Etche is one of the Igbo groups in Rivers State, Nigeria. They are found in the Rivers, Abia and Imo. Etche people are Igbo speaking clan in South South region and they are popularly known as which means Etche people. They still maintain their Igbo cultures and heritage. However, the majority of Etche people today inhabit two Local Government Areas of River State, namely Etche Local Government Area and Omuma Local Government Area. Etche/Omuma is one of the 13 federal constituencies representing River State in Nigeria's National Assembly and part of the Rivers East Senatorial District. Okehi is the Council Headquarters and political capital of Etche, while Eberi is the political capital of Omuma. The institution of Etche ethnic nationality is headed by The Ochie of Etche, His Majesty, Eze E.N.B Opurum. The Echie people share elements of their religion with the Igbo people. Nde’Echie believe in ancestral worship - Ala is the channel of religious emissions to and from Amadioha. Before the brutal arrival of European imperialism with its cultural and religious discrimination and subjugation, the people of Etche lived a ritualistic and honor-centric life that respected and revered black bodies. “As Nde’Echie, our life and our body is sacred. We love and care for it in all of its shapes and forms, not just for us, but for humanity - for when we die, we become Gods.” - Eze-Basil Oluo. There are 19 political wards in Etche local government and 10 in Omuma. There are several communities and towns in Etche, some of which include Akwu/Obuor, Eberi, Amaji, Opiro, Chokocho, Igboh, Egwi, Afara, Mba, Igbodo, Ofeh, Ohimogho, Obiohia Umuogba, Umuajuloke Okehi, Obibi, Odufor, Nihi, Okomoko, Ulakwo, Umuakonu, Umuechem, and Egbeke. Etche believe Igbodo to be their ancestral home.
Economy
Umuechem - Etche is the second place oil was discovered in Nigeria since the beginning of exploration in the area in 1958. Today, Etche has over 250 producing oil wells and a host of flow stations. It is also said to have the largest deposit of natural gas, south of the Niger river. The people of Etche are mostly engaged in agriculture, earning the nickname 'the food basket of the state'. Etche is one of the host communities of the government owned multi-billion nairapalm oil production company Risonpalm, as well as Delta Rubber Production Company. In recent times, real estate development has grown in the area with rapid expansion going on in Igboh-Agwuruasa, Ulakwo-Umuselem and Okehi Clans. Cassava, plantain, banana and yam are important crops. Plantation agriculture was encouraged by the erstwhile Eastern Nigerian government but this has since lost steam. Agriculture is mostly not mechanized and the use of tractors for farming these crops has dropped slightly in the 1986–2004 period. Manufacturing is absent. A rubber processing plant, the Delta Rubber Factory, in Okomoko, has been dormant for more than a decade. Informal activities dominate economic activities alongside agriculture. Mining of the rivers for sand is a new activity. Tourism is not developed and there is a complete absence of tourism infrastructure such as hotels in the two LGAs. Oil and gas are found in many parts of Etche. Umuechem was the second place, after Oloibiri, where oil was found in commercial quantities in Nigeria. Shell Petroleum Development Company, the dominant oil operator in the area since the late 1950s, has only funded a largely ineffective and inefficient cassava processing mill at Umuebulu, and in 2000 it attempted albeit abysmally to provide training to local women in operation and management of the mill. Palm oil production by smallholders is a significant part of the economy.
Political unrest
Etche and Omuma LGAs are historically among the most peaceful areas of Nigeria. The two militia groups DeyWell and DeyGbam mostly energized and enabled by local politicians in the area have rained terror - incessant attacks and loss of lives and properties on the Etche land and environs. Kidnapping, armed robbery, rape and fights for territorial control have become prevalent in the area with little or no attention from the state and federal governments in Nigeria. Etche ethnic nationality also has a history of political activism. In October 1990, a demonstration was held in Umuechem, Etche to demand social amenities and compensation for oil pollution. State security agents reacted with teargas and gunfire. 50 people died and about 550 houses were destroyed. The April 2003 national elections were marked by serious violence and intimidation in the Etche LGA, seriously compromising the free voters process. In a 2007 report, Human Rights Watch said that "in recent years Etche has earned a degree of unwelcome notoriety due to allegations of corruption, thuggery and murder leveled against politicians and public office holders from the area." The report stated that health and education facilities were in an advanced state of physical decay, with funds allocated for staffing and renovation being diverted for other purposes. In January 2009 the Etche legislative council impeached three of their members for "irrational and unconscionable behaviour, gross misconduct, misappropriation of legislative fund and abuse of office." A training camp for ex-militants was established in Okehi in Etche LGA, teaching skills such as welding and fabrication, fitting, seafaring/marine, business and commerce and so on. In October 2009, 200 of the students demanded their allowances, threatening to return to the creeks to cause havoc if unpaid.
Recent developments
In August 2009, a Marriage Registration Centre was opened in the LGA. In September 2009 the Niger Delta Development Commission opened a free medical mission in Omuma Local Government Council.
