Akwa Ibom History Is Very Rich…please read on.
Do you know that the first (Experimental) Local Government (County) in Nigeria was Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area?
Sadly: It may be deleted from Nigeria history as we don’t seem to be proud of it.
Do you know that the second highest Slave depot in West Africa (The first was in Badagry, Lagos) was established in Ikot Abasi in the year 1795? and the famous ‘Bridge of No Return’ was built in Ikot Abasi that same year?
Sadly: In Goggle it is recorded as if the Bridge stands in Imo State along Imo River.
Do you know that the decision and the plan for the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern States into one Country Named Nigeria was taken at the Brick House at Ikot Abasi by Sir Lord Lugard and other Colonial Leaders in the presence of all regional Heads then?
Sadly: That Center (The Amalgamation house which is still standing in Ikot Abasi till today) was not recognized by the federal government when Nigeria Amalgamation history was Celebrated in 2014, why? we were Silent and seemed not to be proud of it.
Do you know that Queen Elizabeth the 2nd Ship Came into the Eastern Nigeria through the Eniong River in the Present ITU Local Government Area?, and that till today the deck she climbed up to the land is still at ITU ?
Sadly: It’s not our Business, such History is forgotten and such place is not worth a tourist Center.
Do you know that the first leper colony in Nigeria region was established by the Presbyterian Church at Obot ITU?
Do you know that the first telephone service station in west Africa was at ITU?
Do you know that because of our riches in Forrestry Few Italians in the 18th Century collaborated with our Portuguese trade partners to establish an Italian Forrest reserve at ITU and it is still there till today?
Sadly; All these do not interest our Generation and it is not even worth a tourist site.
Do you know that Mary Slessor spent Most of her lifespan in Use Ikot Oku in Ibiono Ibom, Akwa Ibom State more than she lived in anywhere else on Earth?
Do you know that she died in Use and her House and her grave Monument is still there till today?
Do you even know that the names of the Towns in Akwa Ibom that Mary Slessor affected are writen in the Scottish Currency?
Sadly: Calabar has taken that Glory, Her Monument built by Cross River State Government is a tourist Center where Calabar Canival trend stops and Dance.
Yet there is no major street in Akwa Ibom named after Mary Slessor.
Do You that the name Itu given the a Local Government Area in the then Cross River State and now Akwa Ibom State was derived from a Portuguese/ English Trade Center called International Trade Union?
Sadly: it is only found in an old book in a delipidated Library in Calabar and no one from here is bold enough to put it on the Internet so that it could be googled.
Do you know that the famous “Aba Women Riot” of 1929 actually originated from a Market called Ukam Market in Ikot Abasi and so many women lost their lives in the killing ordered by the Colonial Division Officer in Ikot Abasi,
do you know that it was an Ikot Abasi woman that led that riot?
do you know that no Woman actually died in the street of Aba and that female traders in Aba only did a sympathy walk?
Sadly; Aba ,is more popular in the glory of that History because we just don’t care
Even the mock graves of the 500 dead women in Ikot Abasi is not worth a tourist site to be promoted.
Do you know that there is a Confluence in Akwa Ibom? Do you know that three rivers meet in ITU, the Eniong River,Qua Iboe River and Another River, Do you know that the beautiful site can be sighted from the hills of ITU?
Sadly, our children are thought is school that the only Confluence in Nigeria is in Lokoja, why? Because we ignore our own.
Do you know that Samuel Alexander Bill a contemporary of Mary Slessor left the Presbyterian Mission in Calabar in the 1890 and sailed through the Eniong River into a river called Akwa Inyang Ibom, the long River led him through Etinan to Eket and then to Akwa Obio in Ibeno where he started the Qua Iboe Mission?
Do you Know that he called the river “Qua Iboe River” because he could not pronounce the name Akwa Inyang Ibom or Akwa Ibom River?
Do you know that Akwa Inyang Ibom remains one of the longest Rivers in southern Atlantic?
Do you know that our State “Akwa Ibom State was named after the Long historical River Akwa Inyang Ibom?
Sadly, Our new generation of youths don’t know this facts.
Do you know that The best Species of shrimps and Crayfish on Earth can be found in Oron, Ibeno and Uta Ewa (Ikot Abasi) in Akwa Ibom States?
Infact the biggest species of Crayfish is gotten from Utan Brama and Uta Ewa in Ikot Abasi (fishing settlements in Akwa Ibom State)
Do you know that 70% of those fishing, cultivating and “owning” the shrimp business in these settlements are not from Akwa Ibom States,
Do you know that these Aquatic produce are major tourists attraction in other Nations? Why do we ignore it?
Do you know that Akwa Ibom has the longest sand beach in West Africa?
Our sand beach on the coast of Atlantic spans from Ikot Abasi through Ibeno, through Itan Brama to Ibaka
Do you know that our sand beach is 10 times longer than the bar beach in Lagos?
Sadly, it is not important
BUT
do you know that tourism is a major Economic driver on Earth today?
Do you know that Akwa Ibom Citizens travel out on tour to so many lesser historical sites around the world?
Why? Why? Why?
Are we not proud of our history?
why can’t we turn our Historical sites to tourist Sites?
Why? do we allow tribalism and Political Influence to rub us of our Heritage?
Think
This piece is not against Government past and present but I’m targeting us The Ibibios, Annang, Oro, and Obolo,
Only very few Akwa Ibom people love history and tourism, infact no political office aspirant from here has ever presented a Manifesto and Tourism is prominently mentioned.
Over the years we have ignore writing our history in the Internet and on books, the few that is written is not given prominent attention.
Why? Are we smaller than Benin? No! I say No!
Think!
Moses Eskor 2020