Ntak Ibesit

Ntak Ibesit is a densely populated rural town in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The town was noted for production and trade in palm oil and kernel. In recognition of its strategic importance, the Colonial administration established a river port at Ekpene Okpo, with a colonial court. The court is still in operation today but in a deteriorating state. Beside palm oil production, the main occupation of the indigenous people of the town before colonialism were pottery, basket weaving, palm wine tapping, and farming. One of the distinguishing features of Ntak Ibesit is the network of colonial roads. There is a road linking Ikot Okoro, Mbon Ebre, Ukpom and Ekparakwa- all neighbouring towns and villages. A very popular market in Ntak Ibesit is Urua Ekenyong Obom, which is centrally located to serve Ukpom Edem Inyang, Mbon Ebre, Ediene Ikot Ebom.

The road linking Ikot Afanga town and Ntak Ibesit (Usung Nun Anwa) was named after a man called Udo Anwa-the Man Leopard. He was a commander who was arrested during the Ekpe Ikpa Ukot War, of the late 1940s. The MAN LEOPARD killings were believed to be one war fought, in the southern Annang, to draw the attention of the colonial administrators to the plight of the locals in the area, who were regarded mainly as drawers of waters and hewers of wood. The struggle has engaged the attention of many authors internationally (see: G I Nwaka: The Leopard Killings of Southern Annang 1943-48, 1986).

Ntak Ibesit was seriously affected by the Nigerian civil war, to the extent that the Ummanis and other foreign traders who settled and carried out business at Ekpene Okpo (the river port of the town) left and did not return. The footprints of the White Missionaries are very visible in Ntak Ibesit, the Qua Iboe Mission cathedral (4°53'27"N 7°44'38"E) and the St John's African Church Primary School, built in 1940.

Ikot Okoro, which is about 4 km (2.5 mi) away from Ntak Ibesit is a tourist destination, mostly to those who would like to study the settlement patterns of the colonial administrators. They were headquartered there as the administrative centre of the southern Annang.

Ntak Ibesit shares some common boundaries with Ikot Afanga, Itung Ikot Ndem, Nung Ikot Asanga, Ukpom Edem Inyang, Mbon Ebre, Ikot Enua, and Edem Idim Ibesit (through Inyang Ekpene Okpo, part of the mighty Kwa Iboe River). Geographically, Ntak Ibesit is one of the few towns in the region with very rich natural features. Kwa Iboe River runs through the town by Ekpene Okpo axis, setting a boundary between Ntak Ibesit and Edem Idim Ibesit. Towards Ikot Enua axis, the town has multiple springs and streams. The most popular of such springs are Idim Ikot Udo, Idim Anne, and Idim Akpan Udofa. Idim Ikot Udo was the major source of drinking water to all the Central Ibesit and neighboring villages for centuries before the introduction of pipe borne water. Idim Ikot Udo is a double headwater spring, both merge at a point to form a delta before flowing eastward. One of the headwaters was designated for women, and the other for men. These multiple springs and streams serve as recharge area to the Qua Iboe River which enlarges around the town. The water bodies also prove means of livelihood to peasant and sport fishermen in the region. There are popular forests like the Akai Itiat and other thick forests around the River banks and the spring sheds, although some of those woodlands have lost their density to deforestation in recent years through wood cutting, charcoal-making, and palm tapping.

Following the colonial period, Ntak Ibesit saw a period of slowed infrastructural development, impacted by the Nigerian Civil War, failed government policies, and the subsequent decline of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) sub-station in nearby Ibesit Ekoi . The sub-station had previously supported agricultural research in the region and owned farming facilities at Ekpene Okpo, Ntak Ibesit. The town has experienced some level of renewed development in recent years, including the expansion of the road network, the establishment of the Primary Health Post near St John's Axis, and the founding of Divine Favour Christian College in Ikot Udo Aduak by Bishop Ezekiel Ukoh.

The Akwa Ibom State Government has proposed to establish a skill acquisition centre for Ntak Ibesit to take care of youth un-employment.

References

General references

• G I Nwaka: The Leopard Killings of Southern Annang, 1943-1948, 1986.
• David Pratten: The Man Leopard Murders: History and Society in Colonial Nigeria.Amazon Books.