ITESEKIRI'S CRY FOR HELP

Submit before the national assembly a bill for ethnic minority right and protection in Nigeria. a case for Itsekiri ethnic nationality.

The blowing of oil facilities and economic means in Itsekiri areas by Ijaw militants groups is a continuation of Ijaw militant attack on the Itsekiri ethnic nationality in Nigeria, a continuation of Ijaw claim on the Niger Delta, a covet to wipe out peace loving and law abiding Itsekiri people.

The gospel have been preach to heart of the young in Ujons that they own Warri and that Itsekiri forefathers took all their lands, in their heart is a quiet but great will that Warri the center of Itsekiri should be Ujon, in that will they came for Warri in 1997, Itsekiris were burnt alive, bowel of Itsekiris were ripped out and burst then thrown into the river, finger and arms of Itsekiris torn from their sockets, bullets left on the lifeless bodies of Itsekiris, women and children were not spared, houses and properties burnt and our dead smell around town and in the creeks. It was repeated in 2003, they often came with the rain and under 2weeks the whole of Itsekiri landscape was touch with death, in our own lands given by our forefathers we count our dead by the hands of strangers on our lands. Warri and the 3 Warri LGAs is own by Itsekiris recorded history, treaties and establish by judgment of competent courts of law.

THE LEGEND OF CHIEF LORI AND IGBA (1900 )

Chief Lori and his mother Igba (the founder of Ajigba and great grandmother to Rita Lori the Igba of Warri Kingdom), in Warri, Southern Nigeria 1900's or earlier.

AJIGBA
Aja-Igba (otherwise known as Ajigba meaning, Igba's town) was one of the few settlements founded by women in Itsekiri social history.
Igba was a very wealthy and prosperous woman and was a native of Orugbo. She was married to a man called Eyekuonogba at Okere, Warri. The marriage was quite healthy and happy until an unfortunate incident happened between her and the husband who was a dignified polygamist.
On one occasion the husband bought and distributed cloth to all his wives but gave none to Igba whom he thought was too highly placed to wear that type of print material which was of comparatively low quality. He thought that he was acting in good faith but Igba felt slighted and cheated, in that if her husband could think of his other wives and bought cloth for all of them, she too, deserved to be recognised and given one. She would not accept the explanation and apology by her husband.
As she did pot want to move back to Orugbo to meet her parents she decided to establish her own village. She sailed along Orugbo creek, facing Ode-Itsekiri, and after some distance, she found a smaller creek on the right hand side, went into it and a little further down, she saw a much smaller creek. She went inside and at the end of that creek was dry forest land where she decided to establish her settlement.
At that time Prince Ogbobine was the head of Usele Village and as the whole of that area was the property of Prince Oritsemone Family of Usele, Igba went to Prince Ogbobine for approval and blessing to live there. Prince Ogbobine readily consented and went to the place to plant the town's Ikimi tree for Igba to establish the settlement where she and her children and other relations lived until she died. She had two sons for Eyekuonogban, i.e: Otuedon and Lori.

Culled from R.A.I. Ogbobine's book.

The Itsekiri are the ancient Egyptians {pre ginuwa history of itsekiri}

ITSEKIRI EXISTENCE 
BEFORE 1480 

The oral tradition Some people have wondered that if Isekiri existed in times pre-Ginuwa, ˜why are there no oral traditions to buttress the point?" The simple truth is that Isekiri tradition, like those of some of their neighbours, particularly the Ilaje, have some of these stories. Before Ginuwa, the Urejus, the Omadinos, the Irigbos, the Ugborodos, the Jegbos of Efurokpe, the Okposos of Gbolokposo, among others, started occupying Isekiri land, which then was much more extensive than it is now – stretching to the river Ramos area, now in Bayelsa state of Nigeria, they constituted the aboriginal inhabitants. (See Ifa and Honsbira: The Warri Crisis In Diagrams1997). 

These people were the aborigines, and are known as the Oma ale (the sons of the soil). According to most Yoruba, their people migrated through many places when they were coming from the south of Egypt. They stopped at different areas before they reached the present Yoruba land. Although the Yoruba know the Isekiri came in the series or waves of migrations, they tend to see the Isekiri as part and parcel of them and do not want to list Isekiri as a separate migrant in the same migration trend. Abiola says, concerning this Egyptian migration: 

OLU of Warri: Itsekiri nation mourns, Choose Abiloye Emiko as successor

THE Itsekiri nation, yesterday, announced the passage of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri, and  immediately designated his younger brother, Prince Ikenwole Godfrey Abiloye Emiko, as successor.

Both announcements were the key issues of a national congress the Itsekiri nation held at the Olu palace, Ode-Itsekiri, ancentral home of the Itsekiri nation also known as Big Warri.

Tradition fulfilled

Palace chiefs, the dressed in white robes with a mix of red apron signifying their royalty and black for mourning, gathered before  10am  at the palace hall together with other men, women, and youths of the Itsekiri nation to hear what was at stake.

Chief Yaya Pessu, Ojomo of Warri, representing the Ologbotsere (Chief Priest) of the kingdom, fulfilled tradition when he smashed a big ball of native chalk on the floor of the venue with the exclamation, “The calabash is broken”, signifying the announcement of the passage of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the 19th Olu, who joined his ancestors after 28 years on the throne.

The act by Pessu, which came  at 11.50am, was followed by about 19 cannon shots. These happened as the large crowd present remained anxious about the revelation of who succeeds the departed Atuwatse II.

New Olu emerges

The anxiety lasted till  12.16pm  when Pessu again took the responsibility of announcing crown prince Ikenwole Godfrey Abitoye Emiko as the Olu designate, setting off thundering jubilation across the palace hall and the overflow crowd outside.

Emiko, said to be about 60, and younger brother to the Atuwatse II, is a graduate of business administration from the University of Benin.

The Olu designate was summoned and led by his peers to the palace hall for all to see before he was announced by Pessu.

Why brother succeeds brother

Earlier at the gathering, several eyes had been on Prince Tsola Emiko, first son of the departed Atuwatse II, who came with Toju and Nere, his siblings to the gathering.

By the hereditary appeal of the throne, the uninformed persons present at the gathering had expected Tsola as the automatic successor.

However, Pessu who announced the Olu designate clarified that Tsola was not qualified to succeed the father in line with other expectations a son must meet to succeed his father as Olu.

The Ojomo of Warri said, “By the tradition, a son who must succeed his father must be born of a mother who must not be outside of Itsekiri or Benin by birth, origin. This is a standing tradition and the son does not fulfill this requirement.

Prof. Jim Omatseye added: “In the event that a son is not qualified to succeed the father, the princes of the kingdom from the three ruling houses, Ginuwa, Erejuwa and Ogiame, will choose among themselves who should take the throne. The lot fell on Prince Ikenwole Emiko and he is generally accepted by the Itsekiri nation.

Mr. Edward Ekpoko, Chairman, Warri Study Group and Secretary, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, said, “Today’s event is significant because it is the first time in 200 years that a brother would succeed a brother on this supposedly hereditary throne.”

Chief Thomas Ereyitomi, Akatigbi-Ayeola of Warri, a palace chief, said, “The wide jubilation and the joy in the faces of all present erase all doubts that the Itsekiri nation was having a hard time choosing an Olu designate.

Dos, don’ts

Within the next 90 days, Itsekiri will go through mourning on the passage of Atuwatse II.  All natives, particularly male and female adults, are expected to wear their traditional wrappers upside down.

Pessu, spelling out the dos and don’ts within the period, on behalf of the Ologbotsere, said: “Itsekiri the world over are to also refrain from merriment, no drumming or burials as all should be in mourning for the period. There should be no form of fanfare.

He added that coronation of the successor Olu will commence only after the passage rites of Atuwatse II had been concluded.

Chiefs, opinion leaders speak

Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, Igba of Warri, in her post event comments, said, “It is just cheering for the entire Itsekiri nation that a generally accepted Olu designate has been chosen”.

A former health commissioner in Delta State, Dr. Joseph Otumara, noted, “What we just witnessed is the end of an era and the beginning of another”.

The member representing Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, described the late Ogaime Atuwatse 11 as an epitome of a monarch, whose reign  would remain indelible in the sands of history.

The lawmaker spoke of the late Olu “as an ontological father that encapsulates the  beingness of the Itsekiri ethnic nation as a social organism”,  saying Ogiame Atuwatse 11 was focused in his quest for the development of his kingdom.

The member representing Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, described the late Ogaime Atuwatse 11 as an epitome of a monarch, whose reign  would remain indelible in the sands of history.

The lawmaker spoke of the late Olu “as an ontological father that encapsulates the  beingness of the Itsekiri ethnic nation as a social organism”,  saying Ogiame Atuwatse 11 was focused in his quest for the development of his kingdom.

The lawmaker also congratulated the  Olu-elect.

In the same vein, Reyenieju thanked members of the Warri Traditional Council and the entire itsekiri nation for the peaceful conduct of all the processes for succession to the throne of the Warri Kingdom, such that the  rancour associated with succession in some parts of Nigeria remains alien to the Itsekiri nation.

clarion call