BALKANIZATION OF AKWA IBIBIO STATE PROF. OKON UYA: STANDING IBIBIO ON ITS HEAD

Recently, Prof. Okon Uya in an attempt to seek relevance, further his academic exercise and works of imagination, created his own version of history in his romantic story (Book) titled: “A HISTORY OF ORON PEOPLE OF LOWER  CROSS RIVER BASIN”.

 

In the said book, Uya averred and I quote: “Until comparatively recently the Oron people did not intermarry with Ibbi (Ibibio) for fear of contamination: first with the uncircumcised and second with the Descendants of slaves”  

 

First, for a Professor of history to document such a wild speculation of anthropological and historical slant, manufacturing falsehood, fiction and romance without one iota of truth-supporting-facts and references from credible authorities on the subject matter (history) calls to question his academic research credentials, intellectual capacity and strength of character.

         

Second, it is very disappointing that Uya (a political historian) deliberately ignored written materials, corroborated by oral testimonies by Pioneer Missionaries, great, unbiased and harmless historians from the great continents of Europe and America including Talbot (7000BC). Henry Nau (A Pioneer Missionary of Lutheran Mission) Jeffreys, Rev Hope Waddle, MacFarlane, Robert M. Kweown, and Barry Ford, just to mention a few who wrote and testified that Ibibios are Afaha people who had their original homeland at Usak Edet in the present Republic of Cameroon. So, where did Uya get his facts from? I challenge him to publish his sources and references.

 

Without any fear repetition, Henry Nau, a Pioneer Missionary of the Lutheran Church Mission, who toured the length and breath of Ibibio Country, asserted that Ibibio ancestors migrated from the Republic of Cameroon. Testifying to Ibibio antiquity, Robert M. Keown remarked that of all the Cross River peoples, the Ibibios are probably the stock native from whom most of the Ibibio sub groups of Oron, Efik, Annang, Eket and Ibeno sprung.

 

Barry Ford shared the same view with Henry Nau, when he wrote that Ibibio migrated to their present homeland from the Cameroon uplands to the east and from Cross River estuary moved up river as well as westward (inland and along the coastal swamps).

 

These listed written materials by European, and America Historians and Missionaries have been corroborated by oral testimonies, which have confirmed that Ibibio people are not descendants of slaves as fabricated by Uya but the original owners of Ibibio country, comprising of Oron, Efik, Annang, Eket Ibeno and having common boundaries with the Quas, Efuts (in Cross River State) the Igbos (in Abia State) and Ogonis (in River State).

 

One of such testimonies is that of Rev (Dr) Jonathan Udo Ekong from Afaha Ibesikpo, who agreed with the Europeans and American historian that Ibibio people migrated from Usak Edet. Dr. Ekong said, Ibibio people knew Usak Edet as Edik Afaha (literally meaning, the pond from where Afaha people came). Evidence is overwhelming that Ibibio people are of Usak Edet lineage in Cameroon.

 

However, it has been confirmed that the migration routes were many and varied. While some entered Ibibio land through sea, others reached by land.

 

The Oron which Uya has repudiated from Ibibio in his romance (Book) were among the Ibibios who entered Ibibio homeland through the sea along with Eket and Ibeno people.

 

Majority of Ibibio people (the mainlanders) entered through Ibom in Arochukwu and temporarily settled and established their Shrine – Ibritam Inokon (the long Juju of Arochukwu) as it was popularly called at Aro.

 

Concerning the long Juju, Ashley remarked that it was an Ibibio Shrine known as Idiong. Shankland, Assistant District Officer in Charge of Arochukwu asserted as follows: ‘It seems fairly certain that before the coming of the Igbos into Aro, the Ibibios had a Juju, Ibritam, situated by a little stream not far from the present town of Ibom. What particular property or power was attached to Juju in those days will ever be uncertain but certain it is that the Juju survived the Ibibio war and was before long to become the most famous shrine in Nigeria, indeed on the West coast”. While at Arochukwu, one of the small clans of Ibibio – Eburutu (Efik) were the principal custodians of the shrine.

 

A source posits that Idiong Secret Society was formally called Idiong Ibritam while that of the Ibibio – sub group (Efik) was Ekpenyong Ibritam because of their common ancestry and association with the long Juju of Arochukwu.

 

According to Talbot, Ibibio had settled in Ibom Arochukwu for so long that Aros themselves are believed to be descendants of Ibibio slaves.

 

From the submission of Talbot, it can be deduced that Ibibios were not descendants of slaves but Natives; and slave dealers contrary to Uya’s fiction.

 

Another source confirms that Ibibio were the earliest settlers and indeed the owners of Ibom Country but the Ibibio war of 15^th century necessitated their movement to meet with their sea – fearing brothers and sisters; Oron, Efik, Ibeno & Eket who settled at the coast.

 

Uya, should be tutored to know that ethnicity is not static but dynamic and evolutionary in nature. It is that evolution that has given birth to the mushrooming of many sub-tribes within the Ibibio country, including, but not limited to Oron, Efik, Annang, Eket and Ibeno. Encapsulated in the evolution is the adulteration of Ibibio language into many dialectical variants (version) by these Ibibio sub – groups.

 

All Akwa Ibibio State nationalists and patriots should advise Okon Uya to go into archives with objective mind and not prejudice to dig out the truth about the origin of the Ibibios.

 

It is worthy to mention that Dr. E. N. Amaku embarked on a similar project of blackmailing the Ibibio race in his ambitious attempt to create identity for the Efiks. And the Ibibios unlocked their Research Libraries, released historical facts, opened legal battle and proved that Efik was indeed one of their sub-groups, Amaku was not only disgraced publicly but he tendered a written apology (copies still available)

 

Without any fear of digression, testimonies of early writers confirming Efik as a sub-tribe of Ibibio are available in many libraries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. One of the early writers HUTCHINSON observed in 1858 as follows:

“In fact, the natives of Chief Kalabar Towns (Efik) originally came from the Egbo shary (Ibibio) country to carry on the slave trade at the time the whole inhabitable country on the east – side of the river belongs to the people of Qua”.

 

Rev. Hope Waddle (the founder of the famous Hope Waddle Training Institution, Calabar) in his writing expressed the same opinion when he said that the Efik people came out of the Ibibio Country. Infact at a time, Efik Clan was administered from Ishiet Uruan – the heart of Ibibio Land. No Obong of Calabar was crowned without endorsement by the Uruan Kingmakers.

 

Talbot agreed with him and reported that soon afterwards (1600) a section of Ibibio expelled either by on-coming Igbo or in consequence of a defeat in the hands of a town of their own tribe migrated to old Efik town near Ikoneto. Somewhat later the greater part of them moved on again, some to Mbiabo and Adiabo and, others to Creek Town, most likely in order to get as large a share as possible in the profits from the slave trade”

 

Macfarlan in reviewing the origin of Efik settlements of Calabar remarked that: “The Efik people were a branch (sub–tribe) of Ibibio tribe who were forced to migrate to the coast by the inter-tribal wars and constant invasion of their villages by slave dealing – Aros”.

 

These harmless written and oral testimonies by European Missionaries and administrators who resided in Calabar (Efik domain) provided direct evidence to Efik origin from Ibibio tribe. These writers could not have downplayed or distort historical facts about Efik origin because, afterall, the Efik were their landlords.

 

An Efik son, Efiong Ukpong Aye, in his book, OLD CALABAR THROUGH THE CENTURIES, states: “a quarrel broke out between Efiks and Ibibios over an axe an Efik wife had borrowed from an Ibibio woman to split wood. Its crisis precipitated war and the Ibibios decided that the troublesome Efiks must go. It was the Ibibio country that earned them the name ‘Efik’ – a word derived from an Ibibio verb “Fik”, meaning “oppress” “Efik” therefore means those who oppress. The Efik son further states in the book:

“Apart from the name “Efik” which the present Efiks had earned from the Ibibios, the long stay of the former (the Efiks) among the later (the Ibibio) created an indelible impression on Efik linguistic history”.

 

It is the influence of Ibibio on the Efik linguistic history that made Efik language, an adulterated dialectical variant (Version) of Ibibio language. Dr. Emmanuel Nsan (another Efik son in his work, The Efik in contemporary Nigeria, remarked, “While pursuing post-graduate studies in the UK in 1980, I stumbled on Efik in a local dictionary – The term Efik was defined as “a sub-tribe of Ibibio people of South-Eastern Nigeria”.

 

From the foregoing, it is evidently clear from written and oral testimonies of early missionaries, Administrators and historians who were non-Ibibios (indeed non-Africans) that Ibibios were not descendants of slaves but the original ancestral stock and progenitors of Efik, Oron Anang, Ibuno and Eket.

In addition, Uya should be told that he has earned the wrath of Ibibios for distorting historical facts in his failed attempt to enhance his economic and political status. This manipulation and redefinition of origins and ethnic identity are appalling to the reading public. Uya, for lack of something constructive to write, postulates a wild speculation and self-damaging essay to damage the past, present and future generations of Ibibio people.

 

Indeed, this fable and uninformed work of romantic imagination and thesis has the potential of igniting unquenchable fire.

 

In a swift reaction to that published work of Uya, a group of Ibibio patriots and nationalists have come together under the umbrella of Akwa Ibibio State Renaissance Movement (ARM) to do to Uya what Ibibio Mainlanders Association did to Dr. E.N. Amaku, for publishing defamatory material against the Ibibios; in which Amaku tendered written apology and suffered defeat. Uya should be reminded of a grave misunderstanding that arose between Ibibio and Efik because of that Amaku’s publication and the court action instituted against Amaku by Ibibio Mainlanders Association with Barr. Clinton as their Lawyer.

 

That Amaku’s seditious publication almost precipitated crisis that almost consumed Efik if not for the intervention of the Presbyterian Church and Government officials. Available records show that the matter could only be resolved after Amaku had given a written apology with an undertaking that the seditious publication would be destroyed and cost incurred refunded. Does Uya want a repeat of such an ugly episode? Does he want Ibibio to sweep Oron into extinction? What does Okon Uya really want? Why is he drumming up falsehood and divisive greed to misinform the public and create disunity in Akwa Ibom State?

 

The unrestrained and unedited essay is not only false, provocative, barbaric, and unwarranted but a serious threat to our peaceful co-existence as a people of common ancestry.

 

Such publication, which was designed to undermine the image of a decent race must be withdrawn and destroyed immediately because those wild comments and insulting vituperative attacks have already sparked off quite reactions from all nooks and crannies of Ibibio country and Ibibios in Diaspora.

 

Sadly, Uya and his minority compatriots, who have suddenly withdrawn into their medieval shells, identifying themselves as ethnic bigots and warlords; projecting their little worlds, should be taught civility. These ethnic champions who have tended to withdraw to their conclave to raise to bold relief the issue of ethnicity in Akwa Ibom state should be cautioned that Akwa Ibom State is the only state in Nigeria that is homogenous in all ramifications.

 

We need to look beyond the imaginary boundaries created by the likes of Uya, who are parading themselves as elites for selfish reasons and re-enact the days of Ibibio state union, In response to Uya’s inciting publication, an American University don and Ibibio son from Uyo Itam, Prof Ini George Inyang in his Book: “ The Rise of majority power – A case of irredentism, political evolution and empowerment” described Uya’s Thesis as a wild unrestrained comment that is spiteful to decent people and it is false and unwanted.

 

While saluting Uya for his intellectual curiosity to change colonial history and rewrite contemporary history to suite his whims, Professor Inyang appeals to him to spare the Ibibios and her sub-tribes of Efik, Oron, Ananng, Ibuno and Eket the confusion and misunderstanding as he embarks on his pastoral adventure. 

 

A pertinent question to ask is, does Uya want Akwa Ibom State to be destroyed, so that he can join his Efik conspirators to enjoy his proposed Atlantic state, comprising of Efik and Oron communities?

It is truism that ethnic bigotry and self marginalization remain the central focus of the old school, where Uya belongs and is the sole administrator.

 

 

As I reach my terminus I appeal to my follow Ibibio compatriots to sheath their sword in the spirit of nationalism, and support the intellectual and legal approach of “ARM” aimed at bringing Okon Uya to justice to serve as deterrent to others. My advice to him is that, first, he should stop feeding the public with writing of whimsical quality, and second he should not wait for court orders before mobbing up his thrash from the Libraries for immediate destruction.

 

In related development, some politicians from Oron who are following Uya’s footsteps are promoting illegal Associations called Union of the Atlantics and Movement for Democracy and Equity to Balkanize Akwa Ibom State with Itu, Uruan, Ikot Abasi and Eket as their targets.

The Akwa Ibibio State Renaissance Movement is closely monitoring their activities within and outside Akwa Ibom State and will react accordingly.