Etche
Encyclopedia
Etche is a Local Government Area (LGA) in Rivers State
, Nigeria
, named after the Etche ( Echie) people of Southern Nigeria. The Etche are as Igbo tribe
and speak their own dialect of the Igbo language
. They also inhabit Omuma
LGA; Etche/Omuma is a National Assembly constituency.
Etche communities include Akwu/Obuor, Chokocho
, Chokota, Egwi, Afara, Mba, Ikwerengwo, Okehi
, Ulakwo, Umuakonu, Umuebulu, Umuechem, Igbodo
the ancestral home of Etche (Igbodo is made up o the following communities; Umuohiaukwu, Umuusharam, Umuoga, Okonocho, Umuine, Umudi, Umunkwa, Umuohie, Amaku, Obi, Ezeleaka, Umuisi].
), are thought to be descendents of the southern migration of the Igbo
towards the coast from a center in the Awka
and Orlu
areas.
Cassava and yam are important crops. The use of tractors for farming these crops has dropped slightly in the 1986–2004 period.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company
has funded a cassava processing mill at Umuebulu, and in 2000 provided training to local women in operation and management of the mill.
Palm oil production by smallholders is a significant part of the economy.
The April 2003 national elections were marked by serious violence and intimidation in the Etche LGA, seriously compromising the free voters process.
In a 2007 report, Human Rights Watch
said that "in recent years Etche has earned a degree of unwelcome notoriety due to allegations of corruption, thuggery and murder leveled against its current chairman." The report stated that health and education facilities were in an advanced state of physical decay, with funds allocated for staffing and renovation being diverted for other purposes.
In January 2009 the Etche legislative council impeached three of their members for "irrational and unconscionable behaviour, gross misconduct, misappropriation of legislative fund and abuse of office."
A training camp for ex-militants was established in Okehi in Etch LGA, teaching skills such as welding and fabrication, fitting, sea faring/marine, business and commerce and so on. In October 2009, 200 of the students demanded their allowances, threatening to return to the creeks to cause havoc if unpaid.
In September 2009 the Niger Delta Development Commission
opened a free medical mission in Omuma Local Government Council.
Rivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, named after the Etche ( Echie) people of Southern Nigeria. The Etche are as Igbo tribe
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
and speak their own dialect of the Igbo language
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
. They also inhabit Omuma
Omuma
Omuma is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Eberi. Its people are of Igbo extraction.It has an area of 170 km² and a population of 100,366 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 512....
LGA; Etche/Omuma is a National Assembly constituency.
Etche communities include Akwu/Obuor, Chokocho
Chokocho
Chokocho is a community in Rivers State, Nigeria near the Otamiri River.The Chokocho bridge across the Otamiri, damaged during the Nigerian civil war, was rebuilt during the governorship of Peter Odili....
, Chokota, Egwi, Afara, Mba, Ikwerengwo, Okehi
Okehi
Okehi is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Okehi.It has an area of 661 km² and a population of 199,999 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 264....
, Ulakwo, Umuakonu, Umuebulu, Umuechem, Igbodo
Igbodo
Igbodo is a town located in Delta State, Nigeria. They are Igbo people....
the ancestral home of Etche (Igbodo is made up o the following communities; Umuohiaukwu, Umuusharam, Umuoga, Okonocho, Umuine, Umudi, Umunkwa, Umuohie, Amaku, Obi, Ezeleaka, Umuisi].
People
The Etche people, like the Oratta, Asa and Ndoki (and more controversially the IkwerreIkwerre
The Ikwerre are one of the many ethnic groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. They are generally considered a subgroup of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, although a few consider themselves a separate ethnicity. The Ikwerre are said to be descendants of long-distance traders from...
), are thought to be descendents of the southern migration of the Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
towards the coast from a center in the Awka
Awka
Awka is the capital of Anambra State, Nigeria with an estimated population of 301,657 Nigerian census. The city is located about 600 miles east of Lagos in the centre of the densely-populated Igbo heartland in southeastern Nigeria...
and Orlu
Orlu
Orlu is the third largest city in Southeast Nigeria's Imo State with an estimated population of 220,000. It has a long history and has played a critical role as the headquarters for humanitarian relief agencies during the Nigerian civil war....
areas.
Economy
In 1999 there were about 600,000 Etche people, forming the fourth largest ethnic group in Rivers State, mostly engaged in agriculture.Cassava and yam are important crops. The use of tractors for farming these crops has dropped slightly in the 1986–2004 period.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company
Shell Nigeria
Shell Nigeria is the colloquial name for Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiaries—primarily through Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited...
has funded a cassava processing mill at Umuebulu, and in 2000 provided training to local women in operation and management of the mill.
Palm oil production by smallholders is a significant part of the economy.
Political unrest
In October 1990, a demonstration was held in Umuechem, Etche to demand social amenities and compensation for oil pollution. State security agents reacted with teargas and gunfire. 50 people died and about 550 houses were destroyed.The April 2003 national elections were marked by serious violence and intimidation in the Etche LGA, seriously compromising the free voters process.
In a 2007 report, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
said that "in recent years Etche has earned a degree of unwelcome notoriety due to allegations of corruption, thuggery and murder leveled against its current chairman." The report stated that health and education facilities were in an advanced state of physical decay, with funds allocated for staffing and renovation being diverted for other purposes.
In January 2009 the Etche legislative council impeached three of their members for "irrational and unconscionable behaviour, gross misconduct, misappropriation of legislative fund and abuse of office."
A training camp for ex-militants was established in Okehi in Etch LGA, teaching skills such as welding and fabrication, fitting, sea faring/marine, business and commerce and so on. In October 2009, 200 of the students demanded their allowances, threatening to return to the creeks to cause havoc if unpaid.
Recent developments
In August 2009, a Marriage Registration Centre was opened in the LGA.In September 2009 the Niger Delta Development Commission
Niger Delta Development Commission
The Niger Delta Development Commission is a Federal Government agency established by Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo in the year 2000 with the sole mandate of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria....
opened a free medical mission in Omuma Local Government Council.