OKUIBOM IBIBIO AND THE TRUTH ABOUT AKWA IBOM PEOPLE
Thomas Thomas
It was Professor Emmanuel Ayandele, a Professor of History and the then Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, who, after undertaking an extensive study of the people and peopling of the lower Cross River region (where the University situates) — and having found out that the area is made up of a people with the same languuage, history and culture, and having also observed that, though the people were homogenous in entirety, but allowed hatred and stupidity to becloud their sense of reasoning — concluded that, indeed, “the area is an atomistic society always and perpetually at war with itself.” This obvious truth has been our identity, and a chain that holds us back for donkey years now.
From our days in the defunct Cross River State, the Ibibio had always been at war with the Ibibio. It is so bad and sad that both our politicians and academics have centred their trades on this divisiveness rather unity. Our so called academics write only on those little differences among the various subgroups rather than on what could foster unity. They fuel negative politics amongs us that majority of our people rather support a candidate outside the state than supporting someone from the State that is not from their clan or subgroup. Very sad! To some, instead of Oku Ibom Ibibio they rather rever a boy from another ethnic group!
Before this division set in, the whole of what is known today as Akwa Ibom State and southern part of today’s Cross River State was called Ibibio (and that is what we still are and called by peoples outside the area). The Efiks started the division because of their arrogance which caused them to look down on the mainland Ibibio people, hence, they sponsored E. N. Amaku to write that the mainland Ibibio were slaves and stupid, and thus, they dissociated thenceforth from them and preferred to be known as Efik people who have nothing in common with the Ibibio people. There was a problem! In response, the mainland Ibibio people dragged Amaku and the Efiks to Court. The matter was settled out of court at the behest of the Efik elite and the Presbyterian missionaries. But the wound caused the Mainland Ibibio to form an Association in Calabar Town in 1927 with the name Ibibio Welfare Association led by Chief Nnyong Essien who was then an Interpreter for the Supreme Court at Calabar. A year after, the Ibibio Welfare Association merged with Ibibio Mainland Union and became Ibibio Union officially formed in Ikot Ekpene.
The Ibibio Union was a mass movement, and the entire Annang and Oron were a part, and held good offices including President General. But along the line, the Oron bloc severed and claimed a separate ethnic group from the Ibibio, and in 1984 came up with a book by Professor Uya claiming that there was “Oro Union” before Ibibio Union, and used the book to severe every relationship with the Ibibio. In 1951, Ibanga Udo Akpabio led some Annang out of Ibibio Union because of greed and political differences, even after benefitting immensely from the Union. In fact, prior to the dismemberment of Ibibio in 1938 when the Oro subgroup opted out of Ibibio Union, and Annang followed suit in the 1950s, the Mainland part of the then Calabar Province, now known as Akwa Ibom State, was known as Ibibio. All the groups now professing distinct ethnic identities accepted the Ibibio identity. Of course, they’re Ibibio. Chief JB Adiakpan in 1962 wrote that the entire people of the mainland part of the Calabar province are Ibibio. So, for some people to believe today that they are not Ibibio just because of a slight differences in dialects but with over 95% cognacy is weird and absurd.
What the Oro people speak is Ibibio, and they were in Ibibio Union. What the Annang speak is Ibibio, and they held key positions in Ibibio Union. So, for some people to just go mad today in their quest to prove nonexistent points for silly political gains and nothing more than that is idiotic, and their heads need to be examined. For seven days now (and still running) the eyes of the world have been forcefully turned to Akwa Ibom State because of the negative news emanating from the State courtesy of politicians whose failures were orchestrated by themselves because of their wrongdoings or the sins of their fathers which caused the people to refused to buy into their cheap propagada during the elections, which led to their failures which they may not recover from. Some of these politicians are hellbent on dividing the State because their own fathers and or forefathers had laid that evil foundation of hatred and also benefitted, albeit, temporarily from it during the glorious days of Ibibio Union (later Ibibio State Union).
What is the negative news about?
Just because the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly ably led by Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong (a knowledgeable son of Annang section of Ibibio) had passed into law the Traditional Rulers Law which elevates the Oku Ibom Ibibio to a first-class traditional ruler status from this State and places him at parity with the likes of the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano, the Obi of Onitsha, the Oba of Benin, the Obong of Calabar, the Ooni of Ife, the Oba of Lagos, the Olu of Warri, etc., some politicians and few persons take to streets and call for war and threaten fire and brimstone if the law is not reversed. Those who are doing this are mostly the failed politicians from Annang and Oron sections of Ibibio who want to use micro ethnic sentiments to curry political favour for themselves. These men are busy sponsoring protests on the streets of the State capital and on the media against the law, and the Governor (as though the governor made the law).
Let’s put the record straight:
The entire Akwa Ibom State is known all over the world as Ibibio, that is why Ibibio Union was a collective thing and not a sectional thing. This is evidenced in the fact that till date the Ibibio State College built by the Union is still in existence in Ikot Ekpene, and the first principal of the school was Mr. Ibanga Akpabio who later turned a traitor. The scholarship scheme floated by the Ibibio Union cuts across the entire Ibibio land, and Oron people only lost their chance to Eket by a margin, but they were to be compensated, but they opted out of the Union.
Even with the dismemberment of the Ibibio, the sections which still believed till date in the Ibibio unity, viz Nsit, Ikono, Iman, Ibiono, Ibesikpo, Asutan, Uruan, Eket, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, Itam, etc still waxed stronger, and had to start the agitation for state creation in Nigeria through the formation of COR Movement in collaboration with the Ogoja and Rivers peoples. Again, after the Nigerian Military Government headed by Gen. Ironsi proscribed Ibibio Union and other ethnic unions that existed then (1966) (by then there was no Oro Union, no Annang Union — because they were not listed in the list of the proscribed unions), the Ibibio people again, in 1981, formed Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, with an Eket son leading the organization. This later group succeeded in causing the creation of Akwa Ibom State.
Ibibios have always taken the lead in Akwa Ibom State, and of course, (in) East of the Niger. It was the Ibibio people who started ethnic union in the country in 1927. It was they who started agitation for state creation. It was the Ibibio people who first sent their sons abroad for education. The first ethnic group to build a school. The first ethnic nationality to own a company (Ibibio Trading Company); the first ethnic union to build and own a Secretariat as at 1940s; the first to demand and actually worked to secede from Nigeria because of inhuman colonial policies. So, are such a people, or an ethnic group not deserve the lead?
The obvious display of atomism by a few persons in the State in their attempt to carve out some spheres of influences for themselves is uncalled for. Akwa Ibom State is unarguably a homoteregenous society. Yes, homoteregenous in the sense that we are of the same stock but only claim to be diverse. Okuibom Ibibio is the over all Traditional ruler as of right as the ruler of a stock native from whom other subgroups sprang.
The Obong of Calabar is chosen from among the Efiks anywhere, and once chosen he becomes the Obong of Calabar and superintends over the entirety of Calabar making up of Efik, Efut and Qua, and Odukpani, Akpabuyo, Bakassi, and Akamkpa, and accorded the status of the primus fares among the plethora of kings in Cross River State. The Olu of Warri rules over Warri, yet Warri consists of Itshikiris, Ijaws, Urhobos, etc. He is chosen from among the Itshikiris to stand as the premium Traditional ruler in Warri. So, why this self hate? In Akwa Ibom State we are blessed to speak one language, though through different dialects and inflections; so, why this noise as if mme adióóñó idem owo ibaaha ke otu nnyin?
Meanwhile, Congratulations to
The Okuibom Ibibio IV
The Grand Patriarch and the Unifier of Ibibio Race
The Defender of the Christian faith
And the Legitimated King East of the Niger
