IKOT EKPENE(1951) AT 73, LEGENDARY WITHOUT BEING CELEBRATED
On the 11th day of April 1951, the first ever Election in Nigeria into the office of the Local Government Chairman was conducted in Ikot Ekpene. And Late chief R. U. Umoinyang (MBE)(1900 – 1972) was duely elected as the first council boss of Ikot Ekpene LGA. With this record, Ikot Ekpene became the Premier Local Government Area in the British controlled territory in Africa.
Ikot Ekpene therefore has a history associated with 11th April. 11th of April does not only put Ikot Ekpene on a history indices, it puts it in the National history indices. Though, often overlooked.
Colonel E.C. Alderton, a British, was the District Officer of Ikot Ekpene before then. He was the last British to have superintended over Ikot Ekpene. Colonel Alderton was the one that handed over the helms of affairs of Ikot Ekpene LGA to Chief Umoinyang after the keenly contested election of April 11. Colonel Alderton, a whiteman is here mortalised by the naming of a street in the Raffia city in his memory. That is how we now have Alderton road in Ikot Ekpene. A big question now, how has Umoinyang, a Blackman/Annang man been mortalised?
Before 1951, the British had been ruling us directly by their men through the indirect rule system. It was the experimentation using late Chief R. U. Umoinyang to rule the people directly that gave the British confidence that the Blacks were capable of ruling. It was the administrative dexterity of Umoinyang that gave them the conviction. Umoinyang who studied Native Administration in University of Ibadan proved his worth as an Administrative guru. From the conviction, the British had to extend their direct/native rule to other parts of its territory.
Seventy Three (73) years after, Ikot Ekpene hasn’t been able to be captured in the National history. When the nation remembers who composed the national anthem, nobody remembers which was the first experimented Local Government Area. When the nation remembers who designed the present national flag of Nigeria, nobody remembers who was the premier Council boss of all time. When the nation remembers the first oil well in Oloibiri, nobody remembers Ikot Ekpene, the cradle of local government Administration in Nigeria. When dates for the remarkable events are mentioned in the country and even Akwa Ibom state, nobody remembers April 11 and nobody remembers 1951.
There is no way Local Government Administration would be discussed nationally or at state level that Ikot Ekpene shouldn’t be a content in such discussion. There is no way people who have remarkable feats in National history would be mentioned without the Ikot Ekpene born Administrative guru, late Chief R. U. Umoinyang being mentioned.
Today, we celebrate the Raffia city. We celebrate Ikot Ekpene. We celebrate late Chief R. U. Umoinyang. We celebrate the legendary. We celebrate the unmentioned first.
Hurray! Ikot Ekpene at 73 years Anniversary.