Sunday, October 13, 2024

Etung

Etung Local Government Area is in the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State and was carved out from the former Ikom Local Government Area in 1996. The headquarters is at Effraya.  Etung has 16 clans and over 300 villages.

ETUNG
Location of Etung Local Government Area in Cross River State
Senatorial District Central
Created
Local Government Headquarter Effraya
Area 903.22 sq.km2
Government
Chairman Hon. John Nkum Etuk
Vice Chairman
Leader
Paramount Ruler
Wards      10
Educational Institutions
Marjor Markets

Geography

It has a land mass of 833.07 square kilometers, and shares an international boundary with the Republic of Cameroon to the East. It is bounded in the North by the Ikom Local Government in the south by Obubra and Akamkpa local Government Areas.

History

Local Government Wards

There are ten wards in the local government area. The wards are:

Abia

Abijang

Agbokim

Ajassor

Bendeghe Ekiem

Effraya

Etomi

Itaka

Mkpot

Nsofang

PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE

The people of Etung Local Government Area speak the Ejagham Language.

CULTURE
The rich culture heritage of the people of Etung is well known. They use Dundun drums, wooden gongs at festivals and annual traditional yam festivals. There are also title holding societies like the Mgbe to ensure that power and authority are maintained. Those who pass through Mgbe initiation can be trusted in matters of wars and political decision-making management of homes or human relations.

The Etung people like most other groups in Cross River State are said to be of the Bantu race, who are believed to have migrated from Central Africa to their present abode.

FESTIVALS

TOURISM

ECONOMY

Blessed with abundant human and agricultural resources such as cocoa, plantain, cassava oil palm, maize, coconut palm, maize, coconut palm banana, cocoyam, okro cucumber, pumpkin and yam, Etung is predominantly an agricultural area with arable fertile land. It is the highest producer of cocoa in the state and second in the country, which made it imperative for the establishment of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) at Ajassor, Etung LGA.

There are vast hectares of cocoa, banana, plantain, oil palm both government and privately owned estates, which account for the economic development of the area.

The Cross River provides the major source of water and fishing ground for all the communities and also a major route for the conveyance of both people and cargos.

The Abia Salt derived from the Ejagham Lake provides raw materials for salt production at both individual and commercial levels.

Etung also falls into the support zone area of the National park with potentials for tourism as well as preservation of endangered species of plants and animals that can only be found in the zone.

Etung Local Government Area offers a wide range of investment opportunities for indigenous, private and corporate investors. The forest in the area could be exploited for the development and sourcing of industrial raw materials such as timber, ceramics paper and bricks, chlorine, sodium and brine, raffia palm and cane which are essential material for making chairs and trays etc.

PAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMEN

                   NAME YEAR
Ntufam Gab Odu Oji
Ntufam Dr. Sandy Onor 1999