Cross River State

Coordinates: 5°45′N 8°30′E / 5.750°N 8.500°E / 5.750; 8.500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cross River
State
State of Cross River
Obudu mountains, a natural landscape in the Obudu Mountain Resort
Obudu mountains, a natural landscape in the Obudu Mountain Resort
UTC+01 (WAT)
postal code
540001
Dialing Code+234
ISO 3166 codeNG-CR
HDI (2021)0.613[3]
medium · 15th of 37
Website[1]

Cross River State is a

South-Eastern State before being renamed in 1976, Cross River state formerly included the area that is now Akwa Ibom state, which became a distinct state in 1987.[5]

Of the

protected areas including the Cross River National Park, Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mbe Mountains Community Forest. These wildlife reserves contain populations of Preuss's red colobus, African forest buffalo, bat hawk, tree pangolin, grey-necked rockfowl, and West African slender-snouted crocodile, along with some of Nigeria's last remaining Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drill, African forest elephant, and Cross River gorilla populations.[7][8][9][10]

Modern-day Cross River state has been inhabited by several ethnic groups for hundreds of years, primarily the

central region; and the Bekwarra
,
British Nigeria.[11] After the merger, much of the modern-day Cross River state has become a center of anti-colonial resistance during the Women's War and trade, through the international seaport at Calabar.[12][13]

After independence in 1960, the area now regarded as Cross River state was a part of the post-independence

Bakassi Peninsula, but it was ceded to Cameroon under the terms of the Greentree Agreement.[16]

As an agricultural state, the Cross River state's economy partially relies on crops, such as

Ikom Monoliths site, Calabar Carnival, and Obudu Mountain Resort. Cross River state has the joint-thirteenth highest Human Development Index in the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education.[citation needed][17]

History

Cross River as a south-south state was created on 27 May 1967 from the former

Ukelle.[7]

The state has many governors and administrators including Udoakaha J. Esuene, Paul Omu, Tunde Elegbede,

Benedict Ayade. The current Governor is Bassey Edet Otu, who was sworn into office on 29 May 2023. He was elected for a four-year term in office under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).

Geography

Cross River state derives its name from the Cross River, which passes through the state.

Sud-Ouest Province in Cameroon for about 290 km (181 miles, partly across the Sankwala Mountains and the Akwayafe River, and to the south by Akwa-Ibom for about 114 km (71 miles) mostly across Cross River and the Atlantic Ocean.[20] The state is made up of 18 Local Government Area Councils
.

Climate

Like few other Nigerian states, the climate of Cross River state is

rainfall within the year, while the dry season has less significant effect in the state due to the depth of rainfall experienced. Based on the records presented by the Climate Data of the state, the annual rainfall of Cross River state is 3306mm| 130.2 inch.[22][23]

Demographics

The State is composed of several ethnic groups,

Ejagham language
is also widely spoken language in Cross River State.

The Efik-speaking people live mainly in the Southern senatorial districts of Cross River, or as it is commonly referred to, the Greater Calabar district, which includes Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Bakassi, Biase, Akpabuyo, Odukpani, and Akamkpa LGAs. There is also the Qua community in Calabar, which speaks Ejagham. The main Ejagham group occupies mostly the Greater Calabar areas of Calabar Municipality, Odukpani, Biase and Akampkpa sections of Cross River State.

There are also the

Bahumono ethnic groups in Yakurr and Abi LGA, while the Mbembe are predominantly found in Obubra LGA. Further up the core northern part of the state are several sub-dialectical groups, among which are Etung, Olulumo, Ofutop, Nkim/Nkum, Abanajum, Nseke and Boki
in both Ikom, Etung and Boki LGAs. Also, the Yala/Yache, Igede, Ukelle, Ekajuk, Mbube, Bette, Bekwarra and Utukwang people are found in Ogoja, Yala, Obudu and Obanliku and Bekwarra LGA's. The Yala are a subgroup of the Idoma nation, part of the Yala LGA's subgroups are the Igede speaking people believed to have migrated from the Oju part of Benue State, who migrated from Ora, in Edo North.

In Cross River North, Bekwarra is one of the most widely spoken language.[26] It is understood by other tribes in the district. This language along with Efik and Ejagham is used for news broadcast in the state owned radio and TV stations.

Cross River State epitomises the nation's linguistic and cultural plurality and it is important to note that, in spite of the diversity of dialects, all the indigenous languages in the state have common linguistic roots as Niger–Congo languages. Finally, the State serves as the venue of the largest carnival in Africa.[27][28]

Kwa falls, a waterfall along the Kwa River

Local Government Areas

See also: List of villages in Cross River State

Cross River State consists of eighteen (18) Local Government Areas. They are:

Religion

The people of Cross River are predominantly Christian. The Catholic Church includes the Archdiocese of Calabar (1934) with 51 parishes [2] under Archbishop Joseph Effiong Ekuwem (2013) [3] and the suffragan diocese of Ogoja (1938) [4] with 79 parishes under Bishop Donatus Edet Akpan (2017). [5] The Anglican Province of the Niger Delta includes the Diocese of Calabar led by Bishop Nneoyi O. Egbe. [6]

Languages

Languages of Cross River State listed by LGA includes :[29]

LGA Languages
Abi Agwagwune; Humono; Ikwo-Igbo
Akamkpa
Korop; Ubaghara; Ukwa; Umon
Bekwarra Bekwarra; Tiv; Utugwang-Irungene-Afrike
Biase Agwagwune; Efik; Ubaghara; Ukwa;Umon
Boki Bete-Bendi; Bokyi
Calabar Efik; Ejagham
Ikom Ejagham; Abanyom; Bukpe; Efutop; Mbembe,; Nde-Nsele-Nta; Ndoe; Nkukoli; Nnam; Olulumo-Ikom; Yala
Obanliku Bete-Bendi; Evant; Iceve-Maci; Obanliku; Otank; Tiv
Obubra Agoi; Hohumono; Legbo; Lenyima; Leyigha; Lokaa; Mbembe; Nkukoli; Yala; Ikwo-Igbo
Obudu Bete-Bendi; Bukpe; Bumaji; Elege; Tiv; Ubang; Utugwang-Irungene-Afrike;
Odukpani Efik; Ejagham; Idere; Kiong; Korop; Odut; Usaghade
Ogoja Ekajuk; Igede; Kukele; Mbe; Nkem-Nkum; Nnam; Utugwang-Irungene-Afrike; Uzekwe;
Yakurr Lokaah; Agoi, Asiga
Yala Izii-Igbo; Mbembe; Igede; Yace; Yala; Kukelle

Other languages spoken in Cross State are Eki, Ibibio, Ilue, Ito, and Okobo.[29][30]

Festivals

Dance Troupe at Cross River State

Festivals held in Cross River state includes:

  • The Cross River State Christmas Festival – 1 December to 31 December annually[31]
  • The Cross River State Carnival Float – 26 and 27 December yearly
  • The Yakurr Leboku Yam festival – 28 August annually
  • The Calabar Boat Regata
  • Anong Bahumono Festival which is held in Anong Village, during which different cultural dances are showcased, including Ikpobin (acclaimed to be the most entertaining dance in the state), Ekoi, Obam, Emukei and Eta[32]
  • Ediba Bahumono Festival which is held in Ediba Village every last Saturday in the month of July
  • Bekwarra, Obudu, Obanliku, Igede New yam festival which is held every 1st Saturday of September every year.

Tourism

Cross River National Park

From the soaring plateaus of the mountain tops of Obanliku to the Rain forests of Afi, from the Waterfalls of Agbokim and Kwa to the spiralling ox-bow Calabar River which provides sights and images of the Tinapa Business Resort, Marina resort, Calabar Residency Museum and the Calabar Slave Park along its course, there is always a thrilling adventure awaiting the eco-tourist visiting Cross River State.[33]

Other tourist attractions are the

Ikom Monoliths (a series of volcanic-stone monoliths of unknown age), the Mary Slessor Tomb, Calabar Drill Monkey Sanctuary, Cross River National Park, Afi Mountain walkway canopy, Kwa falls, Agbokim waterfalls, Tinapa Business Resort, Mono rail way and the annual Calabar Carnival that takes place during the Christmas
period.

Cross River State can be accessed by air through the Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar. There are daily flights to Calabar from Lagos and Abuja serviced by airlines such as Air peace Airlines, Ibom Air Airlines and recently Cally Air, operated by Aero Contractors which worked for about 5 months in 2021 and at the start of 2022, it stopped operation.

The Cross River state-owned airline, Cally Air, might have run aground after two years of operations and operational debt in excess of N900 million to its technical partner, Aero Contractors.[34]

Education

Education started with mother tongue education. Presently, a lot of schools in the state for educative learning in the society.[35] The Tertiary educational institutions in the State includes:

Transportation

Federal highways

  • A4 north from Calabar via Ikom and Ogoja to Benue State,
  • Trans-African Highway 8
    Lagos-Mombasa) west from A4 at Mbok Junction as the Ngulya Mbok Rd and Iyahe Rd to Ebonyi State as the Ogoja-Abakaliki Rd,
  • A4-1 west from A4 at Odukpani Junction as the Ndom Nkim Esuk Odot Rd west across Cross River at Ayadeghe to Akwa Ibom.

Two roads to Cameroon:

Other major roads include:

  • the Oju-Alebo Rd north from A343 at Iyahe to Benue State as the Iyahe-Ewango-Oju Rd,
  • the Ikum Wula Rd northeast from A4 at Ikom as the Obudu-Ikom Rd to Obudu,
  • the Ranch Rd east from Obudu as the Vande Ikya-Abanliko Rd and the Akanliko-Ngale Rd,
  • the Amachi-Ndeokpai Rd west from A4 at Ndeokpai across Cross River by ferry at Ikot Okpora to Abia State at Ewe as the Arochukwu-Akampa-Odukpani-Calabar Rd.

Waterways:

Calabar is a major port, with navigable waterways on Cross River.

Airports: Margaret Ekpo International Airport at Calabar (1983), and Bebi Airstrip.

Politics

The state government is led by a democratically elected governor who works closely with members of the state house of assembly. The capital city of the state is Calabar[38]

Electoral system

The governor 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.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cross River State: Subdivision". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Okeowo, Gabriel; Fatoba, Iyanuoluwa, eds. (13 October 2022). "State of States 2022 Edition" (PDF). Budgit.org. BudgIT. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b E.J. Alagoa, Tekena N. Tamuno (1989). Land and people of Nigeria: Rivers State.
  5. ^ a b "This is how the 36 states were created". Pulse.ng. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Population 2006-2016". National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Cross River National Park (Oban Division)". WCS Nigeria. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division)". WCS Nigeria. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary". WCS Nigeria. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Mbe Mountains". WCS Nigeria. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  11. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Calabar" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 962.
  12. ^ "Calabar". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  13. ^ Amedi, E. (1982). Ethics in Nigerian culture. Heinemann.
  14. ^ Omaka, Arua Oko (17 February 2014). "The Forgotten Victims: Ethnic Minorities in the Nigeria-Biafra War, 1967-1970". Journal of Retracing Africa. 1 (1): 25–40. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  15. ^ Kiebel, C.B. (1976). Juju belief and practice in Nigeria: Rivers State.
  16. ^ "Nigeria hands Bakassi to Cameroon". BBC News. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Human Development Indices". Global Data Lab. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  18. ISBN 9780905838793
    .
  19. ^ "Map - Cross River State - MAP[N]ALL.COM". mapnall.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  20. ISSN 2276-7762
    .
  21. ^ "Kerrie.com".
  22. ^ "climate cross river".
  23. ^ Ekpe, Dr Itita A. (1 January 2018). "IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ARTISANAL FISHERIES IN CROSS RIVER ESTUARY, SOUTHERN NIGERIA". Unical Graduate School.
  24. ^ "List of Tribes in Cross River State Nigeria | AllNigeriaInfo". 21 January 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Cross River | state, Nigeria". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Cross River State". Cross River Hub. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ^ "25 Interesting Facts About Cross River State". 17 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Cross River State History, LGA & Senatorial Districts". Aziza Goodnews. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Nigeria". Ethnologue (22 ed.). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  30. ^ Willamson, Kay (1968). Languages of Niger Delta. pp. 124–130.
  31. ^ "Be part of the famous Cross River State Christmas Festival - Nigeria". www.nigeria-direct.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  32. ^ "Festivals and Carnivals in Rivers State :: Nigeria Information & Guide". www.nigeriagalleria.com. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  33. ^ "10 top things to see and do in Cross River state". Pulse Nigeria. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  34. ^ Nigeria, Guardian (30 May 2023). "Controversy over Cally Air assets, N900 million debt to Aero Contractors". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  35. ^ Willamson, Key (1976). The Rivers Readers project in Nigeria in Bamgbose. A.ed. mother tongue education; the west African experience. UNESCO press.
  36. ^ "Home". fceobudu.edu.ng.
  37. ^ "Institutions". National Board for Technical Education. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  38. ^ Oguntola, Tunde (27 September 2022). "2023: Next President, Govs Must Get Two-thirds Spread, Says INEC". Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  39. ^ Oguntola, Tunde (27 September 2022). "2023: Next President, Govs Must Get Two-thirds Spread, Says INEC". Retrieved 23 February 2023.

External links

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