A one-kilometer walk from the jetty to the central square brings you face -to -face with the statue of the great King Jaja of Opobo. Beyond that, you are bound to admire the simple village setting. Now, add this to the effect of being surrounded by creeks, beaches and ocean water. This experience leaves you with a feeling of oneness with nature and arguably brings your search for garden city to an end.
PORT HARCOURT IN THE BIGGINING…
Port Harcourt, the capital city of the oil-rich Rivers State basks more in the glory of its past than in the gains of the present. Up until the late sixties, it was proudly known as the garden city. The fond memory of those days still linger, so does the name.
Today, one is not so sure that garden city is a fitting name for Port Harcourt. Perhaps the home of oil and gas would be more appropriate. The government of Rivers State proudly proclaims that it is the treasure base of Nigeria. There is no disputing the fact that it is one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in Africa.
A peep into the past reveals a city born out of economic necessity. According to the British Colonial masters, the initial purpose of the port city was to export coal, produced in large quantities in Enugu, to the north of the country through the Bonny Rivers.
The British founded Port Harcourt in 1912 on land originally inhabited by the Igbo who called it Igwe Ocha and Ijaw. They named it after Lewis Viscount Harcourt, Secretary of State for the Colonies (1910-15)
You can be sure that this historical account by British authors is not the last word on this port city. The Ikwerre man will certainly not agree with this version. Firstly, they want to distance themselves from their Igbo origin. Secondly, they cherish a distinct identity as Ikwerre people. Their deep animosity against the Igbo manifests in a spirited attempt to rewrite the history of their homeland. For the Ikwerre man, the town formerly known as Obigbo is now Oyigbo. Umu-Okoro is now Rumuokoro; Umu-Igbo becomes Rumuigbo etc. In fact the “RUMUS” are as many as there are Igbo names in Port Harcourt suburbs. Another group that lays claim to the old Port Harcourt Township is the people of Okrika. Actually, their villages are only separated from the Port Harcourt Township by creeks.
Whatever stake the Igbo had in Port Harcourt was obliterated at the end of the Nigeria Civil war in
1970. Most of the choice property in the heart of the city, which belonged to Igbo people, was dubbed abandoned property.
Today, Port Harcourt is a cosmopolitan city with a population of about 1,133,400 million people (as of 2004). It is Nigeria's second largest commercial and industrial center, with the second busiest seaport in the country. Port Harcourt has a busy international airport with regular local and international flights. The city is also a rail terminus, which links the eastern part of country to the north.
Port Harcourt boasts of two universities, two refineries, a petrochemical plant and a liquefied natural gas plant. Port Harcourt, as the de facto headquarters of the petroleum industry in Nigeria, attracts one and all.
