Ijaw leaders decry marginalisation in Edo, seek recognition

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The five Ijaw kingdoms in Edo State—Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Gbaran and Furupagha—have accused the state government of aligning with the Palace of the Oba of Benin to marginalise them.

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The kingdoms made the allegation at a World Press Conference on Friday in Gelegele, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state, where they also demanded the creation of three Local Government Development Centres for Ijaw indigenes and the immediate recognition of their five traditional rulers.

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President of Ijaw in Edo State, Chief Robinson Ogunkoruwei, who read the statement on behalf of 11 other signatories, alleged that Ijaw communities in the state had been subjected to marginalisation and treated as “second-class citizens” in their ancestral lands for decades.

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He said the Ijaw population, spread across more than 500 communities in Ovia South-West, Ovia North-East and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas, had been deliberately split to deny them a collective political voice, while attempts had also been made to rename and annex their communities.

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The leaders argued that the Ijaw were aboriginal to their territories and predated the Benin Kingdom, citing historical accounts by Chief Dr Jacob Egharevba and other historians, as well as colonial-era institutions, including Ikoro Baptist Church, established in 1887; Gbelebu Primary School, established in 1904; and native courts established in the 1920s.

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They recalled that in 1988, the then Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, attempted to appoint his brother, Prince Uyiekpen Akenzua, as Enogie (Duke) over riverine Ijaw communities.

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According to them, the move was vehemently resisted and was later settled by the then Military Administrator of Bendel State, Col. Tunde Ogbeha.

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The kingdoms also cited the Supreme Court judgment in Suit No. SC 131/1982 over a farmland dispute between Gelegelegbene (Ijaw) and Ughoton (Bini), stressing that the case involved individuals and was not a determination of communal ownership between the two ethnic groups.

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They further linked recent publications and motions in the state and National Assembly, including motions by Hon. Omose Igbinedion, Hon. Murphy Osaro Omoruyi, Hon. Esosa Iyawe and Hon. Billy Osawaru, to what they described as a renewed attempt to undermine the Ijaw agitation.

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Presenting their demands, the Ijaw leaders called on the Edo State Government to create three Local Government Development Centres for Ijaw indigenes in the state.

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They also demanded the immediate recognition of the traditional rulers of Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Furupagha and Gbaran kingdoms and the presentation of Staff of Office to them.

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Alternatively, they called for all Ijaw communities in Edo State to be allowed to join their kith and kin in Delta and Ondo states for better integration and development.

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The leaders anchored their demands on the 1988-1989 Constituent Assembly Report, which they said recommended the creation of Toru-Ibe Local Government Area for Ijaw communities in the then Ovia Local Government Area, as well as provisions of the 1999 Constitution on federal character and self-determination.

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They warned that failure to address the issues could escalate inter-ethnic tension, adding that a recent statement by the Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, reflected what they described as the deprivation of Edo Ijaw.

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The leaders said, “We, the five Ijaw kingdoms in Edo State — Egbema, Olodiama, Okomu, Gbaran and Furupagha — must say that the Edo State Government is aligning with the Palace of the Oba of Benin to marginalize us and balkanize our kingdom.

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“For decades, the Ijaw in Edo State have been treated as second-class citizens in their ancestral lands,” he added.

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The press conference was addressed on behalf of the traditional rulers, chiefs, Amaokosuwei and people of the five kingdoms.

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Responding, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, in a text message to our correspondent, said Gelegele and other Ijaw communities were part of the state, noting that the government was promoting unity and integration.

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He urged the people to remain calm and engage the government constructively, adding that peaceful coexistence was necessary to build the state.

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Afegbua said, “Gelegele is part and parcel of Edo State and we are engaging with a lot of their sons and daughters who are working with us. Our cardinal principle is collective engagement and solidarity.

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“We are promoting unity and integration rather than division. We are one and we cannot be looking for “war” where there is none. We need everybody on board to rebuild a new Edo for all.

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“They should calm down and constructively engage with us. We are for Gelegele and Gelegele are for us,” he added.

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