Ikot Ekpene
Encyclopedia
Ikot Ekpene, known throughout Nigeria as " The Raffia City", or locally simply as "IK," is a historic town in the Niger Delta of Nigeria
, and is in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom
. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang
ethnic group in Nigeria (Nair, 1972). The town is located on the A342 highway
that parallels the coast, between Calabar
to the south east and Aba
to the west, with the state capital, Uyo
, on this road just to the east. Umuahia
is the next major town to the north.
Ikot Ekpene is known as a regional centre of commerce, with notable exports of palm products, especially palm oil
, kernel
s, raffia products including raffia fibers and its sweet wine, as well as ground crops of yams
, cassava
, taro
, and corn
. The population is made up primarily of the Annang
people with a small number of Igbo Traders and Hausa Suya Vendors. Significant exports also include basket weaving
, sculpture
, and, most notably, raffia cane furniture (hence the colloquial name of the town).
Though most inhabitants of the area did not have direct contact with European traders until early in the twentieth century, it is believed that European articles of trade reached the people since the 17th century. Sustained contact with the Europeans began during the Aro expedition when Ukpong Inokon, an Aro Blood Brotherhood leader escaped to Ifuho. (Ette, in press) In November 1903, British troops arrived in the area from Calabar and the following year established a garrison there in January 1904. From Ikot Ekpene the troops marched to Uyo and from there to Abak and Opobo. Between 1904 and 1910, Ikot Ekpene became part of the Eyong District. In 1914 Enyong District was broken up into two: Enyong and Ikot Ekpene Districts. The new Ikot Ekpene District included Uyo and Abak with the headquarters in Ikot Ekpene town (Akpan, 1967).
By 1919 trade with Europeans opened up as the town became an administrative center. The following companies had post and stores in the town: John Holt Cooperative Wholesale Society Paterson Zochonos (PZ), G. B. Olivant and the Compagnie Francaise de L'Afrique Occidentals. The establishment of these companies resulted in exodus from the surrounding areas and made Ikot Ekpene a vibrant metropolis. In 1937, the colonial administration built the main market and separated those who sold imported European goods from indigenous articles. A slaughter house was added to allow for the inspection of meat.
Under the British the town became the seat of both the (Annang), Division and (Ikot Ekpene) County Council. Today it is a municipal center in the state of Akwa Ibom.
Kannan Nair, the noted historian described the town as a cultural and political capital of the Annangs and the Ibibios. The Ibibios live to the East and most of the Annangs live to the South of the town. In 1903, the British sent in troops and a garrison was stationed there at the main entrance to the town known as Control Post. The town was so important to the British that when a proposed road linking Owerri and Calabar in the late 1920s was to bypass the town, the British administrators abandoned the idea in favor of one linking Eket and Owerri in order to bring the town into the loop (Nair, 1972). It became the site of the experiment in local self governance by the British in 1951. It was also the birth place of the famous Ibibio Welfare Union when James Udo Eka teamed up with Udosen Obot at Methodist school in Ikot Obong Edong ( Noah, 1988). In the 1920s, this was one of the first regional political organizations in Nigeria.
Ikot Ekpene, probably more than any other town, was seriously impacted in the Biafrian civil war. It had strategic military and political importance to both the Biafrians and Nigerians. The town and the area changed hands at least 3 times in this bitter conflict. Following the war, the new reorganization and state structure led to policies that did not recognize the historic importance of the town as most of the Annang leaders were killed during the war.
Like most Annang communities, Ikot Ekpene has a tradition of self improvement from its sons and daughters, both near and far. Several groups are working together to recapture and rebuild what they fondly call "The Raffia City". Ikot Ekpene has a long history of transforming the raffia fibre into cloth used in shoes, hats, handbags, mats and with distinctive cultural carvings made out of wood. These unique arts and crafts trades have continued alongside traditional agriculture.
Many foreign organizations and churches are present in the area. Three institutions of higher learning have added a richness to the town: the Ikot Osurua College of Technology, the School of Nursing and the St Joseph Major Theological Seminary.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and is in the densely populated state of Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria named after the Qua Iboe river. It is located in the coastal South-Southern part of the country, lying between latitudes 4°321 and 5°331 North, and longitudes 7°251 and 8°251 East...
. It is the political and cultural capital of the Annang
Annang
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...
ethnic group in Nigeria (Nair, 1972). The town is located on the A342 highway
A342 highway (Nigeria)
The A342 highway is a highway in Nigeria. It is one of the east-west roads linking the main south-north roads. ....
that parallels the coast, between Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
to the south east and Aba
Aba, Nigeria
Aba is a city and a big trading center in Abia State, southern Nigeria, located on the Aba River. Aba was established by the Igbo People of Nigeria as a market town and then later a military post was placed there by the British colonial administration in 1901...
to the west, with the state capital, Uyo
Uyo
Uyo is a city in south-eastern Nigeria and is the capital of Akwa Ibom State, a major oil producing state of Nigeria. The city became a capital of Akwa Ibom State on September 23, 1987 following the creation of the state from Cross River State....
, on this road just to the east. Umuahia
Umuahia
Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...
is the next major town to the north.
Ikot Ekpene is known as a regional centre of commerce, with notable exports of palm products, especially palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
, kernel
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, raffia products including raffia fibers and its sweet wine, as well as ground crops of yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
, and corn
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
. The population is made up primarily of the Annang
Annang
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...
people with a small number of Igbo Traders and Hausa Suya Vendors. Significant exports also include basket weaving
Basket weaving
Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and, most notably, raffia cane furniture (hence the colloquial name of the town).
Though most inhabitants of the area did not have direct contact with European traders until early in the twentieth century, it is believed that European articles of trade reached the people since the 17th century. Sustained contact with the Europeans began during the Aro expedition when Ukpong Inokon, an Aro Blood Brotherhood leader escaped to Ifuho. (Ette, in press) In November 1903, British troops arrived in the area from Calabar and the following year established a garrison there in January 1904. From Ikot Ekpene the troops marched to Uyo and from there to Abak and Opobo. Between 1904 and 1910, Ikot Ekpene became part of the Eyong District. In 1914 Enyong District was broken up into two: Enyong and Ikot Ekpene Districts. The new Ikot Ekpene District included Uyo and Abak with the headquarters in Ikot Ekpene town (Akpan, 1967).
By 1919 trade with Europeans opened up as the town became an administrative center. The following companies had post and stores in the town: John Holt Cooperative Wholesale Society Paterson Zochonos (PZ), G. B. Olivant and the Compagnie Francaise de L'Afrique Occidentals. The establishment of these companies resulted in exodus from the surrounding areas and made Ikot Ekpene a vibrant metropolis. In 1937, the colonial administration built the main market and separated those who sold imported European goods from indigenous articles. A slaughter house was added to allow for the inspection of meat.
Under the British the town became the seat of both the (Annang), Division and (Ikot Ekpene) County Council. Today it is a municipal center in the state of Akwa Ibom.
Kannan Nair, the noted historian described the town as a cultural and political capital of the Annangs and the Ibibios. The Ibibios live to the East and most of the Annangs live to the South of the town. In 1903, the British sent in troops and a garrison was stationed there at the main entrance to the town known as Control Post. The town was so important to the British that when a proposed road linking Owerri and Calabar in the late 1920s was to bypass the town, the British administrators abandoned the idea in favor of one linking Eket and Owerri in order to bring the town into the loop (Nair, 1972). It became the site of the experiment in local self governance by the British in 1951. It was also the birth place of the famous Ibibio Welfare Union when James Udo Eka teamed up with Udosen Obot at Methodist school in Ikot Obong Edong ( Noah, 1988). In the 1920s, this was one of the first regional political organizations in Nigeria.
Ikot Ekpene, probably more than any other town, was seriously impacted in the Biafrian civil war. It had strategic military and political importance to both the Biafrians and Nigerians. The town and the area changed hands at least 3 times in this bitter conflict. Following the war, the new reorganization and state structure led to policies that did not recognize the historic importance of the town as most of the Annang leaders were killed during the war.
Like most Annang communities, Ikot Ekpene has a tradition of self improvement from its sons and daughters, both near and far. Several groups are working together to recapture and rebuild what they fondly call "The Raffia City". Ikot Ekpene has a long history of transforming the raffia fibre into cloth used in shoes, hats, handbags, mats and with distinctive cultural carvings made out of wood. These unique arts and crafts trades have continued alongside traditional agriculture.
Many foreign organizations and churches are present in the area. Three institutions of higher learning have added a richness to the town: the Ikot Osurua College of Technology, the School of Nursing and the St Joseph Major Theological Seminary.
See also
AnnangAnnang
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...