Off the road from the hall of fame is the house in which Lord Lugard
the colonial governor of Northern Nigeria Amalgamated the Northern and
Southern Protectorates in 1914, making Nigeria one geographical
entity. It was also in this historical edifice which continues today
to serve as an administrative office in Ikot Abasi Local Government,
that General Olusegun Obasanjo the commanding officer of the Nigerian
Army and General Phillip Effiong in January 1970 signed and declared a
cease-fire that brought the Nigerian-Biafran civil war to an end.
Originally, the building itself belonged to the Royal Niger Company,
the merchant traders who were given the Royal Charter to govern
Nigeria on behalf of the British crown till 1900. This building served
as their administrative headquarters. The building stands on short
concrete pillars with brick walls and hardwood. Its corrugated iron
roof sheets are still intact to this day.
Luggard's House
Opposite the Amalgamation house is the one-storey cottage where Lord
Lugard lived during the amalgamation period. It is said that the site
was the first aministrative headquarters of the region before it was
relocated to Calabar.
Apart from the solid structure that is still comparable with modern
structures, there were several colonial buildings in this area that
served as courts, offices, residential houses and recreational
centres. All these facilities are still intact as when they were
built. One significant historical fact is that the area is situated at
the bank of Imo River estuary, a tributary from where King Jaja of
Opobo was shipped into exile.
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