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Obolo State will be achievable….
True history
WHO OWN THE LAND OF AKWA IBOM STATE?
Historical and Ethno-cultural Trajectory of the Ibibio Migration
1. Origins at Rambi (Usak Edet)
The claim that the Ibibios migrated from Rambi (Usak Edet) — possibly a corruption or indigenous appellation of an early settlement — aligns with accounts that trace Ibibio origins to the Cameroonian highlands, specifically areas around the Rio del Rey and Bakossi Mountains. Scholars such as Talbot (1926) and Jeffreys (1935) identify the Ibibio as one of the earliest Bantu-speaking groups to settle in the Cross River region, possibly predating other southern Nigerian ethnic groups.
2. Migration to Efik Land
The movement from Rambi to Efik land may refer to the early stages of Ibibio dispersion into the Cross River basin, particularly towards Creek Town, Old Calabar, and surrounding areas. Notably, the Efik are considered a sub-group or offshoot of the Ibibio-Efik linguistic and cultural stock, though they later developed distinct identities due to prolonged contact with Europeans during the Atlantic trade era.
The Ibibio’s migration into this area helped establish proto-Efik societies, from which the Efik later emerged as a coastal trading elite. This settlement is significant for its role in establishing early inter-group relations, especially with the Efut and Qua, leading to cultural syncretism.
3. Movement to Arochukwu
The movement from Efik territory to Arochukwu in present-day Abia State is particularly noteworthy. The Ibibio settlement in Arochukwu is confirmed by both oral tradition and archaeological evidence. The people referred to as Ibom (Ibibio) founded a settlement in what is now Arochukwu before the coming of the Aro Confederacy. The conflict between the Ibibio (particularly the Akpa-Ibom people) and the Igbo-Aro settlers culminated in the Aro-Ibibio wars, which led to the fall of Ibom Kingdom.
This war led to the fusion of Ibibio, Igbo, and Akpa elements into the emerging Aro polity, with the Chukwu Abiama oracle (Ibin Ukpabi) becoming the spiritual and political centerpiece. Scholars such as Kalu Ezera and Dike emphasize the significance of this phase in the expansion of the Aro trading and religious networks, which later influenced much of southeastern Nigeria.
4. Settlement in the present day Akwa Ibom
The final movement, from Arochukwu to the coastal areas where they met the Obolos, speaks to a later migration wave, possibly spurred by internal conflicts, population pressures, or economic motives. The Obolo, already established in the Niger Delta region (notably in the Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Oron area were primarily fishermen, traders, and warriors. The Obolo tradition (as recorded by scholars like Nkparom C. Ejituwu) affirms that they were autochthonous to the region.
References
Dike, K. O. (1956). Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta 1830–1885. Oxford University Press.
Ejituwu, N. C. (1991). A History of Obolo (Andoni) in the Niger Delta. University of Port Harcourt Press.
Talbot, P. A. (1926). The Peoples of Southern Nigeria (Vols. 1–4). Oxford University Press.
Jeffreys, M. D. W. (1935). The Ibibio of Southern Nigeria. London: Frank Cass.
Afigbo, A. E. (1971). The Aro and the Old Calabar Trade. Ikenga Journal of African Studies.
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