Kalabari-Okrika Political Relations, 1800-1960

Abstract

The Kalabari-Okrika ethnic groups have had contact between them, and the way in which they behaved towards each other pointed to either cordial or deteriorating relations. Both groups belong to the Ijaw stock. The Kalabari-Okrika-Okrikaonship was sustained as they migrated at different periods to the Eastern Niger Delta, where they are currently settled. In the Eastern Niger Delta, their political relationship was initially peaceful and cordial. Subsequently, it became acrimonious and characterised by crises, conflict, wars, and boundary disputes. The deterioration in relations between the two ethnic groups began with the quest for territorial expansion, imperial trade, and the monopoly of the hinterland markets. Competition and resistance eventually resulted in trade rivalry and wars. Encroachment into each other’s fishing grounds caused a strained political relationship between them. In spite of the crises, conflicts, and wars in the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods, Kalabari and Okrika still regard themselves as indispensable neighbours in the Eastern Niger Delta, especially as they speak a similar language. To reconstruct the historical political relationship between Kalabari and Okrika, this paper explored primary and secondary sources of history. The findings of this paper show that their relations have not been devoid of deterioration, resulting in conflict. They have adopted modern diplomacy through court litigation to resolve conflicting issues. The paper concludes that the political relationship between Kalabari and Okrika is fundamental to the development that eventually led to the transformation of society.