Ohaneze Ndi Igbo:  How does Mbata’s Presidency affect Ijaws of Rivers State?

It’s unfortunate that when some people open their mouths to make public statements, they don’t realise that what they are saying and how they say what they are saying is a full reflection of who and what they really are.

Recall that on Wednesday, January 10, 2025, the new helmsman of the Ndigbo ethnic nationality, Senator Azuta Mbata, from Eneka clan within Ogbako Ikwerre area of Rivers state, formally took over the reign of power as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

How else can anybody describe the cooked –up “palpable fears of a possible ethnic clash between the Ijaws in Rivers State and the Igbos, spread across the five states in the south-eastern part of Nigeria, following alleged expansionist plot on the territory of the Niger Delta state by the Igbos,” if not to say it is as irresponsible as it is callous.

As said in the report, “the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress, RIPC, the umbrella body of the Ijaws from eleven local government areas of the state, are beating the war drum, warning the Igbos to steer clear of Rivers State.”

The question is: How does Mbata’s Ohaneze Ndi Igbo Presidency affect Ijaws of Rivers State?

That the statement was allegedly signed by Senator George Thompson Sekibo, Leader, Dr. Rowland Sekibo, Director General, and Mr. Erastus Awortu, Secretary (three brothers from the same village) on behalf of the hitherto obscured Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress speaks volume of the real intention of the declaration which is nothing but mere attention and rent-seeking.

Truth be told, the above mentioned signee of the statement deliberately set out to create unnecessary inter-ethnic tension where there is peace and brotherly affection amongst all the indwelling peoples especially by using a war-like headline.

Warning the Ohaneze leadership and its agents to “cease and desist from instigating an ethnic crisis through the attempt to extend its Igbo expansionist mission to Rivers State was very unnecessary because there is no need for that.

Without mincing words, no Igbo man with sane mind is interested in annexing Rivers Ijaw land, when the boundary adjustment programme of 1976, which was made possible by natural boundaries (the rivers and waters) is still in place and even without that.

Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress should rather look inwards and see how herdsmen are gradually taking over Rivers territory including the riverine areas. This should be their genuine concern and not the Igbos angling to expand Biafra into Ijaw areas, whatever that means.

Senator Sekibo and his co-travellers may need to be reminded that even in their remotest fishing ports, waterside settlements and villages/settlements across the Ijaw areas of Rivers state, there seem to be a deliberate and aggressive (non-violent) population of the Ijaw areas by people from a section of the country and RIPC is blind to see where the real and already tangible threat to their existence is coming from.

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In those areas, in the next fifteen-thirty years, the indigenous Ijaw people will be minority in terms of numbers as their new tenants are known to breed with Taliban speed. Mark my word!

It was very unfortunate that Ogbako Ikwerre, a hitherto revered Ikwerre umbrella group could drag itself into such a low as to spew the kind of things that have been flying around since Senator Azuta Mbata, a decent and highly respected Ikwerre son clinched the Ohaneze President General slot at the groups recently concluded elections.

How do you explain that Ogbako Ikwerre just woke up from its slumber to realise that their people are not Igbos anymore simply because the person they wanted to install in the same position did not win?

If Ogbako Ikwerre had known all these while that Ikwerres are not Igbos, they had powers to have stopped their people from contesting in the first instance but they kept quiet and watch their people vie for the topmost position that was ceded to the Igbos of Rivers state.

If you have been following the history of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, you will recall that Mbata is not the first Rivers man to belong to Ohaneze Ndi Igbo at that level. Former Minister Aguma (of blessed memory) was an official of the group; late Senator Obi Wali was there and late Senator Francis Ellah from Omoku was there too and Ndi Igbo did not annexe Rivers Ijaw land through these prominent statesmen.

When Barr Uche Okwukwu from Elele, Rivers State became the Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, did he “sell” Rivers State Ijaw land to Ndi Igbo?

These three self-acclaimed leaders of the Ijaws of Rivers state apportioning to themselves the onus of telling Senator Mbata who he is and where he has his roots is not only very insulting but an outright overstretching of bounds.

Commendably, the new President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Mbata, broke his long silence on January 10, 2025, reaffirming his Igbo ancestry.

As he said, “I’m not going to deny my Igbo identity. Anyhow you like, talk from now till tomorrow, I’m an Igboman and I will not deny my ancestry. We are related, one way or the other. Why are you shouting me down?”

He vowed that nothing would ever make him deny his Igbo identity and blamed those individuals and groups who had been criticising him over his Igbo tribal claims for lack of understanding.

According to him, “Such criticisms are mere noises from those lacking understanding. I see my responsibility as building bridges. We must connect our people to a much larger platform for development.”

And Mbata’s reaffirmation came a few days after the traditional ruler of his part of Ikwerre, Eze Nwoke of Enaka clan led members of his council of Chiefs, the elders, including men and women, as well as youths, to congratulate Senator Mbata on his election as the President-General of the Igbos within and in the Diaspora.
They told their son, Mbata, that he had made them proud by his clinching of the coveted seat of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, declaring that Ikwerres are Igbos. To me this is all that matters!

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(IFEANYI IZEZE wrote from Port Harcourt and can be reached on: [email protected])