Modern-day Akwa Ibom State has been inhabited by various ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily the closely related
Ibibio,
Annang, and
Oron peoples in the
North-East,
North-West, and
Southern zones of the state, respectively.
Economically, Akwa Ibom State is based around the production of
crude oil and
natural gas as highest oil-producing state in the country.[10] Key minor industries involve agriculture as the state has substantial
cocoyam,
yam, and
plantain crops along with fishing and
heliciculture. Despite its vast oil revenues, Akwa Ibom has the
seventeenth highestHuman Development Index in the country in large part due to years of systemic corruption.[11][12][13]
Economy
Akwa-Ibom State's economy is based on the production of
crude oil and
natural gas. It produces the most oil of any state in the country.[14] It includes the following oil- producing Local Government Areas:
Ibeno,
Mbo, and
Eastern Obolo.[15]
Key minor industries are based on agriculture; the state has substantial
cocoyam,
yam, and
plantain crops, along with fishing and
heliciculture.
In the pre-colonial period, what is now Akwa Ibom State was divided into various city-states like the
Ibom Kingdom and
Akwa Akpa before the latter became a
British protectorate in 1884 as a part of the
Oil Rivers Protectorate.[19] Prior to the
British colonization, no central government had existed among the people of what is now Akwa Ibom State. The various ethnic peoples were largely organized into
clan communities, based on kinship and relations.
Several Scottish missionaries went to
Calabar in 1848, and Ibono in 1887. The British government did not attempt to establish more control over the area until 1904. In that year, they organized the Enyong Division, encompassing the area of the current state of Akwa Ibom, with
headquarters at
Ikot Ekpene, a predominately
Annang city. Noted
Africanist Kaanan Nair, noted this city as the cultural and political
capital of the Annang and
Ibibio peoples. The greater Southeast was largely dominated by the majority
Igbo people. The creation of Enyong Division encouraged collaboration among the numerous minority ethnic groups in the area. They created the Ibibio Welfare Union, later renamed Ibibio State Union. This social organization was first established as a local development and improvement forum for educated African persons and groups who in 1929 were still excluded from the colonial administration. It was dominated by British colonists and their appointees.[citation needed][20]
In the early 1900s, the British actually gained formal control of the area before incorporating the protectorate (now renamed the
Niger Coast Protectorate) into the
Southern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into
British Nigeria; after the merger, much of modern-day Akwa Ibom became a centre of anti-colonial resistance during the
Women's War and political activism through the Ibibio State Union.[21]
After independence in 1960, the area of now-Akwa Ibom was a part of the post-independence
Eastern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the
South-Eastern State. Less than two months afterwards, the
Igbo-majority former Eastern Region attempted to secede as the state of
Biafra; in the three-year long
Nigerian Civil War, now-Akwa Ibom was hard-fought over in the prelude to the
Invasion of Port Harcourt while people from Akwa Ibom were persecuted by
Nigerian forces as they were Biafra.[22] At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the South-Eastern State was reformed until 1976 when it was renamed
Cross River State.
This division resulted in the creation of the state of Akwa Ibom,
Uyo was chosen as the state capital in order to encourage development in all regions of the state.[24]
Climate
Akwa Ibom has a tropical
monsoonclimate (Classification: Am) and is 42.58
meters (139.7 feet) above sea level. The city's average annual
temperature is -0.99% lower than Nigeria's averages at 28.47 °C (83.25 °F). 342.56
millimeters (13.49 inches) of
precipitation and 294.37
rainy days (80.65% of the time) are typical annual totals for Akwa Ibom.[25][26]
The Akwa Ibom region regularly has
tropical monsoons. All year long, there are high temperatures and a lot of rain. The region of Akwa Ibom has an average yearly temperature of 60 degrees and 672 inches of precipitation. The average
humidity is 80% and the
UV-index is 7. It is dry for only 52 days of the year.[27]
The climate of Akwa Ibom is tropical with significant rainfall and a short dry season.[28][29][30]
Government
Politics in Akwa Ibom State are dominated by the three main ethnic groups: the
Ibibio,
Annang, and
Oro. Of these three, the
Ibibio remain the majority and have held sway in the state since its creation.
Ministries, Departments and Agencies
The list of ministries in Akwa Ibom State include the following:[31]
The current part of Akwa Ibom State that was within the former
Calabar Kingdom, was the first site of Western education in Nigeria. The
Hope Waddell Training Institute was founded at Calabar in 1895, and the
Methodist Boys' High School, Oron in 1905. Other top schools, such as the Catholic seminaries Holy Family College at
Abak and Regina Coeli College in
Essene, were also soon founded.
Some educational institutes in the state today are:
Obong
Ufot Ekaette, secretary to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo[49]
Dominic Ekandem first cardinal in English-speaking West Africa. First Nigerian Cardinal to qualify as a candidate to the papacy.[50]
Senator (Engr.)
Chris Ekpenyong Former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State in the
Victor Attah administration and former Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in the 9th Assembly.[51]
Obong
Akpan Isemin, elected governor of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria from January 1992 to November 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic[citation needed]
Professor
Okon Uya was briefly chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON), appointed by President
Ibrahim Babangida after the presidential elections of 12 June 1993 had been annulled and his predecessor
Humphrey Nwosu dismissed.[69]
Politics
The State government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with the state house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Uyo.[70]
Electoral system
The electoral system of each state is selected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government Areas.[71]
Notable places.
Four points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene. It's a hotel located at the heart of Ikot Ekpene town. Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene has an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, a terrace and restaurant in Ikot Ekpene, with free WiFi access as well.