- Source: Edda (former Afikpo South)
Eddalands (former Afikpo South and changed to Edda LGA as part of the 16 constitutional amendment acts signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on 17th March, 2023) is an entire local government area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. It is the most culturally advanced local government area in Nigeria, in terms of shared norms and common traditional and culture values across the entire area, in spite of diversity of religion and ethnic ancestry of citizens.
Locations
Eddalands is composed of many autonomous communities and towns which include: Ebunwana Edda, Nguzu Edda, Ekoli Edda, Owutu Edda, Amangwu Edda, Oso Edda, Etiti Edda, Ogbu Edda etc. The capital or local area headquarters of Edda, being the current Nigerian government designated administrative name for Eddalands is at Nguzu.
The names of Eddish towns often have "Edda" at their endings as an addendum designating their membership of the Eddish cultural common wealth and community of shared values. Most of the autonomous communities of Eddalands had been existing as small, but very strong, city states with each having its own monarch before Nigeria was carved up by British colonialists. These communities made up of about 72 villages today had been functioning as a confederation of small city states bounded by common heritage until 1867. That was when British colonialists finally enveloped Eddalands into the Southern Protectorate, which even later became a now defunct country of Southern Nigeria. Southern Nigeria was amalgamated with Northern Nigeria, which was a different country, in 1914 to forge today's Nigeria. The old city states of Eddaland still exist with monarchs that have no administrative functions; but serve as social and cultural representatives of different Eddish communities that were once sovereign.
The designation of Afikpo South was given to Eddalands when it was separated from Afikpo Local Government Area in 1991 by the then Nigerian Federal Military Government. Successive legislators from the area had since fought to keep the name of their place, Eddalands, as the name of Local Government Area in Nigeria's constitution to better reflect their heritage.
Eddalands is bordered by Unwana to the east; Akaeze to the west, Amasiri to the north, Afikpo to the north-east, Ohafia to the south, Nkporo to the south west, and Erei to the south-east. It has an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi) and a population of 157,072 at the 2006 census.
Culture
Unlike the different tribal peoples of Nigeria that surround them, and the larger Igbo ethnic group, Eddics do not have the concept of being indigenous as a basis for membership of their cities, towns and villages. The more general concept in Eddalands is citizenship, which is about membership of a person regardless of places of ancestry, to their community of values and shared norms. Persons not permanent members of a community in Eddalands are considered as guests, and are generally treated very hospitable. The Eddics also highly value idea of integrity very highly and loyalty.
Education
Education was once held in a quasi-religious place in Eddalands in its ancient history. Every district of each town and village in Eddalands still bears a relic of a past where social life was built around mead halls that were centers of education, religion and recreation. In the old custom, Eddish boys were inducted into the mead hall from young age. They were taught swordsmanship, warfare, craftmanship and the norms of their clan. They would go on a peregrination in the woods for months where the learned survival, sometimes with an older relative who had already passed the training. Relics of mead hall are still found all over Eddalands. The ancient martial culture of Eddish people ensured that Eddalands remained unassailable by slavers. The people defended their lands and protected territories they considered a sphere influence that stretched into modern day Cross River and Akwa Ibom, extending into the sea. Unfortunately, the traditional mode of education that focused of building skills to defense of their lands and craftmanship in functions that their ancient mode of life didn't survive into modern times as Eddalands eventually got enfolded into what became Nigeria. Today, schools in Eddalands are most very kept because of a tradition in which Eddics still hold learning with reverence. Under a centralized education system, Eddish children today are not taught traditional Eddish norms, and with the dysfunction of the shared system in Nigeria, Eddalands currently face a lack of critical mass of capacity for modern craftmanship for production of modern goods, building of modern infrastructure and development of technology based modern services.
Government
Eddalands is administered as a local government area, now called Edda Local Government Area. The local government is headed by an elected Chairman and councilors who are elected from their respective wards within the local government area by citizens. The first executive chairman was Chief Sonni Ogbuoji. The government of Ebonyi State and Nigeria both also recognize the hereditary monarchs of different ancient kingdoms, called mead kings, as traditional rulers and ceremonial cultural heads of their communities, albeit without any political powers.
Weather, climate and vegetation
There are two distinctive seasons in this area: the rainy and dry seasons. The rainy seasons usually begin in early March and ends in October, to give way for the dry season. The dry season usually begins from October and ends in February. These two seasons are dependent on two prevailing winds-The North East trade wind or Dry Harmattan (also called The Tropical Continental) airmass, laden with dust from the Sahara Desert and the South West trade wind from the south Atlantic Ocean (also called The Tropical Maritime) air mass. Temperatures range from 20 °C to 38 °C during dry season and 16 °C to 28 °C during the rainy season. Average annual rainfall varies from 1750mm to 2250mm. The vegetation here is a parkland, with stunted trees and pockets of woodland and forest consisting of shrubs and large trees. The economy here is generally subsistence with agriculture as the mainstay.
Notable people
Sinach - singer, songwriter
See also
Amanchor Cave