Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Ikenwoli

*** OLU’S STATEMENT CAPABLE OF CREATING BAD BLOOD, SAYS GBENEKAMA

THE Benikrukru Community Executive Council (BCEC) of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, has urged His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, the Olu  of Warri to stop making inflammatory utterances so as not to cause ethnic crisis.

In a press statement issued at the end of its emergency meeting,  the Benikrukru Community  Executive Council, expressed disappointment over the recent claim by the Warri Monarch that the site of the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko, is owned by the Itsekiris.

The press Statement signed by the Chairman of Benikrukru Community Executive Council,  Mr. Godwin Olufemi, Prince Isaiah Gbenekama, Secretary and Comrade Joel A. Tonjoh, Public Relations Officer, they said that;”We are  surprised by the statement of the Olu  about the ownership of the land where the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko is located.

Describing the claim as frivolous, provocative, and vexatious, they held that the Monarch   rather than creating problems between the Itsekiris and Ijaws,  should promote peace between the two ethnic groups, adding that the Warri  crisis  was still fresh in their memories and they are not ready to go back to it again.

They  therefore, implored the Royal Father  to withdraw “the inflammatory statement”  for peace to reign in Warri.

According to the Statement; “The Abiteye flow station is owned by the Benikrukru people and they are indigenes of Gbaramatu. They are the aborigines of the land. They have never been captured by anybody. They have dwelt there all the days of their lives. So for anybody to claim that Abiteye flow station belongs to the Itsekiri people is an aberration”.

“There is no record anywhere that the Itsekiri people were there before Ijaws came to build the place, neither did the Itsekiri conquered any Ijaw man at any point.    A visit to the place shows that there is no Itsekiri village around that area. The whole area is occupied by Ijaw people”, they added.

They noted that while they believed that litigations can settle issues, they also strongly believed that litigation cannot solve land matters, adding that, “We are surprised that even though the  Olu is the paramount ruler of the Itsekiri, the Bateren and Deghele people cannot and will not claim exclusive ownership to Abiteye as being canvassed by the Olu. A king is supposed to solve problems and not generate crisis. The Itsekiris should allow peace to reign. The memories of the 2009 crisis are still fresh in our minds”.

In a separate reaction,  the  Secretary of Gbaramatu kingdom, Chief Godspower Gbenekama noted that he is dumbfounded  that such statements could emanate from the Royal Father  who he said is supposed to be promoting peace in his kingdom.

He said, “My reaction is that I am surprised that the  Monarch  made this kind of unguided statement. Maybe he is intoxicated with the title, Olu of Warri. The Olu of Warri is a recent and political title given to the Itsekiri ruler by the late Chief Obafemi  Awolowo  because of the political affiliation  with the Itsekiris in 1952 which made the Urhobos to drive away Itsekiri people from places like Abraka,Eku etc during the 1952 riot”.

Chief Gbenekama who is the Ibe–Benemowei (Chief Mobilizer) of Gbaramatu Kingdom  also noted that  if the statement was credited to one of the subjects of the Monarch, they would have prevailed on  him  to call his subjects to order, adding that since the statement was credited to the  monarch, they do not know who to meet to address the issue.

“Who are we going to call to call him to order? Maybe we should start from the Federal Government and the state government to call him to order because this kind of statement can cause crisis between niegbhours. Or maybe we should call his subjects and appeal to them to call their king to order,” he added.

Chief Gbenekama  stressed that since the traditional ruler  is an Itsekiri king, he should limit himself to matters that concerns the Itsekiri nation and that he should on no account comment  on matters of the Ijaws.

“We are not surprised that the Itsekiri people always throw spanner in the wheel of progress whenever something good is coming to Delta State. That is why they queried the location of the Capital of Delta state within Ughelli and Warri Environs. The rest is history as we are now travelling hundreds of miles to Asaba. What surprised me is that this is coming from a king”.

He said that;”The Nigerian Maritime University site was published by the Delta state government for acquisition. It was an Itsekiri governor who was in charge and the late king was also aware of this and nobody raised an eyebrow then. The then Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan  who is an Itsekiri man, knew the owner of the land and that was why he directed that the land should be bought from the Ijaws.

But today we are surprised that somebody is now claiming to own the land and the issue of the ownership of the land should be settled again. I do not think that the present king is more knowledgeable than the immediate past king. I do not think he is more knowledgeable than the  former governor who directed the authority to go and get the land from the Ijaw people”.

Continuing,Gbenekama said he thanked God that the visit of the vice President have shown to the whole would that the temporary site of the University is well built and compare with most University all over the world as against the lie being peddled by our detractors that the land that government bought 13 billion was  an empty land without any building,now that has failed so they are  changing tactics to say the ownership of the land must be determined.

According to him also;”If the Olu of Warri is looking for Okereigho, there is no Okereigho in Gbaramatu kingdom. He should look for it somewhere else because we only have Okerenkoko. Come to think of it, the Ijaws do not believe in using court cases to own land. We were  brought up here. Nobody has driven us away neither have we driven anybody away. There is no history telling us that our fathers bought the land from any set of people or were given the land to occupy”.

“These are spurious allegations going on here and there. But as it is now, three years ago, the Ijaw people of Gbaramatu  won the land case they had with the Ugborodo people of Escravos at the Benin Appeal Court. It is the Itsekiri people that are now appealing to the Supreme Court. It means that even in court, the land belongs to us. Even in occupation we are occupying the land. So what makes the traditional ruler  think that he can make this kind of flat statement and expect the Ijaw people to keep quite?

The Ibe–Benemowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom added;”The Olu should withdraw that statement because it is capable, and is already bringing bad blood between the two ethnic groups. I appeal to my people in Gbaramatu kingdom to give peace a chance. We have known these people to be trouble makers. I am only responding to it because it is coming from the Itsekiri paramount ruler. There are other well meaning sons and daughters of Itsekiris land that are ready to cooperate with the Ijaws of Gbaramatu to allow progress and peace to reign. We will not because of the unguided statements of the Olu begin to fight with the whole of Itsekiri land. Let us not fight because there are reasonable Itsekiri people and we will continue to appeal to them to talk to their leaders”.

Chief Gbenekama expressed dismay at the Olu of Warri attitude who had earlier supported the immediate take-off of the of Maritime University to turn round to now talk about land ownership.

He further said; “The Olu is talking from both sides of his mouth and this is not good for a king.”

He said the Olu was also part of the deligation of PANDEF that met with the president in November1, 2016, saying the  immediate take-off the Maritime University, Okerenkoko was one of the 16 demands that was canvassed by PANDEF and wondered  the sudden change of mind.

“This kind of king who talks from two sides of his mouth is capable of causing problem for his people and the general public hence should be cautioned.  No  wonder under one year of his reign,there are various court cases between the Itsekiri ruler and his own Itsekiri subjects all over the place,” he said