Oron
Oron
Coordinates: 5°3′N 7°56′E / 5.05°N 7.933°E / 5.05; 7.933Coordinates: 5°3′N 7°56′E / 5.05°N 7.933°E / 5.05; 7.933
State	Akwa Ibom
Government
• Governor	Godswill Obot Akpabio
Population (2005)
• City	246,000
• Metro	403,242
	estimated
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)

The Oron people are comprised in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The Oron are the third largest ethnic group in the state, and Bakassi LGA in Cross River State. The five Local Councils in Akwa Ibom are Oron, Udung-Uko, Mbo, Urue-Offong/Oruko, and Okobo. The Oron people, popularly called 'Oro Ukpabang' or 'Akpakip Oro' by its indigenes, are made up up of several clans. There are nine clans called Afaha. They are namely: Afaha Okpo, Afaha Ukwong, Ebughu, Afaha Ibighi, Effiat, Afaha Ubodung, Etta, Afaha Oki-uso, and Afaha Idua (Iluhe). However, the geopolitical restructuring of the state and local government creation has seen the Oron nation being fragmented politically into two states of Nigeria, namely Cross River and Akwa Ibom state. There are five Oron Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State and one Local Government in Cross River State.

Oron town is the third largest city in Akwa Ibom state after Uyo and Eket. It has a population of around 250,000 people living within the city. Lying on the Cross River, Oron has a seaport and a Maritime Academy which is soon to become a nautical university. The predominant occupation is fishing and farming.

History[link]

Oron was in existence in the pre-colonial period in Nigeria and was formerly a part of the province called the South-Eastern state. Natives of this area speak the dialect also known as Oron. Most Oron people also speak and understand the Efik language fluently. The Oron also have some dialectical similarities with the Ibibio and Annang people, hence their communication in Ibibio and Annang languages is very proficient.

The migration history of the Oron people is closely related to that of the Efik Eburutu people. In fact, the Efik people regard and treat the Oron people as part of the larger Oron and Calabar people. Some quarters also relate Oron and Efik people with Eket (Ekid) people because of their very close dialect and mutual relationship. This was most especially in the days of the Okpo Ekid of Oron. But in modern days, the Oron people avoid such history, but they own up to the fact that the Ibono, who dwell among the Ekids share similar ancestral history with them. One controversy says that the relationship of Oron with Eket is said to have gone sour when the Eket under the regime of Brigadier General U.J. Esuene declared and agreed to be called a subgroup of the Ibibio nation to gain political relevance and advantage. U.J. Esuene was also said to have denied the Oron people of the opportunity to site the Exxon Mobile's first terminal in Mbo and Effiat Oro areas of Oron.

Another common controversy that describes the worsened relationship between Oron and Eket is the accusation that General Esuene was the one who ordered the bombing of Urue Oruko, a region at the heart of Oron where several millions of Oron people (mostly traders and women) were killed during the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s. This unfortunate event in Oron has been observed to be the most tragic in the history of the Nigerian Civil War.

Geography[link]

Oron is found in the flood plain of South Eastern Nigeria, with the land mainly intersected by numerous streams and tributaries flowing into Cross River. The entire coastline stretches from Uya Oron to Udung Uko.

Oron is in the tropical region and has a uniformly high temperature all the year round. The two main seasons are the dry which spans between October and April and wet season which starts around May and ends in September. There are also two prevailing winds – the South-West onshore winds which brings heavy rains and the North- East trade winds blowing across the Sahara Desert, which brings in the dry season.

Natural Resources[link]

Oron is rich in oil and natural gas. Most of its oil reserves are off-shore. There are 25 corked oil wells. Oron is presently rated as having one of the highest supplies of natural gas deposits in sub-Saharan Africa with large amounts of untapped natural gas and oil at Ukpata, Udung Okung, and Edik Ekpu.

The region is extremely fertile and is known for its topographical Oil Palm Belt, tropical rainforest, swamps, and beaches. The mangrove forests also provide timber and raw materials for medicinal purposes. There are also deposits of solid minerals such as iron, free silica or glass sand and gravel. Seafoods such as crayfish, snipers, oyster and periwinkle abound richly in all coastal areas.

Education[link]

Oron people were among the earliest to encounter Western education in West Africa. This is most evident with the establishment of the Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar in 1895 and the Methodist Boys High School, Oron in 1905. These schools are the oldest in the history of Nigeria and attracted students from all over Western and Central Africa.

Politics[link]

With a well formidable socio-cultural group called the Oron Union founded in 1925, the Oron people became one of the most formidable and vocal groups in the South-South region of Nigeria , hence one of the three political forces in the present day Akwa Ibom State.

Oron became a Division in August 1970 and in 1976, was made a local government area. However, following the local government creation exercise of the federal government in 1989, Oron was split into 3 Local Government Areas of Mbo, Oron and Okobo. Again in September 1991, Urue Offong/Oruko Local Government Area was carved out of Oron Local Government Area. Finally in December 1996, Udung Uko Local Government Area was further carved out of Oron.

Currently, the Oron people are still struggling in their attempts to properly place the Oron union in a position to control their political interests in the state. In the past, the Oron Union has put up such structures as the CWC (Central Working Committee), Esumbuke Oro, and quite recently, the Oron Think-Tank, and many others to address certain issues. There has been little success with these structures, when compared to the political expectation of the average Oron person within the state and Nigeria.

Kingship[link]

Traditionally, the Oron people have one king that rules over the land. He is known as the 'Ahta Oro'. The Ahta has all the Ofong (Ivong or Ifong) afaha and the paramount rulers as members of his traditional rulers council. Some high chiefs (for example, Ikpoto, Akpha and Okete Okete) are also recognized by the Ahta's council. The President-General of the Oron Union worldwide is regarded as the administrative head of the Oron nation and second-in-command at the Ahta's traditional rulers council.

Culture and Tradition[link]

The Oron people have a unique culture and tradition. The Ekpe Society is used throughout Oron Land as the authority. There are other traditional cults and societies which include the Ekpo, Abang, Edeme Awan Nkwho, Ekon, Afikegit, Konkoma, Mbok, Ababa, Nnabo,and many others. All these societies, in addition to the unique hospitality of the Oron people, their arts, rich diet, Oil and Gas minerals, have been known to attract tourism and commerce to the area and Akwa Ibom state in general.

The Oron people have a very colourful mode of traditional dressing, especially with an Iyara (which is red in colour). The red Iyara is usually worn with a white tailored traditional shirt and a wrapper (large fabric wrapped around the waist) to match. This wrapper is commonly worn by several peoples of southern Nigeria. Sometimes it can be combined with the rich Efik native piece of cloth (tie), usually a colourful silk material. Recently the Oron people have been known to tie a piece of cloth usually in form of a handkerchief on the neck. This cloth could be white or coloured depending on the user and his combination intent. A blend of the neck handkerchief and the Efik native tie is also very common among the Oron people. Generally, apart from the distinction of the red Iyara, it is not easy to distinguish an Oron man or woman from an Efik person in terms of attire and the culture. These attires are also sometimes used by the Ibibio and Annang groups of Akwa Ibom state; except that the Annang and Ibibio people will not put on the red Iyara of Oron people because of its political implications and consequence.

Language and Culture[link]

The people have a distinct Oro language, although many speak and understand the Ibibio language. Oron has a rich culture expressed in songs, folklore and dances. The first National Museum east of the Niger and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria are located in Oron.

International Airport[link]

The Ibom International Airport is situated in Oron nation (Okobo LGA). The administrative office of the airport is located in the nearby Uruan, Uyo LGA. Uruan is said to have an ancestral relationship with the Oron group, just like the Efiks, Ibono, Eastern Obolo, and Andoni groups.

The city is currently witnessing massive infrastructural development such as the dualization of Oron-Eket Highway, construction of various intercity roads, health centres, schools, and housing estate projects to give the ancient city a facelift.

External links[link]

• http://wikimapia.org/#lat=4.7904562&lon=8.2359695&z=13&l=0&m=a&v=2
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oron_(state)

v t e Akwa Ibom State State capital: Uyo LGAs Abak Eastern Obolo Eket Esit Eket Essien Udim Etim Ekpo Etinan Ibeno Ibesikpo Asutan Ibiono-Ibom Ika Ikono Ikot-Abasi Ikot Ekpene Ini Itu Mbo Mkpat-Enin Nsit-Atai Nsit-Ibom Nsit-Ubium Obot-Akara Okobo Onna Oron Oruk-Anam Udung-Uko Ukanafun Uruan Urue-Offong/Oruko Uyo

Sak Noel (born Isaac Mahmood Noell) is a Spanish DJ, music producer, songwriter and music video director. He was also founder and co-owner of Moguda, the Catalan nightlife community. Now, Moguda is non-operational. Since late 2011 he is the owner of Noel Music.

Musical career[link]

Sak Noel, born 12 April 1983 in La Cellera de Ter, started in music as a teenager, influenced by the electronic music. Through his own company Moguda he cooperated with Mak & Sak and Xana making electronic music sung in Catalan language. He is best known for "Loca People", which was a big hit on European & American charts. A following up single called Paso (The Nini Anthem) premiered on November 15, 2011. Paso (The Nini Anthem) is the second part of the Crazy Society Trilogy."Paso"was also a hit single throughout Europe.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sak Noel official website
• Sak Noel on Twitter
• Sak Noel on Facebook
• Moguda website
• Moguda Dance Festival website
• Sak Noel discography at Discogs

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (March 2011)

Jay Kay
Jay Kay at the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally
Background information
Born	(1969-12-30) 30 December 1969 (age 42)
Origin	Stretford, Lancashire, England
Genres	Acid jazz, funk, disco, blue-eyed soul, electronica
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1989–present
Associated acts	Jamiroquai

Jason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham^[1] (born 30 December 1969 in Stretford, Lancashire),^[2] is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai.

Career[link]

Born in Stretford, Greater Manchester, England, Kay formed Jamiroquai with members Toby Smith (keyboards), Stuart Zender (bass), Nick Van Gelder (drums) and Wallis Buchanan (didgeridoo) together with guest appearances by Gavin Dodds (guitar), Maurizio Ravelico (percussion) and Johnny Thirkell (horns) amongst others, both on the band's debut album and on their first tour.

Jamiroquai has sold over thirty million albums, and has spent a collective 162 weeks on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 2006 with Kay's personal wealth said to be around £40 million.^[3] He appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List 2004 at joint-950th. The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 has him tied for #1,794, with £40 million.

After the huge success of Jamiroquai's first single, When You Gonna Learn, a US$1.9 million, eight album deal was signed with Sony Music Entertainment. The band's first album was Emergency on Planet Earth. The relationship with Sony ended in 2007.^[4]

The band's third album, Travelling Without Moving, generated international attention with the ground breaking video of Virtual Insanity which earned Jamiroquai four MTV Video Music Awards. Since then, their fourth album, Synkronized, has done just as well; it was recorded in Kay's home studio located in the garden of his 500-year-old, 11-bedroom Buckinghamshire mansion.

Kay has previously stated that he would like his band to continue writing music for another 15–20 years. However it was reported in February 2007 that Kay had wanted to quit music.^[4] This was denied on Jamiroquai's official website the day after.

Headgear[link]

Kay wearing a headdress during a concert

Kay is well known for his array of elaborate hats and headgear. When appearing professionally (in concerts, interviews etc.) he has been referred to as "the mad hatter" for his love of headgear.^[5] It is said that he has over 50 different hats that he wears at concerts and in public.^[6] He has stated publicly that some of them were made by his own mother.^{[citation needed]}

Kay's most recognizable headgear is his mirrored "feather headdress" seen on the cover of High Times: Singles 1992–2006.

TV performances[link]

Kay appeared in an episode of the BBC series The Naked Chef alongside chef Jamie Oliver. He has also performed on the series Strictly Come Dancing singing Canned Heat. He also appeared three times in the BBC car show Top Gear. The first appearance was in Series 1 episode 2, where he set a lap time of 1:48.1 for the show's "Star in a reasonably priced car", becoming the leading highscorer for the rest of the current and most of the next series. His second appearance was in Series 3 episode 4, where he drove his Lamborghini Miura with Richard Hammond as passenger. The third appearance was in Series 11 episode 6, where he came in to beat the top time held by Simon Cowell. He succeeded with a lap time of 1:45.8.

The day before Jamiroquai performed their new single, White Knuckle Ride, on The X Factor on 31 October 2010, Kay was quoted by The Sun as saying of the show's judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue: "What are they going to tell me about fucking music? ... When have you ever done anything? You're useless. The pair of you. I mean you look great and I'd like to fucking shag you but that's all." During his performance on the show, the pair talked continuously and refused to applaud at the end. Notably, neither of the other two judges stood up either.^[7]

Paparazzi confrontations[link]

In 2001, Kay was charged with assaulting a photographer and damaging his camera outside a nightclub. Kay pleaded not guilty and the charges were later dropped.^[8] On 12 September 2006, Kay was cautioned by police over an incident outside a London nightclub. He allegedly assaulted two photographers.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Kay's mother Karen Kay^[2] is a former cabaret singer and television personality. After Kay's identical twin, David, died some weeks after they were born[1], Karen brought Kay up largely alone, which gave him "an itinerant childhood, half of it living in 'rural Suffolk and rural Devon’", according to his 2010 The Daily Telegraph interview [2] and his 1999/1994 television interviews [3]. It's stated in the 1997 Lancashire Evening Telegraph article that Kay "moved with his mother and step-father Mervyn Kay to Manchester as a youngster."[4] James Royal, often misidentified as Kay's stepfather, is Karen Kay's former manager whom she had a relationship with some time during Kay's childhood years. Royal had stated in his 2002 interview in News of the World about 13-year-old Kay's six-month stay in Thailand that he never married Karen Kay, but "still regards" Kay as his "stepson".[5]

Jay Kay is Jewish and attended Jews' Free School in London.^[10]

Kay reveals in his 2010 The Sunday Times interview that his biological father is Portuguese.^[11] Kay met his biological father Luís Saraiva, a former professional guitarist, in 2001 when Kay was 32 years old. On 26 May in 2006, Saraiva appeared in a two-minute backstage interview with an interviewer from Portuguese television station RTP1 at the 2006 Rock in Rio concert where Jamiroquai made its appearance. The interviewer erroneously referred to Luís Saraiva as Luís Silveira during the interview.

From 1998 to 2001, Kay dated Denise Van Outen. They were engaged and reported to be on the verge of marriage,^[12] but split up in 2001; Jamiroquai's album A Funk Odyssey is mostly about their breakup.

In a 2010 interview, Kay indicated that at one time he had a "substantial" cocaine habit. He has however been free of drugs since 2003.^[13]

Kay continues to support the Burma Campaign UK and the need for democracy in Burma. He is also a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of animals in circuses, zoos and exotic pet trade. He has spoken out against animal exploitation for entertainment.^[14]

Cars and vehicles[link]

Kay has a strong interest in exotic cars and owns over 65 luxury cars, mainly sports cars. His love of motors was expressed with the release of the album Travelling Without Moving. The album's cover featured an adaptation of the "Buffalo Man" logo and the Ferrari crest, which probably earned him his recent visit to Maranello and a close look at the new Ferrari 458 Spider.^[15] Three of his cars appeared in the video for the song Cosmic Girl. In total he has 68 vehicles including what he calls "staff cars" and a 'one off' Ferrari.^[16]

A combination of cars and music is evident in the song Black Devil Car on the album Dynamite which is a tribute to his black Ferrari Enzo. The Enzo suffered damage to the windows after an altercation with hotel chef Aaron Billington at the Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.^[17]

In occasion of his 39th birthday, he admitted he has become a Porsche fan. In the last years he has bought a black 356 Speedster, a blue 911 Carrera RS, and a 911 GT3 RS in orange livery. A 1973 Porsche Carrera RS has been used in the clip of "White Knuckle Ride", one of the last singles of the band, included in their last album.

Kay's love of fast cars has occasionally landed him in legal trouble. In May 1998, Kay was caught driving at 111 mph (179 km/h) and his licence was suspended for 42 days. He said in an interview: "I should count myself lucky. I've clocked up 175 mph on a public road. If I'd been caught doing that, it would have been a prison sentence." He appeared in court in Scotland to face charges for speeding after being clocked at 105 mph (169 km/h) in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, on 26 February 2004. The speed limit for the road was 70 mph (110 km/h). He was later banned from driving for six months.

Kay participated in the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally as part of Team Adidas in a brand new Maserati Quattroporte. In 2010 he took part in the Mille Miglia in his Maserati A6G/54.

He holds the record on the BBC show Top Gear for the fastest lap in the (now retired) Chevrolet Lacetti on the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment. His time of 1:45.83 was four-hundredths of a second ahead of Kevin McCloud, one-tenth of a second ahead of Brian Johnson, lead singer of the rock band AC/DC, and one tenth of a second above then-leader, Simon Cowell. He was invited back as Cowell had been "on the top for long enough".

Kay also likes motorcycles and was at the Ace Cafe to see Charley Boorman off for his television series By Any Means. He rides a Rizla Suzuki GSXR-600. He owns a motorhome, and holds a C LGV (class 2) driving licence just to drive it. He persuaded his close friend James Martin to also purchase one. Kay also leases a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration G-JKAY.

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References[link]