Lugard lived in Akwa Ibom

In a few months from now, precisely on January 14,2014 Nigeria will roll out drums to celebrate 100 years of her existence as a nation, having  been amalgamated into Northern and Southern protectorates on January 14, 1914 by the British colonial master, Lord Lugard.The occasion promises to be a big one. It’s going to be […]

In a few months from now, precisely on January 14,2014 Nigeria will roll out drums to celebrate 100 years of her existence as a nation, having  been amalgamated into Northern and Southern protectorates on January 14, 1914 by the British colonial master, Lord Lugard.
The occasion promises to be a big one. It’s going to be a moment of sober reflection  and retrospection, and of soul searching for Nigerians; a moment of rediscovery and a time to look back at history, to see how well the country has fared as a nation state in the last 100 years.
The celebration will certainly afford Nigerians and those in positions of authority  the opportunity  to look at the pros and cons of the country’s existence as an entity in the last 100 years, with a view to seeing whether that action of Lord Lugard has  contributed to the development of the country.
Interestingly, there has  been a lot of hype and publicity about the event; committees have been set up, and money already budgeted by the federal government, all to ensure that the occasion catches the fancy of all and sundry.
Historical sites are important watersheds in our political and social evolution as a nation, and therefore need  preservation for posterity, if anything, to reconnect the past to the future.
Regrettably, however, with all the hoopla about the centenary celebration, the historical monuments and sites erected by Lord Lugard, the architect of the amalgamation of Nigeria, depicting where he lived and worked before he  conceptualized the idea to pronounce the amalgamation of the country, have remained obscured and  painful sights to behold in the state.
Talking in terms of practical and physical terms, if nothing is done to preserve them that period will remain eclipsed in our political history.

Records available to Daily Trust indicate that the British colonial master, Lord Lugard started living in the present day Ikot Abasi local government Area of Akwa Ibom state, around 1912. He built a network of structures  which today are historical sites, to ease his stay and facilitate trading in the region.
These include his  residence, his administrative office, the native authority building and his kitchen, the Beach Garden and others. There were other interesting sites visited by this reporter. They include  the slave trade bridge called the “the bridge of no return’,’ the portrait depicting the Aba women’s  riot, and the list of those who lost their lives  during the riot.
The most worrisome feature about these sites is that  they have remained desolate. Neither the federal government nor the government of Akwa Ibom state, has made any attempt at preservation of these places.  
Regrettably, these historical places have not only been abandoned, but have been turned into hideouts for criminals to perpetuate and unleash evil.
Lord Lugard’s House, a wooden structure is still a beautiful sight to behold till date. With over 90 years of   existence, the structure is yet to show any sign of dilapidation.
A first time visitor is likely to be struck by its simple technology. The wooden structure consists of his living room, the guest room and others. This was where, it was gathered, the British colonial master actually conceptualised the idea of amalgamating  the country to be made up of  North and South.

Incidentally, it has been overrun by weeds and taken over by all sort of crawling insects and bush rodents. The inside has been vandalised, and relics of how he was living and transacting business carted away.
 From a house of fame and history,  Lord Lugard’s House which was to be the historical reference point , has been forgotten.
The rail system  used by the colonial masters to transact business still exists, but these have been completely covered by bush and weeds.
Away from there is the native authority building, where much of the administrative work was carried out with the help of native authorities. Those buildings which dotted the area remain desolate till date, as there is nothing to show even the younger generation how the country was  run by the colonial masters.

There is also the UAC Boat  yard, where goods shipped by the colonialists into the country were first lodged before being sold to the natives. This was located in Eket local government area of  the state.
The colonial masters did not just enter the hinterland unprotected.They  came with various weapons to ward off any perceived enemies ,or to keep at bay anybody that opposed their administration. The machine gun as depicted in the site was used by them for that purpose.This  is also found in Eket local government area of the state.
The access roads leading to these sites are in a deplorable state. It was difficult to trace some of the sites, as this reporter had to battle the bush and trekked long distances to get to some of them.
The slave trade that flourished at a  point remains an ugly scar in the  political evolution of Nigeria, but nothing is being done to preserve the slave trade experience in the state. It was an awful and dehumanizing experience to see some of the monuments depicting how our young men and women were being chained and made  ready for export.

There is the ‘bridge of no return’. This was so named because, it was gathered, that any slave person taken to the bridge never returned. The slave is taken to the ‘dungeon’ a metal frame with a tiny opening where he or she is kept for weeks or months, before being exported overseas.
When our reporter visited the metal rail holding, the bridge had given in due to the corrosion as a result of contact with water,  and most of the rail had fallen off already.
There were other interesting sights. There is the portrait depicting a woman holding a gun ,and a list of other women of valour, who lost their lives in the Aba women’s  riot of 1929.
These great women of valour as they were, it was gathered, stood their grounds and sacrificed their lives and died in the struggle,  while opposing the obnoxious taxation imposed by the colonial administrators.
Relics of those epic battles remain till date in Ikot Abasi local government area of Akwa Ibom state. Though history has it that the Aba women’s  riot  started in Aba in 1929, evidence and records available, indictate  that the riot started in Akwa Ibom in the present day Ikot Abasi local government.
There are  other historical sites that dot the state. There is the Mary Slessor tomb  in Itu local government, where the  noble Lady   who  put an end to the killing of twins  lies.
These monuments which tell very much in pictorial details the activities of the colonial administrators in the state, and in Nigeria in general, are gradually going  extinct and need to preserved.
As the country gets ready to celebrate 100 years of its existence as a nation state,  it remains to be seen how these historical sites that defined that existence, would be preserved for posterity.