Eket Heritage

Eket Heritage * Heritage,Custom and Legacy of the people of Eket. Let go back to Valued objects and qualities suc

Eket District, lies on the coast, some hundred miles east of the Niger delta, & is roughly bounded on d west by d Kwa Ibo & on d east by d Cross River.....

The convention spelling has been kept, but d word should be written Ekkett or Ekkitt...

01/04/2026

Part 2 B: Ibibio Ethnology and Anthropology ( completion of part 2A)
Obong - describes as a principal ruler or king.
Britain in 1902 prohibit the use of the word king for the Efik civil authority, the term " Obong" replace it.
Egbosherry was the name for ibibio land until 19 century.

Old Calaber 1600 - 1891
The impact of the international economy upon a traditional society by A. J. H. Latham.( January 1971)

01/04/2026

Part 2 A: Ibibio Ethnology.
In ibibio Society, smallest social unit was the 'idip' consisting of a man with is wife and children. several 'idips' together made up a compound known as an " ufok" and a group of "ufoks" made up the extended family or "ekpuk" which has been described as a group of patrilinear relative tracing descendant from a single male ancestor. A village was composed of several '"ekpuks" . Although each ekpuk was self governing under the authority of the "ete ekpuk" or lineage head, they were bounded together in the village group by their common religion, secret Society and Village Council. Religion was supervised by a chief priest or "oku ndem", who was responsible to the tutlerary deity or "ndem". The office usually the same in a particular cancel descen in a particular "ekpuk" .
The village council dealt with scalar matters concerning the village as a whole including external relation and composed of representatives of each "ekpuk" under the chairmanship of the village head ir " Obong Isong" . Decision were taken by the council as a whole, and the "obong isong" could not take decision by himself.
At old Calabar the had three kings
1. The civil government- king ( obong isong)
2. The head of Religion - Ndem priest
3. The head of the law - Eyamba.
The use of the term KING had led been European to the conclusion that this office conferred sovereignty power upon the holder.
But an examination of the possible Efik term for this office show this to be a false assumption.
There are three possible Efik terms for this office:
"Etinyin", edidem, and obong.
in ibibio "etinyin" is used for certain office holder but it's Efik meaning is obscured and Golden Dictionary published in 1874 and still the standard authority on the Efik language does not mention it.
In Golden dictionary
Edidem - describes asa title supeeior to obong, denotation one who held absolute power, but which did not apply to anyone in calaber, as no one there had such authority.

Old Calaber 1600 - 1891
The impact of the international economy upon a traditional society by A. J. H. Latham.( January 1971)

Anthropology of the Eket People...Eket Ethnology part 1The EKET District, which this book is chiefly concerned lies on t...
20/03/2026

Anthropology of the Eket People...

Eket Ethnology part 1

The EKET District, which this book is chiefly concerned lies on the coast and is roughly bounded on the west by the kwa ibo River.
The worship of Obuma, the Thunder god, who all looked upon as the chief deity of the tribes of this district.
Eka Abassi (Mother of God,), who according to esoteric teaching is the true head of the Ibibio PANTHEON.
Obumo the Thunder, is not only regarded by most present- day Ibibio as the principal deity but as the great first cause - the all Father from whom everything which exists has sprung.
His home is the sky as he is too far off to trouble; much about the smaller concerns of men, he leaves these in the hands of lesser power; reserving to himself the ordering of the great events of the year, such as the division of the seasons.
Eka Abassi (mother of God ) was the Divine Creatrix from whom Obumo, the thunderer sprang, a virgin birth (page 6).
From Obumo son and spouse of the Great Mother, sprang according to Ibibio belief, the parents of all Earth - folk. ( Page 9).
By:
P. Amaury Talbot (1969) Th People of Southern Nigeria (life in southern Nigeria)

History can't be distorted...1846 war broke out between Bronny and the Andoni...1869 civil war broke out at Bronny betwe...
31/01/2026

History can't be distorted...
1846 war broke out between Bronny and the Andoni...
1869 civil war broke out at Bronny between chiefs Annie and Munilla People, led by two successful traders Oko Jumbo and Jaja (page 208, 270)
In September, Jaja had to take refuge at Opobo, a small place near Andoni his allies.
1872 on 3rd January, the Bonny - Opobo war was stopped (page 209)

my preposition, due to 1869 - 1872, some settlers from Bonny, Opobo and Andoni settled at the mouth of the Kwa Ibo River and they were ask to stay there ( now Ibeno)

1881 King Jaja of Opobo attacked the Kwa Ibo villages.
At daylight on 10th April fifty canoes belonging to Jaja, bombarded the villages of Ikoretu, Ebotiyan, Obarekan and Empanel, plundered and burnt then took hundreds of prisoners (page 210)
(The People of the Southern Nigerian, Historical note Volume one by P Amaury Talbot. 1969)

20/12/2025

Let us return to the days when marriage was a covenant, not a commodity, let the bride be valued for her character, not her price tag.”

FUNERAL EXCESSES: WHEN MOURNING BECOMES A SPECTACLE,
Turning to funeral practices, Hon. Essien condemned the commercialization of death, the trend of opening mourning houses with disco nights and “friends’ nights” featuring loud music and alcohol, incurring exorbitant costs that often run into millions of naira, and delaying burial due to logistical chaos and financial wrangling.

“These practices do not honor the dead, they impoverish the living. Families are forced to sell assets, take loans, or endure years of debt just to bury their loved ones. It is unsustainable and disrespectful.”

To restore dignity and affordability, the EPU decreed the following,

Funeral Reform Protocol effective January 1, 2026.

Mourning House Opening Ceremony Abolished. Only the church shall pray to declare the mourning house open. No music, no disco, no “night of entertainment.”

One General Entertainment Only . During the burial day, there shall be one communal meal for all mourners, where food is shared by village, church, and family groups, is no more permitted.

“Death is not a platform for competition or showmanship, It is a moment for reverence, unity, and closure. Let us mourn with dignity, not with decibels.”

OFFICIAL DISSOLUTION & NEW ORDER JANUARY 1, 2026.
In a historic move, the Eket people's Union (EPU), formally dissolved, all existing village‑level marriage and funeral customs, effective January 1, 2026. From that date forward.
All village heads, chiefs, and traditional councils are mandated to adopt and enforce the new EPU Marriage & Funeral Protocols.
Any community or family found operating under the old system including excessive marriage demands or unauthorized funeral rites, shall be subject to disciplinary action.
Village heads shall be held personally accountable for violations within their jurisdiction.

This is not a sugges

20/12/2025

*EKID PEOPLE’S UNION (EPU) NATIONAL CONGRESS — OFFICIAL DECLARATION ON MARRIAGE & FUNERAL REFORMS*

Kingsley Bassey
Write From Edida Edo.

At the 2025 Annual National Congress of the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), held at Eket City Hall, Rt. Hon. Nduese Essien, former Federal Minister and distinguished statesman, delivered a landmark address that reshaped the cultural landscape, and the tradition of Ekid society. Speaking under the banner “Celebrating our Heritage , Restoring Our Future, Marriage, and opening of Mourning house", Hon. Essien introduced sweeping reforms to combat two deeply entrenched social ills, the escalating cost of marriage and the extravagant, debt‑driving rituals surrounding funerals. His message was clear , the old ways have failed the people, and a new covenant is required.

THE MARRIAGE CRISIS: WHEN PRIDE COSTS MORE THAN LOVE,
Hon. Essien opened with a blunt assessment:
“The way families and parents give out their daughters in marriage has become too costly. The high list of marriage prerequisites from cash payments to endless gifts, even ‘appearance fees’, has priced ordinary young men out of the marriage market. People cannot marry as they are supposed to marry because some families list for pride price is too much.”

He highlighted how this financial inflation has birthed a dangerous trend , like marriage on credit, where couples proceed with weddings without settling the traditional bride price, often under pressure from families unwilling to scale down expectations.

“This is not marriage, it is a financial trap. It creates hidden liabilities, fuels domestic strife, and leaves young families drowning in debt before they even begin.”

In response, the EPU resolved to:

Suspend all existing marriage price lists across Eket and Esit Eket LGAs, Akwa Ibom state, effective January 1, 2026.
Unified Marriage Prerequisite List shall be distributed by the EPU to all village heads, traditional rulers, and religious institutions.

“Let us return to

Ekid cultural festival 2025.The beat of the drum was heard very early today.
20/12/2025

Ekid cultural festival 2025.
The beat of the drum was heard very early today.

02/11/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! Bassey Daniel

19/07/2025

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Erlinda Maglasang, Victor Wills, Ánointed Fingers

18/07/2025

Today is Friday, 18th July 2025.
Good morning all, there will be free surgery at onna hospital next week Monday and Tuesday. Please inform somebody , it's free

Ekott University: We are making progress, says founderThe founder of Ekott University, a private university located at I...
01/03/2025

Ekott University: We are making progress, says founder

The founder of Ekott University, a private university located at Ikot Udota in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Emmanuel Ekott, has stated that the university is making progress towards the commencement of academic session.

He revealed that Ekott University is one among the approved private universities in the country by National University Commission, NUC, expressing optimism that out of the 14 stages required for commencement of the university, they are reached stage 8, signifying progress.

Speaking with this reporter during a private tour of the institution, Dr. Ekott hinted that he started the university project since 2015, saying huge resources have been expended in the project to achieved the success recorded so far.

He disclosed that the university is sited on 101.986 hectares of land, exceeding the 100 hectares as required by NUC for approval of any university in the country. He further revealed that the university at the initial stage will commenced with 18 programmes with 3 faculties.

Dr. Ekott, who is also the founder of Heritage Polytechnic Eket, said he will be a fulfilled man when pioneer student of the citadel of learning graduated with their certificate, maintaining that he is not investing in the school to make profits but to provide opportunities for knowledge acquisition and create jobs.

He also disclosed that Heritage Polytechnic presently employed about 300 staff, maintaining that the university will double three times the number of staff compare to the Polytechnic.

"As at 2018, the total amount I invested in the project was N1.8billion. From then till now compare with the cost of building materials, you can see that huge resources have been invested in the project.

"I am not investing in the school to make profits. I can't recover the total amount of money I have invested throughout my lifetime, but the legacy that will be left behind will stand the test of time.

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Eket Republic
Eket
0234

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2348024654841

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