Oron people

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Oron (Örö)

Ãkpákip Ōró
Total population
1.407 million (2015[1])
Regions with significant populations
Nigeria	800,000
Cameroon	600,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo	7,000
Languages
Oro, Ibibio, Efik, Ebughu, Ilue, Efai, Okobo, Enwang, Uda English
Religion
Christianity, Oro Religion
Related ethnic groups
Efik, Obolo, Ogoni, Ijaw, Ejagham, Igbo, Balondo.

The Oron people (or Örö people) are a multi-ethnic tribal grouping that make up the Akpakip Oro or Oron Nation. The Oron people (Örö) are located primarily in southern Nigeria in the riverine area of Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State and in Cameroon. Akpakip Oro are regarded as an ancient warrior people, speaking the Oron (Oro) language which is in the Cross River language family of the Benue–Congo languages. They are ancestrally related to the Efik people of the Cross River State, the Ibeno and Eastern Obolo (ie Adoni East) in Akwa Ibom, the Andoni people in Rivers State, Ohafia in Abia State and the Balondo-ba-Konja in the Congo.

The geopolitical restructuring of states and local government within Nigeria has seen the egalitarian society of the Oron Nation being fragmented politically in the Niger Delta. They have been divided across two separate Nigerian states, the Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state, and then into five local government areas (LGAs) within the Akwa Ibom state namely Oron LGA (Oron Central), Okobo,Udung Uko, Mbo and Urue Ofong Oruko Local Government Areas.

The Oron Nation is usually called by its members as Oro Ukpabang; Akpakip Oro; or Oro Ukpabang Okpo. These names are derived from their ancestral father Abang Okpo. The Akpakip Oro are made up of nine clans known as Afaha.