Akwete
Akwete town is the headquarters of Ukwa East local government area of Abia state, Nigeria. Akwete is located 18 Kilometers northeast of the oil-rich city of Port Harcourt and 18 Kilometers southeast of the commercial city of Aba. Akwete is an important community of the Ndoki and Igbo people in general, they belong to the Umuihueze II clan. Akwete is known in West Africa for its unique weaving.
In the early 19th-century Akwete was one of the main destinations of Aro slave traders and they brought Igbo and other people they had enslaved or purchased from other enslavers to the coast. One of the people who was brought to Akwete by this trade was Jaja of Opobo who later became the king of the city-state of Opobo. Akwete was also involved in the palm oil trade, and when Jaja was brought there while enslaved in about 1830 the palm oil trade had become the main export trade of Akwete.
The origin of the name Akwete has over the years been a subject of controversy. In the typical Edo language, Akwete means thunder. However the Edo Version of Akwete does not in any way convey the same meaning because in the Ndoki dialect of Igbo language, Amadioha or Egbeligwe is the word for thunder. There is a version that asserts that the name Akwete emanated or originated from 'Aku-Ete'. This version is of the opinion that the name Akwete was derived from the rope palm tree cutters use in climbing the trees known as Ete. Another popular opinion is that the word emanates from the Ndoki Weaving Technology which Akwete women are famous for.
In the early 19th-century Akwete was one of the main destinations of Aro slave traders and they brought Igbo and other people they had enslaved or purchased from other enslavers to the coast. One of the people who was brought to Akwete by this trade was Jaja of Opobo who later became the king of the city-state of Opobo. Akwete was also involved in the palm oil trade, and when Jaja was brought there while enslaved in about 1830 the palm oil trade had become the main export trade of Akwete.
The origin of the name Akwete has over the years been a subject of controversy. In the typical Edo language, Akwete means thunder. However the Edo Version of Akwete does not in any way convey the same meaning because in the Ndoki dialect of Igbo language, Amadioha or Egbeligwe is the word for thunder. There is a version that asserts that the name Akwete emanated or originated from 'Aku-Ete'. This version is of the opinion that the name Akwete was derived from the rope palm tree cutters use in climbing the trees known as Ete. Another popular opinion is that the word emanates from the Ndoki Weaving Technology which Akwete women are famous for.
Map - Akwete
Map
Country - Nigeria
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| Flag of Nigeria | |
Nigeria has been home to several indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms since the second millennium BC, with the Nok civilization in the 15th century BC, marking the first internal unification in the country. The modern state originated with British colonialization in the 19th century, taking its present territorial shape with the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914 by Lord Lugard. The British set up administrative and legal structures while practising indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms in the Nigeria region. Nigeria became a formally independent federation on 1 October 1960. It experienced a civil war from 1967 to 1970, followed by a succession of military dictatorships and democratically elected civilian governments until achieving a stable democracy in the 1999 presidential election. The 2015 general election was the first time an incumbent president failed to be re-elected.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGN | Nigerian naira | ₦ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| HA | Hausa language |
| IG | Igbo language |
| YO | Yoruba language |