JUST like the nomadic cattle herders in Nigeria, the Ijaws are another itinerant ethnic nationality in the over 250 ethnic groups in the country.
For the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen, they are everywhere. As a youth in this country, the cattle herdsmen were very friendly people and they were good visitors to almost all communities.
They were hardly associated with armed robbery, kidnap, rape and murder as has become their pastime lately. These nefarious activities have even led to states enacting anti-open grazing laws to curb the criminality that nomadic herdsmen have lately constituted themselves into.

On their own part, the Ijaws who were concentrated and owned lands in the place known as Bayelsa and have from ancient times been known for travelling through the coastal areas to anywhere there is river to ply their trade of selling Ogogoro (local gin) in parts of Rivers, Edo and Ondo states. From the sales of Ogogoro, they became settlers in these states, Edo and Ondo in particular.

The history of Benin is well known to all Nigerians and the world. The Benin Kingdom is respected because of the blue blood progeny of the successive Obas. The kingdom reigned from the location of the palace in modern day Benin City to Dahomey. That is why the history of Benin Kingdom is clear on the Oduduwa story. An attempt by some Yorubas to re-write history led to Oba Erediauwa’s “I remain Sir, Your Obedient Servant,” a treatise he used to educate all Nigerians who were on the wrong lane of history to get their facts right.

All of these come readily to mind given that the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, recently compelled by necessity of his duties as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Security Officer of the state to call on Ijaws of Edo State not to take the State Government’s tolerance of their presence in the state for granted.





One also remembers vividly in the days of Navy Captain Anthony Ibe Onyearugbulem an igbo man as Military Administrator of Edo State in the early ‘90s when some Ijaws also took the laws into their hands in Ovia North East, unleashing mayhem on some Binis in Gelegele and attempting to install a “Kingdom” within a kingdom. Onyearugbulem who was not even from Edo State saw it as a clear affront on the Benin Kingdom and an attempt by some misguided Ijaws to want to take undue advantage of the benevolence of Edo people.

It wasn’t much of surprise, therefore, to hear Governor Obaseki unequivocally stating that his government is “proud of our diversity as a state and our peaceful coexistence, but will not tolerate acts of illegality by any group, who, for their selfish desires, want to rail-road the peace-loving Ijaw people of Edo State into a criminal aspiration.

He also stated that “we are creating a culture that appreciates human diversity in all its colours for a robust pool of ideas that would drive socio-economic development at an unprecedented speed in Edo State. The laws of our land is clear on traditional leadership of all communities from the beginning of the 1st century till date. For someone to plan to oppose what is cast in law by acts of illegality such as the purported installation of one Godwin Oguyenbo, as the “Pere of Olodiama Kingdom,” an Ijaw community in Ovia North East Local Council Area of the state, is not just irresponsible but a calculated attempt to fan the embers of disunity and stifle the planned development of the Gelegele sea port which the Obaseki -led APC administration has been championing since assumption of office a year ago.

The ijaw in Bayelsa states should call their kinsmen resident in Edo to order to avoid unnecessary conflict that will be of no benefit to the Ijaw people.

Edo people are peace-loving and hospitable people. Majority of Ijaw people in Ovia North East and South West of Edo State are equally peaceful people who have co-habited with the Edos in these areas peacefully over the years. The peace-loving Ijaws should not allow themselves to be dragged into the voyage of death being embarked upon by those behind the so-called installation of “Pere of Olodiama Kingdom” in Edo land.

The traditional leadership structure in Edo State is well known to all over the centuries and no insane man can come to alter the structure. It is also important to call on all Edo people both at home and in Diaspora to rise up and stand shoulder to shoulder with government on its directive to have peace in the state.

*Mr. Dan Owegie - Chieftain All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.

bounty007:
nigerians una don see am finish..

na Edo bini people start to provoke ijaw..while ijaws are stating history n facts.

no be tomorrow na..when matter don hot..some people with afonja Dna go start to draw sympathy and sentiments.

matter go soon start..

meanwhile..i don't even understand the noise from bini folks..

wetin una dey wait.. will the way unadey hot..
una for don enter gelegele..dispose the new king and burn down his palace..

or make oba of bini make him declaration.

then we go knw say una serious..

don't like all this media noise..
abi make we fry beans with am ni?

clevvermind:
Apc always talking trash.

raker300:

Lol.

So someone can not migrate from his ancestral home and settle in another state within the same country and call it home?

s

bounty007:
nigerians una don see am finish..

na Edo bini people start to provoke ijaw..while ijaws are stating history n facts.

no be tomorrow na..when matter don hot..some people with afonja Dna go start to draw sympathy and sentiments.

matter go soon start..

meanwhile..i don't even understand the noise from bini folks..

wetin una dey wait.. will the way unadey hot..
una for don enter gelegele..dispose the new king and burn down his palace..

or make oba of bini make him declaration.

then we go knw say una serious..

don't like all this media noise..
abi make we fry beans with am ni?

AxxeMan:
[s][/s]

You spent 30mins to type all that epistle and you still didn't make any sense!

Jesusloveyou:
how can you get ijaw state inside Edo state?
You can see how idiotic flat heads cannot reason well.

bounty007:


see wia you brain reach na..

na state dem want?

afonjaic Zom.

AdaFonju:
Wrong, there are many Ijaw communities indegenous to Edo state
gelegele-Ijaw is just one community, channels tv visited there recently



https://www.youtubecom/watch?v=nC7Q_0I3-yw

PEOPLE AND DEMOGRAPHY
The main ethnic groups in Edo State are: Edos, Afemais, Esans, Owans and Akoko Edos. Virtually all the groups traced their origin to Benin City hence the dialects of the groups vary with their distance from Benin City. The Bini speaking people who occupy seven out of the 18 Local Government Areas of the state constitute 57.54% while others Esan (17.14%) Afemai compirising of Etsako (12.19%), Owan (7.43%), and Akoko Edo (5.70%). However, the Igbira speaking communities exist in Akoko Edo as well as Urhobos, Ijaws, Itsekiris communities in Ovia North East and South West Local Government Areas especially in the borderlands. Also, Ika speaking communities exist in Igbanke in Orhionmwon LGA.

http://www.edostate.gov.ng/edo-people/
Stop spreading falsehood
Google is your friend ignorance is your enemy repeat

Jesusloveyou:
Ogogoro people like their ineffectual buffoon of ogogoro master

AxxeMan:
[[s][/s]


The ijaw tenants in Edo are not even up to 0.5% of the state

AdaFonju:
The writer failed to state the historic fact that the Ijaws were in Edo state before the arrival of the Efa [Bini speaking people] as written by their own renown author - Sir Jacob Eghareva and others. What the writer wrote is shallow and meaningless in the context of the installation of the Pere of Olodiama. The attempt by Oba Ewuare II to use the government of Edo state to intimidate the Ijaws of Edo is a waste of time and lean resources because the Ijaws are autochthonous and aborigines of Edo and no amount of the twisting of the history of the state can change that. The earlier the Binis accept the fact that, the Ijaws and the Binis have lived together in peace and harmony for centuries [ Ijaws being indigenous in Edo before the arrival of the Binis ] and that the traditional institution of the Ijaws is distinct and should be respected and allowed to function without the interference of the Obas palace, the better for all. Let justice, equity, fairness and love reign in the hearts of men for sustainable peace.

AdaFonju:
Wrong, there are many Ijaw communities indegenous to Edo state
gelegele-Ijaw is just one community, channels tv visited there recently




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC7Q_0I3-yw

PEOPLE AND DEMOGRAPHY
The main ethnic groups in Edo State are: Edos, Afemais, Esans, Owans and Akoko Edos. Virtually all the groups traced their origin to Benin City hence the dialects of the groups vary with their distance from Benin City. The Bini speaking people who occupy seven out of the 18 Local Government Areas of the state constitute 57.54% while others Esan (17.14%) Afemai compirising of Etsako (12.19%), Owan (7.43%), and Akoko Edo (5.70%). However, the Igbira speaking communities exist in Akoko Edo as well as Urhobos, Ijaws, Itsekiris communities in Ovia North East and South West Local Government Areas especially in the borderlands. Also, Ika speaking communities exist in Igbanke in Orhionmwon LGA.

http://www.edostate.gov.ng/edo-people/
Stop spreading falsehood
Google is your friend ignorance is your enemy repeat

Calmpoacher:


Thank you for this post.There is a deliberate attempt by some unscrupulous elements to wipe off the existence of indigenous Ijaws from the map of Edo State.

For those folks,you won't know what hit you when the time comes.The shadows are gathering in the creeks and watching with keen interest.

AxxeMan:
[s][/s]

Go back to bayelsa your 1 plot of land with meager population of 1million ijaw indigines

Ijaws are tenants and that status would forever remain , try rubbish and get booted out

Capish?

AxxeMan:


Thank God you said shadows, na koboko we go use flog una black yanch

Calmpoacher:

Oporopo no matter how much you tell that lie,it won't make it the truth.Ijaws are indigenous to Rivers, Bayelsa,Edo,Delta,Ondo and Akwaibom.

AxxeMan:


Hahaha norbe only indeginous in fact una be engine join

For your info

Delta - Urhobo + isoko 65% Itshekiri 35% ( Both tribe are even EDIOD Clans)

Ondo - 100% Yoruba

Akwa Ibom - 100% Efik

Edo - 100% Edo's and those of Edo rich Ancestry and Heritage

Bayelsa - Tiny state full off 100% Ijaw indigines


SO IJAW BOY CUT THE CAT TRAP , AND STOP TRYING TO GRAP LANDS BEFORE YOU PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE