THE IMO RIVER AND NDOKI BLUE RIVER AND SOCIO- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NDOKILAND, 1850-1950

Abstract

The paper seeks to examine the role of the Imo River and Ndoki Blue River in the Socio-economic development of Ndokiland during the period under review. The two Rivers which crisscrossed the Ndokiland made possible the movement of goods and people and interaction with the region, especially in Aro, Opobo, Bonny, Andoni and Okrika. The data of the study were generated from primary and secondary sources. The study revealed among other things that the Rivers paved way for the dominance of the interior hinterland trade by the Igbani People, and subsequent establishments of the Igbani Communities in Ndoki and beyond as well as the British penetration of the Ndoki territory at the period. The study established that the River served as a major transit route for Eastern Niger Delta People which led to the expression of Ndoki markets of Ohambele, Akwete, Azumini and Obete, slave trading and commercial activities of the long Juju of Arochukwu in the Imo River markets. The work further revealed the impact of the Aquatic divinities (Nnenebu, Otuburu, Iyike etc) believed to be in charge of the waterways and the dynamics of network of intergroup relations. However, the traffic on the rivers appeared to have diminished as a result of the introduction to modern transportation system.