http://edo-nation.net/nowao1.htm

The Willinks Commission held public and private meetings in Benin and Warri from 8th - 23rd December 1957.

Three major sets of opinion were canvassed. The Midwest State movement was only interested in the creation of the Midwest (meaning Benin and Warri provinces en bloc) to which it wanted the Edo-speaking Sobe and Ijagba areas of Ondo province appended. The Action Group, represented by its lawyer, Fani Kayode, conceded that the Midwest might, as a last resort, be allowed to go (after all the legislative hurdles) but that Warri division and Akoko-Edo should join Ondo province, while the western Ibo should join the Eastern region and the western Ijaw should join eastern Ijaw. He even went further to suggest that Ishan division should be excluded from the residual Midwest for no other reason than because Ishan had a significant number of Action Group supporters. The government of the Western region, represented by Rotimi Williams, differed slightly from Fani-Kayode, by accepting that Afemai and Ishan divisions could join the proposed residual Midwest implying the Benin and Urhobo divisions, if they wished. [Willink Commission report. Cmnd. 505. London: HMSO, 1958]

1. The position of the MSM was based on fear of colonization by the Yoruba. Detailed testimony was heard from a broad range of witnesses, including Chiefs Ezomo, Oliha, Ineh and Osula. Other witnesses included the Chairmen of the Iyekovia, Uhunmwode and Benin City councils, namely Messrs Adonrin, Atohengbe and Ogbebor. Edo women made a submission through Madam Eweka. Complaints included lack of rubber markets and processing facilities, excessive local taxation, including head taxes which would then be remitted to Ibadan, poor infrastructure, and discrimination in the award of scholarships and opportunities for Edo women traders at Ibadan. More recently, Mr. Isaac Asemota recalled that, While Benin- City stayed in the dark with no electricity, running water, good roads, separate and unequal schools and grossly inadequate health clinics, there in Ibadan, Edo tax monies were being squandered in the construction of Cocoa House, Mapo Hall and Commercial Broadcasting Service Radio Station whose frequency we couldnt even pick up in Benin-City. The best we could hope for was Redifussion radio which had a very low frequency and could not be heard more than two miles away from the broadcasting booth. (Isaac Asemota: The last Edo Political Titan: Chief Humphrey Omo-Osagie unpublished manuscript, Edo-Nation Egroup, July 2, 2002.)

The most powerful and emotional testimony from Benin came from Chief H Omo-Osagie. He lamented the insidious cultural role of Ifa divination and Ogboni activities in inserting Yoruba values and ways into Benin society. He explained that Ifa divination required knowledge of Yoruba, while the Yoruba derived Ogboni society, was, according to him, more dangerous than freemasonry. In fact he openly stated that after independence, laws would likely be passed, making membership of the ROF compulsory. He went on to criticize the Western region Chiefs Law No. 20 of 1957 which was being used with effect to intimidate traditional rulers and influence the selection of chiefs and Dukes inside the Midwest. The Chief also went into additional detail about perceptions of Yoruba domination of the Police, government boards, the public service, and the use of scholarships as a tool for punishing separatist divisions. The Benin division, for example, had not, under the period of review, received any scholarships, while the Ijebu province (home to Chief Awolowo) had secured 17 such awards. Another complaint was that Rubber was being developed in the Ijebu province when investment in the promised Ikpoba Rubber processing factory for already established rubber plantations of the Midwest was being help up. A similar shenanigan affected the Koko port. He went on to use examples of the decision by the Action Group government to dissolve the Benin Divisional Council in 1955 as an example of arbitrary misuse of power. In conclusion, Chief Omo-Osagie opposed the new Welsh-type arrangement implemented by the Action Group through the establishment of the Ministry of Midwest Affairs and the Midwest Advisory Council, and demanded either the creation of a Midwest region or a return to a unitary government at the center with provinces at the periphery.
Supporting testimony from the Ishan division, where the Action Group had deposed the Onogies of Idoa and Ubiaja was also heard from G. Ebea, A. Ibhazo, Prince Shaka Momodu, and His Royal Highness, Enosegbe II, Enogie of Ewohimi. Similarly, the Commission heard from the Oba of Agbede who bluntly stated that the Oba of Benin, and not any of the Yoruba Obas, was his Oba. On their part, Messrs Utomi, Onyia and Odiakosa provided the views of the Asaba division. Interestingly, while scholarship complaints were commonplace in the Benin division, the Asaba division was doing very well with scholarships under the guidance of its representative, Dennis Osadebay, who was then the Chairman of the Regional Scholarships Board.

In Warri, there was a split among the Itsekiri. While Chiefs Arthur Prest and Festus Okotie-Eboh were in support, at this stage, of creation of a Midwest region, O.N. Rewane and the Olu of Warri were against it. In response to testimony of pro-Midwest witnesses, a shadowy organization called the Anti-Midwest State Movement was put forward by the Action Group. It asserted that Edos had more to fear from Igbo than Yoruba domination, and that creation of a Midwest region would expose Edos to Igbo domination.

Among its observations, the commission noted that actual expenditure on road development in the Midwest area up to March 31, 1957, was only 15% of the estimates, compared with 50% in the Yoruba West. It also made the following observation:

“What is feared is a permanent Action Group majority in the Western House of Assembly. The Action Group drawing its inspiration from a Yoruba society, the Egbe Omo Oduduwa expressing itself through the Ogboni Fraternity, controlling Boards, Corporations and Commissions, eventually even the Magistracy and Judiciary, aiming at the obliteration of all that is not Yoruba. That is what is meant by Yoruba domination.”

All these minorities Nonsense.

All of them should be welded to a nation, let them go there and sort themselves out.

Ok good memories

Very interesting piece...

The normal Blackman attitude is what was summarized. How are itsekiri fairing under Urhobo/Ijo stronghold?

What about calabar/Igbo.

Cool story

Did you know Olu of Warri was jailed when he refused to join Midwest region?

Olu of Warri preferred to remain in Western Nigeria.

I have always known yorubas like to project their image on others

Calling igbos ritualist while the news has exposed who are the real ritualist

Saying Igbo marginalized minorities why the truth is here now

Now i know why Benin people hate Yorubas.

wow, what an exposition!

At least we didn't hold them down against their wish. When they asked for independence, we held a referendum and based on the result gave them their independence.

But in the Eastern region, the minorities were held hostage against their wish until Gowon created states in 1967...

Pathetic!

Donaldoni:
At least we didn't hold them down against their wish. When they asked for independence, we held a referendum and based on the result gave them their independence.

But in the Eastern region, the minorities were held hostage against their wish until Gowon created states in 1967...

Pathetic!

There was minimal or almost no agitation in the eastern region. The Midwest agitation was do or die and led by titans like the Oba of Benin himself for decades but Awo kept resisting. What saved the Midwest was operation wetie and the fact that Awo/Akintola's war distracted the Yorubas.

Donaldoni:
At least we didn't hold them down against their wish. When they asked for independence, we held a referendum and based on the result gave them their independence.

But in the Eastern region, the minorities were held hostage against their wish until Gowon created states in 1967...

Pathetic!

Don't twist facts Oga.

Wilkinson panel found out that there was real marginalisation against minorities in the Western region. Awolowo will collect their taxes and be building Cocoa house in Ibadan. Infact they recommended the independence of Midwest from the suffocating grips of the ogboni masters.

In the Eastern region they found nothing but Imaginary feelings of marginalisation. Facts presented by witnesses from both sides showed that Igbos were too fair to their neighbours unlike the Yorubas that could not hide their tribalism. Therefore they saw no reason for granting them independence.

This piece of history is classic! Keep up with history revisionism while we slap you with facts.

mrvitalis:
I have always known yorubas like to project their image on others

Calling igbos ritualist while the news has exposed who are the real ritualist

Saying Igbo marginalized minorities why the truth is here now

Bayerebe is just not a name... but an identity..

Yerima said Femi can turn black to white . Understand this people..

gwafaeziokwu:




Don't twist facts Oga.

Wilkinson panel found out that there was real marginalisation against minorities in the Western region. Awolowo will collect their taxes and be building Cocoa house in Ibadan. Infact they recommended the independence of Midwest from the suffocating grips of the ogboni masters.

In the Eastern region they found nothing but Imaginary feelings of marginalisation. Facts presented by witnesses from both sides showed that Igbos were too fair to their neighbours unlike the Yorubas that could not hide their tribalism. Therefore they saw no reason for granting them independence.

This piece of history is classic! Keep up with history revisionism while we slap you with facts.

You shut am immediately before he start believing himself

Amarabae:
wow, what an exposition!

These are some of the reasons why history was expunged from our school curriculum.

Nigeria state can not face their devious past. Exposing the whole truth will challenge a lot of things.

We are not going anywhere sha, we dey

Lies might travel a mile
It takes a second for truth to catch up with it

God help us! So, while the Igbos were patronizing the minorities in the East and giving them more than their fair share in virtually every sector, the afonjas on the other hand were so discriminatory to the minorities in the Western region. Yet lies have been told for ages on how Igbos discriminated Eastern minorities. Little wonder they banned learning of history in Nigeria so that no one would discover the attrocities that went down in the past while they continued to push a wicked propaganda against Igbos.

Thank God for the internet Sha. No matter how far lies travel, truth will still overtake it someday.

Lol, in 1957, the entire area of modern day Delta North and a small area of NE Edo were all known as Igbo territories but today, they are no longer Igbos according to stvpid Nigerians.

I never knew that people can suddenly shed their identity within a few decades.

Now it is becoming clear as day light why Nigeria failed as a country. Tell me how a country that was built on cheap lies, propaganda and mischief would ever amount to anything?

Even nairaland can't hide its Igbophobic tendencies. Create threads that exposes lies that were told against Igbos over the years and it will either never grace front page or totally deleted but create thread that seems to put Igbos in bad light and see how it will be on the front page within minutes.

Donaldoni:
At least we didn't hold them down against their wish. When they asked for independence, we held a referendum and based on the result gave them their independence.

But in the Eastern region, the minorities were held hostage against their wish until Gowon created states in 1967...

Pathetic!

The Eastern Nigeria also had the fair share of Minorities agitations, why do you think we lost Southern Cameroon, you know they use to be a constituent block in NCNC. The Minorities fears has always being a problem in South unlike the in Northern Nigeria

Donaldoni:
At least we didn't hold them down against their wish. When they asked for independence, we held a referendum and based on the result gave them their independence.

But in the Eastern region, the minorities were held hostage against their wish until Gowon created states in 1967...

Pathetic!

They are still telling lies so shamelessly even when caught. Who did you give independence? Was it not NCNC through Zik that collaborated with with Ahmadu Bello's NPN that forced referendum on the Western region?

Even this report stated that Awolowo's AG formed a shadowy group to frustrate the referendum and even made the ridiculous claim that Igbos will dominate the Benis if they should go ahead with the referendum. Lol, I can even draw some parallels with those blackmails of Awolowo's AG to what is happening in recent times between Igbos and the minorities. They are now telling the minorities how Igbos are after their oil and would subjugate them should they align with us.

The evil that is currently going on in Nigeria did not start today. SMH!

"In August 1942, the conference of traditional Obas and rulers in what was now the Western Provinces of Nigeria took place in Benin City. It is said that at that meeting, there was an attempt to speak Yoruba as the Lingua Franca, thus causing some irritation among delegates from the Benin and Warri provinces"

http://edo-nation.net/nowao1.htm

Sunshineg5:
Cool story

Did you know Olu of Warri was jailed when he refused to join Midwest region?

Olu of Warri preferred to remain in Western Nigeria.

Attachee by force lolsssssss

The main thing is prejudice, it even happen among people of the same clan/tribe.

Asgard13:


You shut am immediately before he start believing himself

Twisting facts is their stock in trade

nku5:


There was minimal or almost no agitation in the eastern region. The Midwest agitation was do or die and led by titans like the Oba of Benin himself for decades but Awo kept resisting. What saved the Midwest was operation wetie and the fact that Awo/Akintola's war distracted the Yorubas.

Eastern region minorities did not attend the WILLINKS COMMISSION.? Dic not present a position? Did not make representations?

MelesZenawi:
All these minorities Nonsense.

All of them should be welded to a nation, let them go there and sort themselves out.

I don't even know what you are. Today you're Igbo, tomorrow you're from the south south, next tomorrow you're from the waste side.

Shape shifter oshi

I suspect you're not even Nigerian.

Biafrarep:


They are still telling lies so shamelessly even when caught. Who did you give independence? Was it not NCNC through Zik that collaborated with with Ahmadu Bello's NPN that forced referendum on the Western region?

Even this report stated that Awolowo's AG formed a shadowy group to frustrate the referendum and even made the ridiculous claim that Igbos will dominate the Benis if they should go ahead with the referendum. Lol, I can even draw some parallels with those blackmails of Awolowo's AG to what is happening in recent times between Igbos and the minorities. They are now telling the minorities how Igbos are after their oil and would subjugate them should they align with us.

The evil that is currently going on in Nigeria did not start today. SMH!

Tell me more about it, so why did Adaka Boro declare the Nigeria Delta republic if the minority had it Rosy in the East?.
Anyway Abacha already make sure that what happened in the west, also happened to the East.
Happy independence to everybody.

Over 60 years since the Wilinks Commission and 36 states created, everyone is still crying of marginalisation.

Ahaha we gave them independence when they wanted out

That’s yoruba for you
It took a civil war for igbos to lose their minorities

following....

Fatimaade:
Ahaha we gave them independence when they wanted out

That’s yoruba for you
It took a civil war for igbos to lose their minorities

Wilkinson recommended independence and you couldn't do anything about it.

Read and learn