Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

TheArochukwu community exhibits a high degree of social and economic mobility, which can be attributed to their innate business acumen, entrepreneurial ingenuity, and impressive cognitive abilities. These traits have enabled them to excel as merchants and traders while demonstrating exceptional intellectual prowess. The strategic location of Arochukwu in the Cross River basin positioned them securely to control the then booming slave trade in Igboland and beyond as middleman to European slave merchants. Strikingly, the slave trade was the major significant economic activity that Aro people were known to have engaged in which also gave them fame and made them establish settlements outside their native Aro. The community was distinguished by its association with the esteemed IbiniUkpabi oracle, a revered institution in Igboland that was also referred to as long Juju by the British colonial authorities. This oracle played a significant role in the cultural, spiritual and social fabric of the region. It was widely believed that the oracle possesses awesome powers such that it could deliver instant judgment and kill the guilty party. For this widely held belief, it was consulted by people from far and near The study through a critical analysis of primary and secondary sources, explores the economic significance of Arochukwu in Nigeria's Economic Equation between 1900 to 1960, shedding light on the town's contribution to the country's economic growth and development. Finding revealed that Aro migration spirit to other towns and cities laid the foundation for Igbo entrepreneurial apprenticeship in Nigeria. The study recommends the integration of Igbo diaspora communities into south east economic development and Nigeria as a whole.

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