Although the Mbagande people have
always lived in what is today known as Adikpo London, the seeds of Adikpo town
began between 1914 To 1917, this is the period when the Obudu Adikpo Ogbema
Katsina Ala Road was opened.
The British captured Kunav and Obudu areas around 1909 and had established business and colonial administrative centres in Obudu town; but in the quest to connect the economic activities of Obudu and the sea port at Katsina Ala, which was one of the earliest colonial settlements, the need for the road from Obudu through Shangev Ya, arose.
Ordinarily, the original inhabitants (Mbagande) had no need for big markets or even needed a "town", but the influx of Mbagbendav(road workers or laborers) who were "foreigners" and later, as a transport route when the road was completed, a town was born!
It was named Adikpo after the man(son of the soil) that the colonialists made the first chief, Adikpo Ademagba Ayisa.This was in 1914.
But it was not until 1953 that the Tiv Native Authority declared Adikpo as a "settlement", but infrastructurally, development was nonexistent. Apart from Igbo men from the east who would bring "white men wares" through Obudu, as such, making Adikpo one of the earliest places to have white man wares, the town was bushy up to early the 1960s! By this I mean, 95 per cent of the town was made up of thatched houses!
Three things worked for the rapid development of the town; these were the love and ingenuity of Ako Dzungwe, Nande Nande and Atem Ityo political crises( 1958-1964). By 1958, Ako Dzungwe, an Usar man, the first Tiv engineer, was in charge of works department of Tiv NA, and from Head of Department, Works, he moved to the post of Administrative secretary of the Native Authority. He handed that department to his kinsman, James Ityowua Adzape.
The British captured Kunav and Obudu areas around 1909 and had established business and colonial administrative centres in Obudu town; but in the quest to connect the economic activities of Obudu and the sea port at Katsina Ala, which was one of the earliest colonial settlements, the need for the road from Obudu through Shangev Ya, arose.
Ordinarily, the original inhabitants (Mbagande) had no need for big markets or even needed a "town", but the influx of Mbagbendav(road workers or laborers) who were "foreigners" and later, as a transport route when the road was completed, a town was born!
It was named Adikpo after the man(son of the soil) that the colonialists made the first chief, Adikpo Ademagba Ayisa.This was in 1914.
But it was not until 1953 that the Tiv Native Authority declared Adikpo as a "settlement", but infrastructurally, development was nonexistent. Apart from Igbo men from the east who would bring "white men wares" through Obudu, as such, making Adikpo one of the earliest places to have white man wares, the town was bushy up to early the 1960s! By this I mean, 95 per cent of the town was made up of thatched houses!
Three things worked for the rapid development of the town; these were the love and ingenuity of Ako Dzungwe, Nande Nande and Atem Ityo political crises( 1958-1964). By 1958, Ako Dzungwe, an Usar man, the first Tiv engineer, was in charge of works department of Tiv NA, and from Head of Department, Works, he moved to the post of Administrative secretary of the Native Authority. He handed that department to his kinsman, James Ityowua Adzape.
From the body language of the
whitemen, they would have preferred Manor, in Ikyor, present day Ushongo Local
Government, to be the head quarters of the Kwande Sept, then comprising of the
two local governments. For example, all the first 3 Two Ter Kwandes, Sule
Agbough, Angwe Suleagbogh and Ge Kpa
were from the Ushongo axis!
Shagbaor Ako Dzungwe was to change this trend. As administrative secretary, he made sure Adikpo had security presence, a court, roads and a dispensary(he used his kinsman, Adzape to achieve some of these). So when the 196O and 1964 Nande Nande and Atem Ityough political crises engulfed Tivland ,Adikpo, for these obvious reasons witnessed an influx of people from all the areas around which had poor security and health facilities! Even the then Ter Kwande, Ge Kpa, sought refuge in Adikpo! Also note that as from 1960, the Roman Catholics have also established St Monica's hospital. This was an added advantage.
With enough security, health facilities and a market, after the 1964 crisis, so many people were reluctant to go back to their places for obvious reasons, so Chief Dzungwe used that opportunity to order for the planning of Adikpo. So the town was first planed(mainly plots allocation, free to every willing adults) in 1964.
At this time, Dutch Reformed had established the first primary school( in 1934) and Roman Catholics put up St Anns (in 1942), but up to 1964, there was no secondary schoo in Adikpol! But funilly this was when Adikpo got the name LONDON!
The man who gave Adikpo the name London was a traditional song composer, Atule Amende , an indigene of Mbakyan, Nanev. In his later life, he was known as Amende Ikpmkor London( on the life of Amende, read Charles Keil; Tiv Song). He used to compose songs for Kasev Kwande. Most of his songs have survived till date. So why would he call Adikpo a London?
It was because of the first storey building put in place by Akinde Ayu in 1961(but I suspect he might have heard about london from the Igbo beneseed merchants who were operating in canteens at that time. I am made to understand by a source that those people used to talk of London!) He sang that Adikpo was also a London, that she even had storey buildings! A London was born!
This was London without a secondary school. She got her first secondary school in 1967, St Andrews Secondary School; Adikpo Comprehensive College by Ako Dzungwe, my Alma Mata, was to follow in 1968 and so many others henceforth.
As Amende Ikpamkor sang and spread the Londoness of Adikpo, a lot of people with vision got the message and one of then was Apollos Aper Aku. When he was the chairman of Kwande between 1 January,1977 to 30 December,1978, A per Aku, who was the second Tiv graduate, gave Adikpo, a London Master plan.
Aku planned every street in Adikpo, he provided for motor parks, recreational parks. He located slots for banks, water system sketched out an electrification plan of the town. I have traveled very wide in Nigeria, but I have not seen well planned streets like the ones we have here!
Moreso, when Aku became governor by 1979, he made sure that he pushed the Londonness of Adikpo to a logical conclusion. That was the end of London!
Yes Adikpo still has her streets, yet subsequent council chairmen have failed us, they have failed Aku too. Yes, though there was a slot for a bank, a politician turned it to a motor park last year. All the public toilets have been shared out! Orfaansev bought some, our recreational parks have been sold to NURTW and Okada men for offices!
The local government secretariat that was envisioned by Aku in 1978 was only completed last year by Akputu. But the biggest blow to London was the political crises of 2004/2005.
There are good sides though. Adikpo has the highest number of secondary schools in the state, mostly, private efforts (there is no government secondary school here), Adikpo has produced the best brains I have ever met.
Today, Adikpo has a market, electricity, good streets, a police station, a stadium, a newspaper, internet facilities, GSM network, but it is not the London that it should be.
Shagbaor Ako Dzungwe was to change this trend. As administrative secretary, he made sure Adikpo had security presence, a court, roads and a dispensary(he used his kinsman, Adzape to achieve some of these). So when the 196O and 1964 Nande Nande and Atem Ityough political crises engulfed Tivland ,Adikpo, for these obvious reasons witnessed an influx of people from all the areas around which had poor security and health facilities! Even the then Ter Kwande, Ge Kpa, sought refuge in Adikpo! Also note that as from 1960, the Roman Catholics have also established St Monica's hospital. This was an added advantage.
With enough security, health facilities and a market, after the 1964 crisis, so many people were reluctant to go back to their places for obvious reasons, so Chief Dzungwe used that opportunity to order for the planning of Adikpo. So the town was first planed(mainly plots allocation, free to every willing adults) in 1964.
At this time, Dutch Reformed had established the first primary school( in 1934) and Roman Catholics put up St Anns (in 1942), but up to 1964, there was no secondary schoo in Adikpol! But funilly this was when Adikpo got the name LONDON!
The man who gave Adikpo the name London was a traditional song composer, Atule Amende , an indigene of Mbakyan, Nanev. In his later life, he was known as Amende Ikpmkor London( on the life of Amende, read Charles Keil; Tiv Song). He used to compose songs for Kasev Kwande. Most of his songs have survived till date. So why would he call Adikpo a London?
It was because of the first storey building put in place by Akinde Ayu in 1961(but I suspect he might have heard about london from the Igbo beneseed merchants who were operating in canteens at that time. I am made to understand by a source that those people used to talk of London!) He sang that Adikpo was also a London, that she even had storey buildings! A London was born!
This was London without a secondary school. She got her first secondary school in 1967, St Andrews Secondary School; Adikpo Comprehensive College by Ako Dzungwe, my Alma Mata, was to follow in 1968 and so many others henceforth.
As Amende Ikpamkor sang and spread the Londoness of Adikpo, a lot of people with vision got the message and one of then was Apollos Aper Aku. When he was the chairman of Kwande between 1 January,1977 to 30 December,1978, A per Aku, who was the second Tiv graduate, gave Adikpo, a London Master plan.
Aku planned every street in Adikpo, he provided for motor parks, recreational parks. He located slots for banks, water system sketched out an electrification plan of the town. I have traveled very wide in Nigeria, but I have not seen well planned streets like the ones we have here!
Moreso, when Aku became governor by 1979, he made sure that he pushed the Londonness of Adikpo to a logical conclusion. That was the end of London!
Yes Adikpo still has her streets, yet subsequent council chairmen have failed us, they have failed Aku too. Yes, though there was a slot for a bank, a politician turned it to a motor park last year. All the public toilets have been shared out! Orfaansev bought some, our recreational parks have been sold to NURTW and Okada men for offices!
The local government secretariat that was envisioned by Aku in 1978 was only completed last year by Akputu. But the biggest blow to London was the political crises of 2004/2005.
There are good sides though. Adikpo has the highest number of secondary schools in the state, mostly, private efforts (there is no government secondary school here), Adikpo has produced the best brains I have ever met.
Today, Adikpo has a market, electricity, good streets, a police station, a stadium, a newspaper, internet facilities, GSM network, but it is not the London that it should be.
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