Oron people
| Oron | |
|---|---|
 Oron
|
|
| Coordinates: 5°3′N 7°56′E / 5.050°N 7.933°ECoordinates: 5°3′N 7°56′E / 5.050°N 7.933°E | |
| State | Akwa Ibom |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Udom Gabriel Emmanuel |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 164 km2 (63 sq mi) |
| • City | 76 km2 (29 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • City | 246,000 |
| • Metro | 403,242 |
| estimated | |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
The Oron people are comprised in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Akwa Ibom State, and Bakassi LGA in Cross River State. The Oron are the third largest ethnic group in the state. They are related to the Efik, Ibibio, Eket, Annang and Ibeno ethnic groups. The five local Councils in Akwa Ibom are Oron, Udung-Uko, Mbo, Urue-Offong/Oruko, and Okobo. The Oron people, popularly called 'Oro Ukpabang' or 'Akpakip Oro' or`Oro Ukpabang Okpo` by its indigenes, are made up of several clans. There are nine clans called Afaha. They are namely: Afaha Okpo, Afaha Ukwong, Ebughu, Afaha Ibighi, Effiat, Afaha Ubodung, Etta, Afaha Oki-uso, and Afaha Idua (Iluhe). However, the geopolitical restructuring of the state and local government creation has seen the Oron nation being fragmented politically into two states of Nigeria, namely Cross River and Akwa Ibom state. There are five Oron Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State and one Local Government in Cross River State.
Oron town is the third largest city in Akwa Ibom state after Uyo and Eket. It has a population of around 250,000 people living within the city. Lying on the Cross River, Oron has a seaport and a Maritime Academy which is soon to become a nautical university. The predominant occupation is fishing and farming.
Oron was in existence in the pre-colonial period in Nigeria and was formerly a part of the province called the South-Eastern state. Natives of this area speak the dialect also known as Oron. Most Oron people also speak and understand the Efik language fluently. The Oron also have some dialectical similarities with the Ibibio and Annang people, hence their communication in Ibibio and Annang languages is very proficient.
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Wikipedia