Our History
"We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it." - John F. Kennedy
A Short History of Ubium and Her People...
The story of the origin of Ubium came to us through oral tradition, handed down from generation to generation. We know how adulterated or altered the medium may be but we have to depend on it, as there are only a few known other sources and artifacts on Ubium.
The oral traditions tell us that Ubium was a person who had many children among whom were Afaha, Ise, and Ukat. The tradition reports that Ubium like other Ibibio founding fathers broke away from Ibom in Cross River Basin near Arochuku. With his children, Ubium moved to a place in the present Ikono Local Government Area and later, he migrated to another area in Uruan Local Government Area (close to the present day Mbiaya Uruan). Later, he moved to Ndikpo in present day Asutan Ekpe area where Ndon Ubium can be found till today.
Oral tradition still maintains that from Ndikpo, Ubium people moved to Ikot Akpan Abia / Ndukpoise where some settled, while others pushed ahead to Obio Ubium where they deposited their gods and built shrines. Till today, one can find the shrines of Aduang Afaha in Obio Ubium, Mbat Akan in Ikot Akan and Aqua Ukat in Obio Ubium. These shrines are not beyond one kilometre apart.
From Obio Ubium / Ikot Akan, the migration continued eastwards and led to the founding of most of the villages in Ubium South.
However, there are persons who do not give much credence to the oral tradition that Ubium was a physical human being but hold the view that people of common heritage migrated in waves to occupy the area now known as Ubium. These waves of migration must have taken place a long time ago.
In more contemporary times, Ubium is made up of three Clans : Afaha, Ise and Ukat, broken down into the following thirty four (34) villages : Akai, Atiamkpat, Edem Idim Okpot, Ekpene Ukim, Ikot Akpa Eno, Ikot Akpan Abia, Ikot Akpamba, Ibiomin, Ikot Edok, Ikot Ekwere, Ikot Enwana, Ikot Esen, Ikot Eyo, Ikot Nko, Ikot Ntung, Ikot Odu Atang, Ikot Okoro, Ikot Okpoudo, Ikot Okpuyot, Ikot Okwot, Ikot Osom, Ikot Ubo, Ikot Udo Ide, Ikot Udo Iton, Ikot Umo, Ikot Uso, Mbakuno, Mbiekene, Ndukpoise, Nnung Obong, Obio Ekit, Obio – Ubium, Odoro Atasung, Ukat.
From a locational perspective, Ubium is bounded in the North by Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, in the South by Uquo Ibeno / Okobo Local Government Area, in the East by Ekpe Atai Local Government Area and in the West by Eket. Presently, Ubium is an unusually very large part of the Nsit Ubium Local Government, South South of Nigeria, as it curiously and unjustly remains the only one of its historical authentic Ibibio peers that is yet to be a separate local government, when indeed others, including many non - Ibibio groups have been split into either two or more Local Government Administrative units in the new Nigerian order.
Ubium is Ibibio speaking, with farming and trading as main occupations. It is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. Recently, oil was discovered in Ikot Okpoudo, one of the early times Ubium villages. Ubium has an estimated population of 300,000 people, a formidable number of highly educated individuals in numerous academic and professional fields, over 22 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, a police station and some police posts, a full-fledged pre 70’s post office, two postal agencies, 5 big daily markets and twenty other weekly markets. There are also medical centres at Akai, Nnung Obong, Ikot Ubo, Ndukpoise, Ikot Akpamba and Ikot Okpoudo to mention just a few.