Gbaramatu and the Future of Isekiri tenants

Gbaramatu and the Future of Isekiri tenants

After the Gbaramatu fraud, Isekiri should be more cautions with their tenants. Isekiri tenants are Ijaws – Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Egbema, Isaba; Urhobo – Uvwie, Agbassa, Ogunu etc. some documents indicate that Arogbo, the whole of Burutu and down to River Ramos and Pennington areas in Bayelsa are inclusive. Sapele and Oghara are also included in some documents. But for now we will work with the following – Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba, Egbema, Agbassa, Ogunu and Uvwie.

                These are people who came either by their own choice, or out of circumstances to live under the protection of the King of Warri. These people have no single right to land as they have been adjudged as customary tenants.  They belong to Warri, their land belongs to Isekiri, their persons in the land belong to Isekiri as far as they continue to occupy Isekiri lands.  

What is to be done to these tenants?

1.       We must attack all their wrong ‘kings’ in court.

2.       We must attack all their wrong ‘kingdoms’ in court.

3.       We must attack all their land claims in court.

4.       We must attack all their false histories in court.

5.       We must monitor any development that will be brought to their areas, and do it to our taste and court judgments.

6.       Whenever a government school or anything is to be built in these areas we must monitor to get our 1/3 of whatever accrues.

7.       We must monitor any moneys from oil companies, DESOPADEC, NDDC, etc coming to these areas and get our traditional 1/3 as stipulated in the documents.

8.       We must force the government to recognize the court judgments and give us our due, before dealing with our tenants. If the government refuses we can carry out international protests against the government. We must never allow Ibori and Jonathan type of rascality in Isekiri land again!

9.       We must form strong alliances with our historic brothers to enforce our positions.

10.   As a smaller Yoruboid group we must form an association that will embrace Isekiri, Yoruba, Igala, Olukumi , Ebu etc.

11.   We must not neglect our strong bond with Benin

12.   We must form strong socio-cultural connections with the Roman Catholic Church, not as its religious affiliate but as the State of Vatican.

13.   Do not forget the Spanish contact.

14.   If Ijaw of Kalabari and Ijaw of Egbema who are less than 60% similar are in a union; and Okpe and Orogun with 12% similarity are in a union, I see no reason why Isekiri and Igala of 68% similarity are not in one union and vote as one people in the national assembly to promote a front and help each other.

15.   Isekiri should support votes and bills that support people like Ebu, Olukumi, Igala, Yoruba etc. they will also learn to support us.

16.   We should remember our brothers outside Nigeria and in the Diaspora – Ga-Adangme(Accra), Fon, Aja, Ewe, Egun and the kingdoms of Sabe, Ketu, Popo. The Lucumi, Candomble Nago etc, Yoruba and Isekiri in Brazil, Cuba , Haiti Ithaparica etc.

17.   We should ensure that our tenants cannot and can never control their destinies. They must bow to Isekiri or leave our land.

18.   Lastly, let us not be carried away by EPZ and sell out Maritime University. The Ijaw of Gbaramatu must not know peace on our land.

End word

1.         There should be more intensive cases in places like Sapele, Aladja, Ekpan(Tori) the whole Ijaws from Burutu to the River Pennington in Bayelsa, Oghara etc. More documents are resurrecting from various quarters – Portugal, France, Spain, and the Roman Catholic Church etc.

2.        We don’t know where Nigeria is heading for now. But should the inevitable happen, the land from Burutu to Bayelsa can be areas where we will house our Olukumi, Ebu, Iyenghele brothers who might be displaced by Biafrans. Ijaw must be pushed out of those places.

3.       Okumagba land case must be visited with utmost alacrity. One of the five planks of judgment – history – was misrepresented by them in the Okere case. Since Tompolo with a false map (survey plan) could revisit the Omadino case, we can revisit the Okumagba case with its false history which any Isekiri can prove in court with documents, go to www.globalpeacearithmetic.blogspot.com to see the Okumagba falsehood. 

4.       We must re-start our street carnivals and regatta. We are the first in the Niger Delta with such institutions. Imagine, just last year, Orodje of Okpe came out copying Isekiri regatta and carnival. This is very sad, if we remember that the same Orodje fought against Isekiri using carnivals in the Sapele area, now he came openly to steal the carnival show of Isekiri, what a shame to a fabricated institution.

5.       All Isekiri must be on deck. Read at last 10 text books on Isekiri, knowledge is power. If you don’t have where to read, go to www.globalpeacearithmetic.blogspot.com  you soul will be fed. Visit the blog and read, ask me and I will answer your pressing questions. 

6.       If all these are done we must surely defeat and tame our recalcitrant tenants.

7.       Remember the Yoruboid is the third largest ethnic and linguistic group in Africa, after Hausa and Swahili.  If our brothers in the whole of the Diaspora is considered, we are the biggest black race in the world. We must work on these connections to subdue our tenants especially   Gbaramatu and their false king, false history and false land grabbing , in the name of Maritime University

Augustine Oritseweyinmi Oghanrandukun Olomu (St.Ifa)