigeria) tradition has deep roots among Urhobo people — the Church Missionary Society entered Delta State in the late 1800s, and the Diocese of Ughelli covers Urhobo territory. Alongside this Anglican heritage, Urhobo New Yorkers worship in Nigerian Pentecostal denominations (RCCG, Winners Chapel) at significant numbers. The Bronx has active congregations of all of these traditions.
Anglican Church of the Pentecost International NYC — Bronx
1240 Edward L. Grant Highway, Bronx, NY 10452 • (917) 376-7109 • angchurchpentintl.org
Founded: 2006 • Denomination: Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Sunday worship: 9:30 AM
A Church of Nigeria (Anglican) congregation in the heart of the Bronx, serving the Nigerian Anglican community. Founded 2006 as a humanitarian and spiritual mission — serving the needy, afflicted, and incarcerated alongside its regular worship program. For Urhobo Anglicans whose spiritual tradition traces to the Diocese of Ughelli, this is the most directly aligned Anglican congregation confirmed in the Bronx.
Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit — Bronx (CONNAM)
anglicanchurchoftheholyspirit.org
Denomination: Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) / CONNAM (Church of Nigeria North American Mission)
A second Church of Nigeria congregation in the Bronx, part of CONNAM — the formal North American missionary body of the Church of Nigeria with two US dioceses. Rector Venerable David Nwanekpe has been named Chaplain of the CONNAM Council of Knights and Ladies by the Anglican Primate of Nigeria, indicating an established and recognized congregation. Ministry began 2003. Confirm current address via website before visiting.
RCCG Chapel of Restoration — Bronx
1001–1005 Morris Ave, The Bronx, NY • (718) 293-8996 • rccgbronx1@aol.com • rccgchapelofrestoration.org
Pastor: Pastor Daniel Ajayi-Adeniran (also serves as Assistant Continental Overseer for RCCG in the Americas)
Services: Bible Study, Tuesdays 7:30–9:00 PM
RCCG (Redeemed Christian Church of God) is one of Nigeria’s largest and most internationally recognized Pentecostal denominations, founded 1952 in Lagos. This Bronx parish is led by a senior RCCG figure — the Assistant Continental Overseer for all of the Americas — making it one of the most prominent RCCG parishes in New York. RCCG has strong membership across all Nigerian ethnic communities including Delta State/Urhobo Pentecostals. A second RCCG parish — RCCG Chapel of the Great Restorer — also operates in the Bronx (rccgcgr.org).
Winners Chapel International — Hempstead, Long Island
310 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY 11550 • winnerschapelny.org
Denomination: Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners Chapel) — founded by Bishop David Oyedepo; 6+ million members in 147 countries
Winners Chapel is historically strong in Delta State communities across the Nigerian diaspora. The Hempstead location serves Nigerian families who have moved to Long Island suburbs — a reasonable commute from Southeast Queens or Nassau County via the LIRR or car. For Urhobo Pentecostals affiliated with Winners Chapel in Nigeria, this is the natural New York extension of that church home.
Urhobo Food & West African Restaurants
Urhobo cooking centers on the Niger Delta pantry: banga soup (palm nut soup, the defining Urhobo dish), starch (gelatinous cassava or corn starch eaten alongside banga), and catfish pepper soup. Ingredients are available in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Nigerian restaurants serving the broader West African community are concentrated on the Tremont Avenue corridor in the Bronx and the Flatbush corridor in Brooklyn — and at least one Brooklyn restaurant explicitly lists banga soup on its menu.
Festac NYC — Brooklyn (East New York) — Banga Soup on the Menu
263 Hendrix Street, Brooklyn, NY 11207 • (347) 627-5151 • festac-nyc.com
Hours: Mon–Tue 11 AM–9 PM; Wed–Sat 11 AM–10 PM; Sun 1 PM–9 PM
Festac NYC is the most directly relevant restaurant for Urhobo diners in New York: banga soup is explicitly on the menu ($18 per full bowl), alongside egusi soup and IsiEwu. Named after FESTAC ’77 — the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos — this Brooklyn restaurant takes Nigerian culinary heritage seriously. Delivery via Uber Eats, Seamless, and Postmates. For Urhobo New Yorkers craving the palm-nut depth of home cooking, this is the confirmed address.
Sanbra African Market — Bronx (Tremont Ave)
861 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10460 (between Marmion Ave and Southern Blvd) • (718) 294-3300
Hours: Mon–Fri and Sun: 11:00 AM–8:00 PM; Sat: 10:00 AM–8:00 PM • afrikagora.com
On the Tremont Avenue commercial corridor, Sanbra stocks Nigerian and Ghanaian ingredients — including the palm oil, stockfish, crayfish, and spices that are the foundation of banga soup and other Urhobo dishes. A Ghanaian restaurant is adjacent to the market. This is the most conveniently located West African grocery on the core Bronx Nigerian corridor and the natural first stop for Urhobo cooks settling in the area.
Wazobia African Market — Brooklyn (Flatbush)
1204 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11226 • (718) 282-1300
The anchor Nigerian grocery store for Brooklyn’s East Flatbush community. “Wazobia” means “come” in Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo — a pan-Nigerian welcome. Confirmed products: cassava leaves, palm oil (essential for banga), various spices, herbal medicines, personal care products; also provides money transfer services. For Urhobo families in Brooklyn or Queens, Wazobia Flatbush is the weekly grocery destination. A second West African market — Ecowas African Food Market (1292 Sutter Ave, Brooklyn) — serves the East New York/Brownsville corridor as an additional option.
Nigerian Restaurants — Bronx & Brooklyn
- African Home Restaurant — 57 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10453. (347) 597-7708. Nigerian and Ghanaian kitchen: jollof rice, egusi soup, West African staples. Open daily 11 AM–10 PM. On the core Tremont Ave corridor. Delivery via GrubHub, DoorDash, Seamless. africanfoodbronx.com
- Adom African Cuisine — 613 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457. (718) 294-0792. West African including Nigerian dishes. Steps from Sanbra market on the same Tremont corridor. adomafricancuisinery.com
- Eazylife Nigerian Restaurant & Lounge — 1300 E 222nd Street, The Bronx, NY 10469. (347) 603-7644. Authentic West African: pounded yam, egusi soup, ewedu soup, jollof rice, eba, amala. Active reviews through December 2025. Lounge setting; delivery via DoorDash and GrubHub. eazyliferestaurant.com
- BUKA Nigerian Restaurant — 1111 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238. Hours: Mon 4 PM–11 PM; Tue–Sun 12 PM–11 PM. Named one of NYC’s best Nigerian restaurants; reviewed by The Infatuation. Egusi soup, fufu, jollof rice, West African land snails, suya. Dairy-free, gluten-free, pork-free. bukanewyork.com
- Royal African and Caribbean Food Store — Bronx. (royacshop.com) Online ordering available; stocks Nigerian cooking staples wholesale and retail including palm nuts, dried fish, and specialty ingredients for banga soup and starch.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-Year Estimates) • Community organization websites and direct verification • Local school district enrollment data • Zillow and Apartments.com (rent estimates) • Glassdoor and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (salary data) • Redfin (home price data). Community population estimates reflect available Census language data combined with organization-reported figures. Read our full research methodology →