Spatial Distribution of Iwhuruoha (Ikwerre) People in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The work explores the intricate spatial spread of Iwhuruoha (Ikwerre) ethnic nationality in Rivers State, the distribution of Ikwerre population virtually cut across four major local government areas in the state and beyond; and over the past periods, significant parts of the indigenous people have experienced balkanization and migration resulting to intricate spatial spreading of the Iwhuruoha (Ikwerre) ethnic nationality. The work argues that thou, the indigenous people of Iwhuruoha Ikwerre people may have experienced a pull dispersal in their spread yet they maintains continuity in cultural symbolism, language identity and coherent traditional life style, all this to say the list makes them unique set of ethnic  existence among other ethnic nationality in Nigeria, yet the work identified and observe that the significant majority of this people inhabits substantial part of the northern part of Rivers State which roughly spread and lies within coordinate 4⁰ 50’N  5⁰ 15’N 6⁰ 30’E and  7⁰ 15’E covering a land area of about 21,400 km² which is about 20 percent of the total cultivable land in Rivers State (Wahua 1992). Virtually all the areas covered by this ethnic group are moderately accessible with speedy growth and development and as such attaining and attracting multi-emigrant population that seem to envelop its area of inhabitation.

Keywords: spatial distribution, Iwhuruoha (ikwerre), Rivers state, Nigeria.