GENUINE INTEGRATION OF THE IJAWS INTO THE NIGERIAN STATE, A PANACEA FOR THE WAY FORWARD-DR. OBOKO BELLO

Thank God for this golden opportunity to present goodwill message from FNDIC to CEPEJ on the occasion of Africa Leadership and Security Summit holden on Thursday 10th November, 2016 at Shehu Musa Yar’dua Centre, Abuja.

This Summit is an epoch making event. It is epoch making because the theme Africa Leadership and Security, is most appropriate and the timing is apt.

Right about now extra judicial military operation is, unfortunately, being carried out in the Niger Delta, particularly on Gbaramatu Kingdom with serious collateral effects/damage on lives and property of innocent citizens.

The theme Africa Leadership and security is most appropriate because most Africa leadership are responsible largely for the causation of critical security challenges facing the continent and particularly their respective countries. For instance, in Nigeria, the Niger Delta National challenge was originally caused by mis-management of Niger Delta oil and gas resources by government, oftentimes, wrongfully formed under taunted democracy, in so, disfranchising critical oil and gas stakeholder community voters; for instance, 63% population Ijaw Area of Warri South West LGA having only 4 INEC electoral Wards as against 37% Population Census Other Area Of Warri South LGA having a Constitutional 6 INEC electoral Wards, antithetical to democracy

Mandela: FNDIC Felicitates With South Africa, Tasks Buhari On Peace In Nigeria

FNDIC Felicitates with the family, African National Congress (ANC), government and good peoples of Republic of South Africa on the forth coming transition anniversary on 5th   December 2016 of their global leader Nelson Mandela who courageously fought for freedom by dismantling apartheid regime and promoting democracy with his huge sense of reconciliation.

For us, the working document of the Ijaw nation, the historic Kaiama Declaration, calls for Resource Control, Fiscal Federalism, Environmental Justice and Self-Determination for which the Ijaw/Niger Delta seek reconciliation with the Nigerian nation.

The Kaiama Declaration also empowers the Ijaw people to reclaim their creeks and salvage their humanity. This being so, FNDIC, equally fighting for Equal Political Space and Democracy brought about reduced hazardous corporate oil activities endangering environment of the Niger Delta, and causing unthinkable things to happen. By this, FNDIC succeeds in bringing necessarily sufficient pressure on Government resulting to dialogue and relative peace.

The well-meaning Niger Delta peoples expect of President Muhammad Buhari to, please, consider the urgent need of reconciling the disenchanted Niger Delta into the mainstream of the Nigeria Polity, and emulate great picture of Nelson Mandela who on assumption as first black President of South Africa immediately promoted genuine national reconciliation of blacks and his former white apartheid operators.
Peace is not necessarily the absence of war; peace may mean the ability to secure reconciliation from war.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal” Martin Luther King Jr.

We observed that the past Jonathan administration, unfortunately, mainly fulfilled what the Bible warns against in Philippians 3:18-19: “They are the enemies of the cross of Christ…whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things”.

For us in the Niger Delta, the Mandela feat proclaiming liberty to the captives is a call to realization of Jeremiah 1:10which states: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to throw down, to build, and to plan”

While wishing CEPEJ goodwill, at the end of Summit, FNDIC is expects of a workable Communiqué acceptable to all African Countries, including Nigeria. For this singular purpose, FNDIC hereby wishes and therefore, pleads to humbly provide Summit with the following critical Nigeria security case in issue.

Re-“We’ll solve Niger-Delta Problems Soon “- Buhari”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday 20th September, 2016, at 71st edition of UN General Assembly held in New York, assured Barack Obama, the American President, that Nigeria was making steady progress towards resolving the Niger Delta region problem, which had led to economic sabotage on a grand scale.

The above is only going to be possible, not without providing concrete answers to the impending challenge of internal neo-colonialism, perpetuated by some Itsekiri nascent groups, unbelievably, in apparent connivance with some suspect aides to the amiable Buhari administration against the IJAW of Warri and its environs.

WHITHER THE GOVERNOR IBORI WARRI ROADMAP TO PEACE presented, and passed by the Delta State House Assembly on Warri Crisis on Thursday August 28, 2003? Whither the Warri RoadMap to Peace  when a man sees a neighbour he can beat, he becomes hungry for a fight, fighting, even in the present independent Nigerian Nation State, to perpetually subjugate a people who were wrongfully placed under their neighbours’ domination by elements of colonial mal-administration.

In a subtle declaration of war, Movement for the Protection of Iwere Homeland, Development and History led by a president, James Aderojor Ereku, unfortunately, wrote and declared, as follows “. The whole land for the EPZ including the deep sea port is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri people under the overlordship of the CROWN, the Olu of Warri…”

Iwere Movement, sadly said, for EPZ, President MuhammeduBuhari “need no one to educate him on those the FG/NNPC signed agreement and acquired lands from.”

What manner of hate speech is this! The above claim of the Itsekiri Iwere Movement is, simply, not only ‘wrong, but is also untrue, provocative and primodal.  The Itsekiri ethnic nationality movement was trying in vain to bring back IJAW people to Egypt by act of internal neo-colonialism. It should not be taken serious as Okpeleama Community of Gbaramatu Kingdom, homeland  to Ijaw native law and custom in Warri South-West LGA, Delta State Nigeria is able, willing and ready to peacefully demonstrate her legitimate titular claim to EPZ, and particularly, the related Deep Sea-Port, as and when necessary.

How the whole land for EPZ is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri when earlier on, their kinsman, an Itsekiri elder statesman, former Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan in Vanguard’s Niger Delta Voice, June 24, 2014 was reported as saying, “When the governor saw the land revocation document, he identified his signature and said their (Ijaw) community falls in the map of the EPZ project”

Whereas, governor Uduaghan statutorily signed revocation document, how possible FG/NNPC signed yet another agreement only to acquire same land from Iwere Itsekiri in ambiguity?
Also, how the whole land for EPZ is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri when ex-governor Emmanuel EwetanUduaghan in Daily Independent June 2, 2014 page 9 was reported saying, “In the May 19, 2014 meeting, at Government House Asaba, Uduaghan was said to have verified and acknowledged as true “Delta State Government land revocation document on Kpokpo / Okpeleama communal land for the EPZ PROJECT/ NPA Port Activities ” which justify Kpokpo/Okpeleama as stakeholders of the project”.

How the whole land for EPZ is exclusively owned by Itsekiri when written records credited to Itsekiri are well handy to show Itsekiri knowledge of Kpokpo and other communities belonging to the Ijaws that are already gazetted. This is equally acknowledged by ItsekiriIwere Movement, as Ijaw names were given to Ijaw communities of Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South-West L.G.A. Delta State.

Also, contrary to claims that the whole land for EPZ is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri, “A History of Itsekiri” authored by an heir apparent to the throne of Olu, William A. Moore, 1970, page 13 writes, “Prior to the advent of Bini Prince Ginuwa, the territory now known as the kingdom of Itsekiri or Iwere was inhabited by three tribes namely: Ijaws, Sobos and Mahins. .”

The world is better with the Uduaghans who believe in, “Live and lets live”. Accommodation as earlier suggested by former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the age-long inter-ethnic Warri Crisis is preferable.

Gbaramatu Rebirth Initiative (GRI) Taking To The Rescue

This effort was made sufficiently necessary by concerns that if only the public knew the very good reasons why the good people of Gbaramatu Kingdom are behaving the way they do, their adversaries and opposition would think and act differently, perhaps.

Background
Whereas, a History of Itsekiri authored by an heir apparent to the throne of Olu, William A. Moore, 1970 page 13 writes, “prior to advent of Bini Prince Ginuwa, the territory now known as the kingdom of Itsekiri or Iwere was inhabited by three tribes, namely Ijaws, sobs and mahins”

Against historic superior position of even Itsekiri Throne (Crown) ,the Iwere Movement for the protection of Iwere Homeland, Development and History under the leadership of James Adenojor Ereku, in recent online publications, unfortunately, wrote and declared as follows:
“The whole land for the EPZ, including the Deep Sea Port, is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri people under the overlordship of the CROWN, the Olu of Warri..”

Now the nagging question
How comes, the whole land for EPZ is exclusively owned by the Itsekiri people WHEN, IN FACT, OKPELEAMA IN ESCRAVOS EPZ IS OF GBARAMATU KINGDOM OWNED BY THE IJAW PEOPLE OF WARRI SOUTH-WEST LGA, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA?

Okpeleama The Gbaramatu Winning Way To Escravos Epz Project
Psalm37:3 says, “…dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture”
“Escravos EPPsalm37Z starts at a concrete pillar marked PBF 8317 at a point by the Escravos River at OKPELEAMA”-Delta State Government Land Revocation Document, 2013

Okpeleama is of Gbaramatu kingdom. Having 1991 population census projected at 2001 as 1, 147, Okpeleama Community presently lies and stuates in Oporoza electoral ward of Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South-West LGA of Delta State, Nigeria.

Now share a brief on ESCRAVOS RIVER. “The Rio dos Escravos River (Escravos River) visited by the Portuguese in 1480 could have been anyone of the ‘five slave rivers’ known to the Portuguese Pilots… whichever of the slave rivers the Portuguese frequented the people they first met and traded with would have belonged to the IJO tribe which at that time dominated the coastal belt of swamp forest ” (Professor Allan Rider: Benin and the Europeans, pages 26-27)

Threat of lawsuits. Alayed
An Assessment Report on Gbaramatu clan, 1930 by Lt. Commander S. E. Johnson R. N. Acting District Officer states viz: “…on the Escravos river (where) the village of OPURAJA now stands…The Gbaramatus are a clan in that they are a group arising from a single family which they had spread to a number of village groups admitting a common origin. ..”

“There was no central clan governing body, each village being autonomous, and the executive power being in the hands of the Council of elders’ i.e. of the Olosuwes (elders)”.

“No central governing body” could mean, in Gbaramatu Kingdom, you cannot secure court judgment against a family in one community in whatever manner, and enforce this same allegedly mis-carried judgment, arbitrarily, on any of the rest communities, each being autonomous.

Suffice to say records abound to show, as the Itsekiri people identified with warrant chief Nana Olomu, when in his case of miscarriage of justice against paramount king Dore Numa, protested judgments in favour of King Dore whose power of authority was derived from British Indirect Rule in Nigeria under colonialism, not to be enforced on all ItsekiriIwere land arbitrarily with equanimity. What is good for the goose is good for the grander.
In her autonomy Okpeleama Community never in history suffers loss of court judgment. We stand to be proved wrong.

Not minding the above claims, we are most appreciative of What God Says about LAW relative to controversial court judgments, according to TITUS 3 : 9 which says,, “But avoid foolish question and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the LAW, for they are unprofitable and vain”

Conclusion
Consequent upon the above good fight of faith, we make bold to proclaim Liberty for the oppressed. Allow the good peaceful Ijaw people of Gbaramatu Kingdom be, being exclusive Owners of their Homeland to IJAW Native Law and Custom, and critical Stakeholders of the Escravos EPZ /Deep Sea Port Project.

President Muhammadu Buhari, please, save our souls (SOS) from this culpable invitation to yet another fratricidal war in Warri and its environs, especially, over acts of internal neo-colonialism in affront to the hard earned Independence of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Be it known and taken for sure that by any means necessary, legitimate and divine, nobody nor movement would be allowed to continue robbing and denying the good people of Gbaramatu Kingdom/Niger Delta, benefits and indeed, liberty granted all Nigerians and the Nigerian nation state by the hard earned

INDEPENDENCE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA BASED ON CONSTITUTION THAT GUARANTEES DEMOCRACY.

LET THE SLEEPING DOG LIE (SOS)

Thanks and GodBless.

Aluta Continua
Victoria Acerta

BEING GOODWIL MESSAGE FROM FEDERATED NIGER DELTA IJAW COMMUNITIES (FNDIC) TO CENTRE FOR PEACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (CEPEJ) ON THE OCCASION OF AFRICA LEADERSHIP AND SECURITY SUMMIT IN ABUJA ON THE 10TH OF NOVEMBER, 2016

Chief (Dr.) Bello Oboko
President, Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC)
Ebiyedouwei, Gbaramatu Kingdom