History And Anniversary Date Of Akwa Ibom State

History And Anniversary Date Of Akwa Ibom State

Akwa Ibom State has clocked 33 years on Wednesday September 23, so with that the State Government use the opportunity to unveiled its new flag and state emblem.

The State was founded on September 23, 1987.

Akwa Ibom State Govt Unveils New State Emblem To Mark 33rd Anniversary
Akwa Ibom State New Emblem

Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria. It is located in the coastal southern part of the country, lying between latitudes 4°32′N and 5°33′N, and longitudes 7°25′E and 8°25′E. The state is located in the South-South geopolitical zone, and is bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost tip of Cross River State.

Akwa Ibom is one of Nigeria’s 36 states, with a population of over five million people. The state was created in 1987 by Ibrahim Babangida from the former Cross River State and is currently the highest oil- and gas-producing state in the country. The state’s capital is Uyo, with over 500,000 inhabitants. Akwa Ibom has an airport and two major seaports on the Atlantic Ocean with a proposed construction of a seaport at Ibaka, Oron. The state also has a 30,000-seat sports complex. It is shaped like the Allianz arena stadium. Akwa Ibom state is also home to the Ibom E-Library, an information centre. In addition to English, the main spoken languages are Ibibio, Annang, Ekid, Oro and Obolo.

History

The region of the state was created out of Cross River State on September 23, 1987 by the then Military Administration of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. No central government existed among the people of what is now Akwa Ibom State prior to the British invasion in 1904. Instead, the Annang, Oron, Efik, Ibonos and Ibibio were all autonomous groups.

History And Anniversary Date Of Akwa Ibom State
Photo: Dancers in Akwa Ibom attire

Although several Scottish missionaries arrived in Calabar in 1848, and Ibono in 1887, the British did not firmly establish control of the area until 1904. In that year, the Enyong Division was created encompassing the area of the current state of Akwa Ibom, with headquarters at Ikot Ekpene, an Annang city described by the noted Africanist Kaanan Nair, as the cultural and political capital of Annang and Ibibio.

History And Anniversary Date Of Akwa Ibom State

The creation of Enyong Division for the first time allowed the numerous ethnic groups to come together. This further provided a venue for the creation of the Ibibio Welfare Union, later renamed Ibibio State Union. This social organization was first organized as a local development and improvement forum for educated persons and groups who were shut out from the colonial administration in 1929. Nonetheless, some historians have wrongly pointed to the union to buttress their argument about the homogeneity of groups in the area. The Obolo Union, comprising Ibono and Andoni stock, was another strong socioeconomic and cultural organization that thrived in the region. The Ibono people have fought wars to maintain their unique identity and territory in the region more than any other group.

History And Anniversary Date Of Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State New Flag

When Akwa Ibom state was created in 1987, Uyo was chosen as the state capital to spread development to all regions of the state.

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Eyo Nse is a creative writer, blogger and a software engineer.He is a simple individual who loves to see others succeed in life.Mr Wisdytech as he is popularly known - started blogging in the early 2000's.

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