Akwa
Ibom state, the Land of promise. A land
filled with beautiful people blessed with diverse and the most amazing mother tongue. Akwa Ibom is
best known for its mouthwatering dishes such as Afang soup, Edikaikong, Ekpankuku
etc which makes the state very popular in Nigeria and globally. More recently
with the urbanization and development of the state, its capital, Uyo
is now fondly referred to as “small London” and visited yearly by tourists to its numerous hosts of beautiful landmarks.
Ibom state, the Land of promise. A land
filled with beautiful people blessed with diverse and the most amazing mother tongue. Akwa Ibom is
best known for its mouthwatering dishes such as Afang soup, Edikaikong, Ekpankuku
etc which makes the state very popular in Nigeria and globally. More recently
with the urbanization and development of the state, its capital, Uyo
is now fondly referred to as “small London” and visited yearly by tourists to its numerous hosts of beautiful landmarks.
Akwa
Ibom is located in the south eastern Nigeria 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. The state has several developed cities namely: Uyo, Eket, Ikot
Ekpene, Etinan, Oron, Abak, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno Oruk Anam, and Uruan. The purpose
of this piece is to highlight the lifestyle and
heritage of the major tribes in Akwa Ibom state.
Ibom is located in the south eastern Nigeria 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. The state has several developed cities namely: Uyo, Eket, Ikot
Ekpene, Etinan, Oron, Abak, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno Oruk Anam, and Uruan. The purpose
of this piece is to highlight the lifestyle and
heritage of the major tribes in Akwa Ibom state.
Anang Tribe
The Anang people are found in 8 LGAs
namely: Abak, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akwara, Oruk Anam and Ukanafan.
They are the second largest tribe in Akwa Ibom after the Ibibio tribe. You may
have probably heard about the practice of placing a bride in a room prior to
marriage, where she’s fed and thought things about womanhood. This concept is
widely known as the Fattening room and is actually the tradition of the Anang
people and not of all parts of Akwa Ibom. The Anang people speak the Anang
language but Ibibio language tends to dominate since they are much larger. The
most dominant religion among the Anang is Christianity.
namely: Abak, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akwara, Oruk Anam and Ukanafan.
They are the second largest tribe in Akwa Ibom after the Ibibio tribe. You may
have probably heard about the practice of placing a bride in a room prior to
marriage, where she’s fed and thought things about womanhood. This concept is
widely known as the Fattening room and is actually the tradition of the Anang
people and not of all parts of Akwa Ibom. The Anang people speak the Anang
language but Ibibio language tends to dominate since they are much larger. The
most dominant religion among the Anang is Christianity.
Obolo Tribe
The tribe is also known as the Andoni
people. They are found in both Rivers state and Akwa Ibom state, both sharing
the same region, separated into different islands. They speak the Obolo
language which is a mixture of Efik, Ibibio, Oron and Ijaw dialect. They are strongly related to the Ijaws of the
Niger Delta (Opobo, Nkoro, Bonny Ijaws).
They are found in 2 LGAs Ibeno-Eket and Oron LGA. They are also mainly Christians
even if traditional practices are still practiced.
people. They are found in both Rivers state and Akwa Ibom state, both sharing
the same region, separated into different islands. They speak the Obolo
language which is a mixture of Efik, Ibibio, Oron and Ijaw dialect. They are strongly related to the Ijaws of the
Niger Delta (Opobo, Nkoro, Bonny Ijaws).
They are found in 2 LGAs Ibeno-Eket and Oron LGA. They are also mainly Christians
even if traditional practices are still practiced.
Oron Tribe
The Oron people is the third largest
tribe in Akwa Ibom with a population estimate of about 250,000 people in the
tribal seat, Oron city( which is the third largest city after Uyo and Eket)and about 400,000 in the
metropolitan area. The Oron people
occupy 5 LGAs namely: Oron, Udung-uko, Mbo,Urae,Offiong/Uruko and Okobo.
tribe in Akwa Ibom with a population estimate of about 250,000 people in the
tribal seat, Oron city( which is the third largest city after Uyo and Eket)and about 400,000 in the
metropolitan area. The Oron people
occupy 5 LGAs namely: Oron, Udung-uko, Mbo,Urae,Offiong/Uruko and Okobo.
They speak the Oron dialect which is
significantly more distinct from the Ibibio language, but, the Efik and Ibibio
language is also spoken by them. History
has it, that they migrated to this region from the gulf of guinea Atlantic Ocean
south after the Great Noah’s flood. The region is quite rich in oil and natural
gas. The area is also extremely fertile and is quite known for its Oil Palm
belt, swamps, beaches and tropical rainforest.
significantly more distinct from the Ibibio language, but, the Efik and Ibibio
language is also spoken by them. History
has it, that they migrated to this region from the gulf of guinea Atlantic Ocean
south after the Great Noah’s flood. The region is quite rich in oil and natural
gas. The area is also extremely fertile and is quite known for its Oil Palm
belt, swamps, beaches and tropical rainforest.
Eket Tribe
The tribe is actually a sub unit of the Ibibio
tribe with a population of about 304,489. The tribe comprises of 4 LGAs namely:
Eket,Esit Eket, Ibeno and Onna LGAs. They speak the Eket language and are more
dominantly Christians but the practice of traditional religion is still quite
noticed in the region. The City of Eket, which is the centre of the tribe is
also an industrial town and quite an expensive city to live in and is the
second largest city in the state. Farming used to be the main occupation of the
people but crude oil exploration activities have quite depleted the fertility
of the environment.
tribe with a population of about 304,489. The tribe comprises of 4 LGAs namely:
Eket,Esit Eket, Ibeno and Onna LGAs. They speak the Eket language and are more
dominantly Christians but the practice of traditional religion is still quite
noticed in the region. The City of Eket, which is the centre of the tribe is
also an industrial town and quite an expensive city to live in and is the
second largest city in the state. Farming used to be the main occupation of the
people but crude oil exploration activities have quite depleted the fertility
of the environment.
Ibeno Tribe
The Ibeno tribe is located close to the
kwa-ibo (Qua-ebo) people. They are the biggest fishing tribe in Akwa Ibom
state. The speak Ibibio-Efik language. One main tourist attraction in Ibeno is
the Ibeno beach located 30 kilometers along the Atlantic Ocean through to
Jamestown in the state.
kwa-ibo (Qua-ebo) people. They are the biggest fishing tribe in Akwa Ibom
state. The speak Ibibio-Efik language. One main tourist attraction in Ibeno is
the Ibeno beach located 30 kilometers along the Atlantic Ocean through to
Jamestown in the state.
Ibibio Tribe
This tribe is the largest in the state
with a population estimate of about 5 million people. They speak the ibibio-Efik
language. At a time in history, they were known to practice the killing of
twins, today, the ibibios embrace Christianity like never before.
with a population estimate of about 5 million people. They speak the ibibio-Efik
language. At a time in history, they were known to practice the killing of
twins, today, the ibibios embrace Christianity like never before.
Okobo Tribe
Okobo
is both a tribe and a local government area in the state. They occupy the Odu
and Eta districts of Okobo local government area; they are known for their Ekpe
masquerades around the world. The Okobo tribe is rich in Mahogany, as a result
of this, boat and canoe making is one of their foremost occupations. Christianity
is the most dominant religion in this area.