CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the methods used in carrying out this study. It will examine the nature

and sources of data, the methods of data collection, and the method of data analysis.

3.1 Explication of Historical Research

A historical research is a type of academic inquiry that uses primary and secondary sources to

investigate and interpret the past. A historical research can have different purposes, such as

describing, explaining, comparing, or evaluating historical events, processes, or phenomena.

Port Harcourt city is a city that was established or developed by the British Colonial

Administration power in Rebisi Kingdom. A colonial cities usually served as the administrative,

economic, and cultural center of the colony, and reflected the interests and values of the

colonizer. It has often had a distinct spatial and social structure, with different zones for the

colonizers and the colonized, and various degrees of segregation, integration, or interaction

between them.

The impacts of the development of Port Harcourt city on Rebisi kingdom varies depending on

the context and the perspective. Generally speaking, the development of a Port Harcourt city

has had negative impacts on the indigenous Rebisi, such as:• Dispossession of land and

resources.

• Displacement and relocation.

• Exploitation and oppression.

• Loss of sovereignty and autonomy.

• Cultural assimilation and erosion.

• Resistance and conflict.

However, the development of Port Harcourt city has also had positive impacts on the

indigenous Rebisi people, such as:

• Exposure to new ideas and technologies.

• Access to education and health services• Participation in trade and commerce• Creation of

new identities and alliances• Adaptation and innovation• Negotiation and cooperationThe

impacts of the development of Port Harcourt city on Rebisi Kingdom are not mutually exclusive

or fixed, but rather dynamic and complex. The impacts can change over time and space, and

depend on various factors, such as the nature and extent of the colonial rule, the characteristics

and responses of the indigenous people, and the interactions between the colonizers and the

colonized.

3.2 Sources Of Data

This research was conducted in Rebisi kingdom and Port Harcourt City Local Government area

of Rivers state. Rebisi and Port Harcourt were chosen deliberately based on the research

objectives, while the participants were selected conveniently based on their availability,
willingness, and knowledge of the historical growth of Port Harcourt and its impact on Rebisi

kingdom.

The research used both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources consisted of oral

tradition, oral history, archival records and face-to-face interviews. Oral tradition refers to the

information about the distant past that is orally transmitted from generation to generation,

while oral history refers to the eyewitness accounts or narratives of the actors in the events of

the recent past, without any intermediaries. Both are forms of oral testimony. Secondary

sources included published and unpublished works such as textbooks, pamphlets and project

works. Internet materials were also used. Moreover, visits were made to the seven

communities in Rebisi Kingdom, and to academic custodians of Port Harcourt city history.

3.3 Method Of Data Collection

This research used a sensitive and focused topic on Rebisi and Port Harcourt Local Government

Area, and applied a variety of methodological approaches. The researcher collected data

through face-to-face interviews. The interviews enabled the researcher to gather information

from the respondents about their views and feelings on the subject of the study.Besides using

oral testimonies to reconstruct the impacts of Port Harcourt's development on Rebisi Kingdom,

the research also consulted other sources that were written. Written sources are information

that people have recorded on paper or in books for better reference and documentation. These

written sources include books (published and unpublished), journals, newspapers, magazines,

etc.

3.4 Style Of Data Presentation And Analysis

Data analysis, interpretation and presentation were done using qualitative and quantitative

mixed method approach. The researcher also achieved the study's purpose by applying secret

analysis to the interviews and materials.