User:Akpo In Historical Perspective

Akpo Town/Community Table 1: Fast fact and figures on Akpo Town State Anambra Local Government Area Aguata Political Status Single Autonomous community, with 6 villages Number of Villages Six namely: Agbelu, Uhuala, Ogbo, Umueze, Amaife and Udo respectively. Location Latitude 5°57′41.39″ N Longitude 7°06′21.28″ E Date of Founding ~ A.D. 910 - A.D. 1911 (part of Nri Movement)

Progenitor Akpo-Nnaya (son of Umenneobe Dike of Ora-eri)

Population > 18,000 people Land Area > 20 sq Miles Elevation >321 meters (>400 ft) above sea level Current Traditional Ruler H.R.H Igwe (Arc.) Obiajulu Jonathan Okpalaezecha

              (Nnamoshimiri II of Akpo) 

Date of Installation as Igwe of Akpo ... December, 2008 by Former Governor Peter Obi

Mode of Political Organization Patrilineages (Umunna) Major Traditional Festival(s) New yam (Iri ji) and Ofala festivals et cetera.

The community have some common fronts as a key bond of unity that enable them to defend the name "Akpo" to the last drop of blood of any Akpo citizen. These include: Nkwor di Igbudu (local deity claimed to be in control of the spirit of both the ancestors and the living children), a market is established to honour her protection and holds once in four days-Nkwor day. Ozo title (an organization meant to cleanse and sanitize the citizens). Ekwe Nkwor (a tall, huge, wooden echo sounding gong) played only on four occasions namely: in the evening of every Afor market day, early in the morning of Nkwor market day, during emergency occasions like war or meetings and during the annual Nkwor feast. Opi ike (trumpet made from the horn of a wild buffalo). Used only in emergency situations like war. Digital Map of Akpo Town

Map 1: Map of Akpo Town, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State and its neighbours. Source: Prof. Phil-Eze, Philip Ogbonnia, Department of Geography, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2009). Akpo is a community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. It lies precisely between Latitude 5°57′41.39″ N of the equator and Longitude 7°06′21.28″ E from Greenwich or Prime Meridian and on an estimated elevation of about 321 meters (>400 ft) above sea level. The town which is part of the Mbalaorie clan (made up of: Amesi, Akpo, Achina, Umuchu and Enugu-Umuonyia) has an estimated land area of over 20 sq. miles, population of 16,281 and population density of 800 people per square mile based on the 1931 census (see appendix LIX), tapers to the northern portion in Uhuala facing Ogboji, with an estimated population of 4,000 (1963 census), over 8,000 in 1976, and about 14,000 in the 1980s and over 18,000 as at 2014.† It is enveloped by a cluster of communities. As she slopes into the Ogboji and Aguluezechukwu area in the north, Amesi shields the southern border. From the east is Achina while Nkpologwu closes in from the west, with a major road junction at its southern end connecting Amesi to the south, Nkpologwu to the west and Achina through Ogbo village. Some of its kith and kin from the so-called Ihite group of villages: Ogbo, Amaife and Udo also reside at Ivoro, which is an outpost or extension of the community settlement occasioned by limited land resource and ever growing population. Topographically, Akpo lies in the escarpment that lies between Nkpologwu to the west and Achina to the East, with deep valleys on both sides. Though it is not located in the direction of Agulu-Nanka erosion, but its land is part of the Nanka sand.11 Hence, prone to gully erosion like her neighbours, Ekwulobia and Oko in the views of Prof. G.E.K. Ofomata.12 Akpo is the headstream of the following streams: Ogbei, Nwangwo, Ezeokoro, Nwa-osu, Nwayi-oma, Okpala-ewelie, Nwa-oku (now dry) and many others. These are po¬tential natural resources for Agro-based industries .e.g. lyi Nwa-oku has a strong basement impervious rock that could be re¬vamped by removing the cementing silt from Omere stream. The valley is an ideal site for fish farming if the water is trapped and well secured via ponds. Google Earth Satellite Maps of Akpo Town from Space

Map 2: Google Earth 3D Satellite Imagery view of Akpo Town Settlement patterns Source: Google Earth, Accessed on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 at 18:11hrs GMT

Map 3: Google Earth 3D Satellite Imagery view of Akpo Town Settlement patterns Source: Google Earth, Accessed on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 at 18:11hrs GMT The climatic condition of Akpo community is not different from that of her neighbours in the Igbo hinterland which consisted originally of dense tropical rainforest, 13 but has since, in the opinion of Prof. A.E. Afigbo, "...reduced to savannah and palm bush" 14 due to extensive human activities like farming and building projects. The community's soil is not extremely fertile in some parts, and according to archives, it is one of the characteristics of the towns in Ugwuokpu group that later became the towns in the present Njikoka and Aguata Local Government Areas. The reasons adduced for this poor soil profile is based on the speculation that Igbo heartland of which Akpo community belongs to, was among the earliest Igbo settlements that Igbos' ancestors were domiciled in, hence the soil was over-cultivated and rendered infertile,15. Also, the high population density, 16 of this Igbo core or heartland cannot be exonerated from lending its weight to this exhaustion of the soil. Sand mining is one of the thriving businesses in the community, as many streams dot the entire landscape of the town. Such streams include - Awtalu, Ogbei, and River Ogbomili et cetera all located in Agbelu and Uhuala villages respectively. Unfortunately, the sand mining is not well organised as the excavation induces quick run¬off which in turn increases the velocity of the running water upstream thereby compounding the serious gully erosion menace in the community. The people of Akpo do not in any way or sense differ from the characteristics of the Igbos of Nigeria. They are cheerful just like any Igbo people, enterprising in their disposition. Exceptionally humorous, given to cracking jokes (Ima Njakiri), but there is nothing they detest more than been ridiculed and humiliated17 without cause. They are also individualistic and aggressive to a certain extent. This is not surprising because being Igbo people, who strongly "desire to get ahead..." 18 it should not be egocentric as such if a bit of individualism forms part of their lifestyle and worldview. From the writings of D. Forde and G.I. Jones, "... The Igbos are generally tolerant, ultra-democratic and highly individualistic. They dislike and suspect any form of external government and authority. They have a strongly developed commercial sense and a practical unromantic approach to life."19 Also in a work on African cultural history, Basil Davidson observed that the Igbos: "Uncommonly among Africans has been markedly success oriented! Egalitarian but individualistic; they have thought it an essential aspect of the 'right and natural' that talent should lead to enterprise, and enterprise to promotion, and promotion to privilege. They have insistently stressed social mobility"

The people of Akpo and their close door neighbours belong to the presumed agba enu group. This may be because they produce less food in their local domains or areas due to the factor of soil exhaustion as highlighted previously. Or as some people believe, because the area is not 'watered' following the absence of rings of stream. Therefore in natural response, the majority of the population either became itinerant traders or professionals in diverse fields of human endeavours than to hang their fate on the exhausted soil.

Be that as it may, before the advent of the Europeans, the people of Akpo have a well developed belief system in form of idol worshipping where they reposed their confidence in the verdicts and valedictions of the oracles and deities such as Ogovu, Ezenyebu, Nkwor, Udoh-Akwa, Udo, Oda, Ogwugwu, Nguma as well as territorial conquests. The practice continued unabated until the coming of the European missionaries.20 The period of colonial rule was another turning point in the political history of Akpo. She was administered as part of the Awka District of Onitsha Province. Much did not happen then other than the people were preoccupied with reconciling their traditional cultural practices and tendencies with the western one. This period marked the beginning of the payment of tax, the imprisonment of offenders, introduction of western education and proselytization of African traditional religion (idol) worshippers to Christianity. These themes will be explored in detail in subsequent chapters. It is not an overstatement to strongly describe Akpo community as one bubbling with life. This is not because of the well known aphorism that says every mother thinks that her child is a leopard in terms of strength, or the similar maxim that no child will ever say publicly that his mother's soup is not tasty. But, rather it is because of the dynamic nature of Akpo in contemporary times. With lots of well educated citizens from different higher institutions of learning both within and outside the shores of Nigeria, across diverse academic disciplines, league of business moguls and artisans, ever growing population and modern infrastructure like schools, electricity, hospitals, water bore-hole, tarred roads, market, churches et cetera.