ABSTRACT

History is not only concerned with past facts about a people, it is also the collective memory of a people. If it is taken out of the lives of any society, that society would be lost and its future would be bleak. Consequently, this study takes a critical examination into the origin, migration and settlement of Ibiono Ibom people from early times to 1970. The study examines the nine different groups that constitute the present Ibiono Ibom, assesses the role played by different socio-cultural institutions in the enforcement of law and order in the area. The study further reveals that before colonial rule in Ibiono Ibom, the area had already established a well organized centralize system of government. Colonial rule in Ibiono Ibom submerged and dismantled indigenous institutions and, in its place, a foreign rule was established. Traditional institutions before then were regarded as not only political authorities but also custodians of cultures. While insisting that, Christian Missionaries were the dominant exporters of Western Civilization and culture which has precariously contaminated the traditional values of Ibiono. Nevertheless, the genesis of formal education in Ibiono Ibom was provided by missionaries who viewed education as an auxiliary to their goal of Christianizing Ibiono Ibom. The study relied on oral evidence and secondary sources to generate data for the study. It concludes by revealing the dynamism and significance of Ibiono Ibom traditional political institution.