Ibiono-Ibom is a
Local Government Area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
of
Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of 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. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...
in the south-south region of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. It has its administrative headquarters at Oko Ita.
Geography
The territorial unit and geographical area called, addressed and known as Ibiono Ibom consists of 9 clans, 33 groups, and 193 villages. It covers a total land surface of 2761.76 sq. kilometers, with a total estimated population of 385,145.
It is bounded by Odukpani Local Government Area (Cross River State), Arochukwu Local Government Area (Abia State), Itu, Ikono, Uyo and Ini Local Government Areas (Akwa Ibom State).
Cities and towns
Oko Ita is the local government headquarters of Ibiono-Ibom.
A few of many prominent towns include: Obio Ibiono,
Okopedi Use Ikot Oku,
Idoro,
Ididep,
Afaha Obio Eno,
Ikot Usen,
Utit Obio, Ono, Afua,
Use Ndon,
Ikpanya, Aka Ikot Udo Eno, Ikot Okpoko, Urua Abasi and
Itukho.
Administrative areas
Ibiono Ibom is divided into 9 Clans:
History
The region of the local government was created out of
Itu Local government Area in December 1996.
This area is where the Scottish Missionary
Mary Slessor
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
died in 1915. Her Cairn is beautifully located at Use Ikot Oku, where she lived.
Politics
Politics in
Ibiono Ibom is dominated by the people from the central part of Ibiono. The political landscape of the town is dominated by the
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The Peoples Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress.
Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. It won eve ...
.
The traditional leadership of the people is anchored by the paramount leader, known as "Okuku" of Ibiono Ibom.
Demography
The people are predominantly of the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
faith.
The main ethnic group of the LGA are the
Ibibio people, who speak a dialect of the
Ibibio language
Ibibio is the native language of the Ibibio people of Nigeria, belonging to the Ibibio-Efik dialect cluster of the Cross River languages. The name ''Ibibio'' is sometimes used for the entire dialect cluster. In pre-colonial times, it was written ...
. The Ibibio language belongs to the
Benue–Congo language family, which forms part of the
Niger–Congo group of languages.
Despite the homogeneity of the Ibibio, no central government existed among the people of the present day Ibiono-Ibom LGA prior to the colonial
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
invasion in 1904.
When Ibiono Ibom LGA was created in 1996,
Oko Ita was chosen as the local government headquarters to spread development to all regions of the LGA.
Education
The current region of Ibiono Ibom in old Itu LGA were the first set of people to encounter Western education in Akwa Ibom State with the establishment of Mission School, Aka Iko Udo Eno, 1939;
Mary Slessor secondary school, 1950 and other top flight schools such as the Ididep Science College (formerly Teachers' Training College, Ididep). Currently various institutions for post primary education have sprung up and spread across the local government.
Some Educational Institutes in the local government include:
*
Community Secondary Commercial School Ono
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town ...
*Union Secondary School, Ibiaku
* Ibiono Community High School Edem Urua
*
Community Secondary school Idoro
*
Presbyterian Senior Science School Ididep
*
Community Secondary School Ikpanya
*
Community Secondary School Ikot Usen
*
Community Secondary School Ikpa
*
Comprehensive Secondary School Use Ikot Amama
*
Secondary School, Ididep
*
Community Secondary School Itukho
*
Lott Carey Baptist Secodary School, Afaha Obio Eno
Prominent people from Ibiono Ibom
Some prominent people of
Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of 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. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...
and in Nigeria are from Ibiono Ibom LGA. They include:
*Cardinal Ekanem, First Nigeria Roman Catholic Cardinal.
*Obong (Major General) Philip Efiong, Akankang Ibiono Ibom. Serving under the Biafran Government from 1967 to 1970, Obong Philip Efiong served as Chief of Logistics, Chief of Staff, Commandant of the Militia, and Chief of General Staff. He was the first Vice President and Second President of the defunct country.
*Obong Ntieyong Udo Akpan is another son of the area who served as Secretary to the Government of Biafra. He was a prolific writer and wrote many works among them are "The Wooden Gong", "Public Administration in Nigeria", "The Reservoir", "IniAbasi and the Sacred Ram" and "The Struggle for Secession, 1966–1970: A Personal Account of the Nigerian Civil War". He is also an uncle to Prof. Enefiok Essien(SAN), a Nigerian professor, lawyer, and from 2015 to 2020 the Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo.
*Rt. Hon. Senator Solomon Enang (born 23 August 1962) is a Nigerian politician who represented the Itu and Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011. He was elected Senator for the Uyo (North East) Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom in the 2011 Federal elections.
:Ita Solomon Enang was born on 23 August 1962. He attended the Presbyterian Teachers Training College, Ididep, Akwa Ibom State (1974–1979). He was admitted to the University of Calabar, Calabar in 1980 where he read Law, graduating in 1984. He went on to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. He then entered private practice with his own law firm.
*Joe Udofia is a Nigerian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the President & CEO of Vandrezzer Energy Services Limited and Chairman of Nigerian Club side, Vandrezzer Football Club. He is also the founder of The Joe Udofia Foundation, a foundation committed to creating opportunities for youth and providing support for the less privileged in the society.
*Obong Bassey Albert (OBA) is a Nigerian politician who has been a member of the 8th Senate of Nigeria since June 2015. Previously, he was Commissioner of Finance in Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2014. He was first elected to the Senate in March 2015, representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial district.
References
External links
Satellite Map of Akwa Ibom Stateon Google Maps World Gazetteer
akwaibomnewsonline.com: Akwa Ibom State News from Various News Sourceswww.grab.com.ng: Current News on Ibiono Ibom LGAuncommontransformation.tv: Uncommon Transformation multimedia portal
*
Bassey Albert
Bassey Albert Akpan CON (born 28 October 1972) is a Nigerian politician who has been a member of the Senate of Nigeria since June 2015. Previously, he was Commissioner of Finance in Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2014. He was first elected to th ...
Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State
States and territories established in 1987