Many towns have unique names distinguishing them from others. Names of some of these towns are derived from individuals who have made an impact in the past, objects, animals and sometimes things that are peculiar to the community when it was first occupied.
One such town is Azizakpe, a town in Ada, named after dwarfs.
Azizakpe is an island community in Ada, with a population of about five hundred. It has existed for over ten decades.
Azizakpe literally means “Dwarf town” in their language.
Many tourists often wonder why the town was named after dwarfs. From the history books, Azizakpe was the habitat for dwarfs until a hunter moved his family from Big Ada to settle there.
Residents of Azizakpe, are fishermen by day. However, history has it that indigenes were formerly hunters due to the bushy location.
The thicket according to Abla Ankama was the reason dwarfs were comfortable living there. But currently, there is no dwarf in the town, due to human activities over the years.
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For over one hundred years, there has been no major development in the dwarf town. There is no health facility, electricity or potable water.
In the days of old, residents had a unique way of lighting up their environment.
I asked the residents here, if they have come across dwarfs in recent times. The answer was a definitive no.
They believe, losing their forest cover over the years, led to the relocation of the dwarfs to other bushy communities.
As they try to keep up with modernity, the people of Azizakpe have no plans of changing the name of the town.
They say, their heritage must be protected at all costs. The people are therefore calling for some assistance from the corridors of power to make life easier for them.