CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGIONS
People: Ugep (Umor)
Region: Yakurr Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria
Subject: Religious History, Christianity, Indigenous Religion, and Missionary Institutions
Author: Knight Alex Ofem
1. Introduction
Religion has historically occupied an important position in the social and cultural life of the people of Ugep, traditionally known as Umor.
Before the introduction of Christianity and the establishment of colonial administration, the people of Umor practised an indigenous traditional religion through which they understood the nature of the Supreme Being, spiritual powers, ancestors, morality, community, and the relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds.
The arrival and subsequent growth of Christianity introduced new religious institutions, forms of worship, schools, and systems of education. Over time, Christianity became an important part of the religious landscape of Ugep, existing alongside the community's indigenous cultural heritage and other religious traditions.
2. Indigenous Religious Tradition
Prior to the spread of Christianity, the people of Ugep followed their indigenous religious traditions. Their religious worldview included belief in a Supreme Being, spiritual entities, ancestral relationships, sacred places, traditional rituals, and customary practices.
The Supreme Being was traditionally known as Obaseoden, regarded within the indigenous worldview as the Supreme Creator and ruler of the universe.
Traditional belief also recognised a number of spiritual beings associated with particular aspects of the spiritual and natural order. Among those traditionally identified are Ojokoboi, Oka Lemong, Osenawakaken, Otalikumi, Esendel, Oblansokole, and Atewa.
Within the traditional worldview, these spiritual entities were understood as operating within a hierarchy of spiritual powers under the authority of Obaseoden.
3. Introduction of Christianity
The introduction of Christianity into the region occurred within the broader history of European exploration, trade, colonial expansion, and Christian missionary activity in Africa.
European maritime activity along the West African coast increased from the fifteenth century, beginning notably with Portuguese exploration. In subsequent centuries, Christian missionary organizations expanded their activities into various parts of present-day Nigeria.
Missionaries eventually reached communities in the Cross River region, including Ugep. The establishment of Christian missions introduced new forms of religious worship and institutions of formal education.
4. Presbyterian Mission
One of the earliest Christian missionary influences in Ugep was the Church of Scotland Mission (CSM), subsequently associated with the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.
The Presbyterian mission reached Ugep through Itigidi, in present-day Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. Following a period of missionary activity and contact with the community, a decision was reportedly taken in 1911 to establish the mission formally in Ugep.
The mission subsequently contributed to the development of formal education in the community. In 1918, a school was established, and formal classes commenced during the same year.
The establishment of the mission and school marked an important stage in the development of Christianity and Western-style formal education in Ugep.
5. Roman Catholic Mission
The Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) also established a presence in Ugep. Its early activities began with Ugep functioning as an outstation of St. Mary's Parish, Afikpo, which is now located in Ebonyi State.
In the early period, Catholic priests travelled from Afikpo to Ugep to celebrate Mass and provide pastoral services. As the Catholic community developed, a resident priest was eventually assigned to the town.
According to the recorded tradition, the first resident priest was Rev. Fr. Sheridan.
The Catholic church was initially known as St. Theresa's Catholic Church, Ugep, before being renamed Holy Cross Catholic Church in 1964.
The development of Catholic institutions in Ugep was accompanied by the establishment of educational facilities. Holy Child Convent School for Girls was established in 1938, contributing to the development of girls' education in the community.
6. The Apostolic Church
The Apostolic Church established its presence in Ugep in 1944. The establishment of the church was accompanied by the development of a primary school.
The Apostolic mission therefore contributed not only to the spread of Christianity but also to the expansion of formal education within the community.
7. Growth of Other Christian Denominations
Following the establishment of the early missionary churches, Christianity continued to expand in Ugep.
Other Christian organizations subsequently established congregations and ministries in the community. These included the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star and numerous Pentecostal denominations.
The growth of these churches contributed to the increasing diversity of Christian worship, institutions, and religious practices within Ugep.
8. Religion and Education
The history of Christianity in Ugep is closely connected with the history of formal education.
Missionary organizations established schools as part of their wider activities, providing new opportunities for literacy and formal education. These institutions played an important role in the emergence of an educated population and in the social transformation of the community during the twentieth century.
The relationship between churches and educational institutions consequently became an important feature of the development of modern Ugep.
9. Religious Diversity in Contemporary Ugep
Today, Ugep is characterized by religious diversity. Christianity is widely practised through various denominations, while elements of the community's indigenous cultural and religious heritage continue to exist within its historical and cultural traditions.
The religious history of Ugep therefore reflects a transition from an exclusively indigenous religious environment to a more diverse religious landscape shaped by Christianity, missionary activity, formal education, modernization, and continuing cultural traditions.
The documentation of this history provides an important record of the religious and social transformation of Ugep and the ways in which indigenous traditions and introduced religious institutions have interacted over time.