To God be the Glory

Celebrating my De-Light's New Cycle of Life: Thank God Today is Sunny.

September is considered a power month in numerology as it holds the vibration of the number nine (9). The 9th month is a month of delivery, it represents transition, marking a new cycle of life, and as such a powerful number of creation.

Every birth has it own vibration, as it represents a new cycle in one's life. Today, I celebrates that new beginning in the energetic life journey of my Love Agu Melody, my De-Light. An amazing personality, whose love has been so inspiring.

De, as you begin this new stage of life, may every step you take reward your existence on earth; takes you higher and perfect your ways. May God's 'morning Glory' which is one of the symbols of September cover your day to day activities in your new cycle of life... Amen. I Love you my De-Light.

Once again, Happ Birthday!

I sincerely appreciate you for your gifts, cards, calls, message with all the best of wishes, and prayers etc., as well as those who put up post in my honour. Because you have all celebrarated me, the world will celebrate you... It will be difficult for me to start mentioning names. However, permit me acknowledge a youth builder, a motivator and an inspirator. A man who derives joy in youth development and capacity building. This same man has created for me a shoulder to cry on, he is Hon. Comrade-Sunny Bekanwah (Former Khana CTC Boss and President, Ogoni YouthCoalition Movement OYM). I am equally grateful to my Fathers, senior friends, colleagues and well wishers. Indeed, your blessings and wishes have become a keepsake that will forever remind me of happy times and beautiful memories. Thank you so much.

Deezia Burabari Sunday
(Proudly, April Made).

Happy Birthday Deezia, B. S.

HIS GRACE HAS BROUGHT ME THUS FAR: AM +1 (TODAY, APRIL 20, 2018).

I felt as if I was riding a big wave, then suddenly it was dry, I felt so confused, yet was no time to cry. Finally, I was left alone with my thought without the facade, my mind tried to deny what I know to be real in my heart.

Amidst all odds, people often ask me how I stay so motivated and energized? I could tell you I try to eat healthy foods and sleep well at night, but the real answer is GRACE.

I discovered that the Good things of life are gotten by strength, while the Great things of life are gotten by Grace. It's not the law of religion nor the principles of morality that defines our highway or pathways to God: only by the Grace of God are we led and drawn to God.

It is His Grace that conquered my multitude of flaws, and in that Grace, there is favour. Favour is not achieve, favour is received.

Through His Grace Deezia Burabari Sunday has found favour. Therefore, join me to thank God for His Grace has brought me thus far.

Happy Birthday to Deezia Burabari Sunday


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THOSE WHO DENY OTHERS FREEDOM DESERVES IT NOT FOR THEMSELVES...

TRUE TALK

Rivers State Is Not Biafra But We Support The Freedom Of Biafra.
~ AnnKio Briggs

I HAVE MY INDIGENOUS VALUES, CULTURE AND IDENTITY TO PRESERVE... HENCE, I CANNOT BE PART OF BIAFRA BY FORCE. WHAT IS PLAYING IS SIMPLY A BATTLE OVER OIL. ENOUGH OF ETHNIC MAJORITY CHAUVINISM AND MARGINALIZATION.

SECONDLY, WHAT MAKE YOU THINK NIGER DELTA IS BIAFRA LAND? IT WAS THE COLONIAL MASTERS THAT JOIN US TOGETHER AND CALL US EASTERN REGION... PRIOR TO THAT UNBERGAIN UNION, ALL THE KINGDOMS THAT MAKES UP NIGER DELTA WERE EXISTING AS INDEPENDENT NATIONS. SO WHAT MAKES NIGER DELTA BIAFRA LAND?

IF OGBOS WANT BIAFRA TO SUCCEED IN THEIR PLIGHT, LET THEM LEARN FROM THE MISTAKE OF THEIR ELITES. ANKIO BRIGGS, AND ASARI ARE JUST INDIVIDUALS, HAVE YOU SEEK THE CONSCENT OF THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL?
TO US, NIGER DELTANS, THE BATTLE FOR THE FORCEFUL INCLUSION OF NIGER DELTA INTO BIAFRA IS UNACHIEVABLE AND THUS, NEEDLESS.

YOU PREACH FREEDOM, YOU CAMPAIGN FOR SELF DETERMINATION BUT YOU DON'T WANT NIGER DELTA TO HAVE THEIR FREEDOM. HE WHO COMES TO EQUITY MUST COME WITH A CLEAN HAND.

You are always talking about the right of indigenous people, but I don't think they (biafrans) are respecting the right of other indigenous people in the area they have caved out to be Biafra land. They indeed have a right to secede or complain if they feel pained but not by forceful inclusion as i also have a culture to preserve. Hence, Biafra should get the consent of others rather than the seemingly forceful inclusion of others who do not share the same ideology with them.

Would you believe with me that the way and manner the Biafra foundation was laid contributed to why they failed initially? Thus, the need to dialogue, and to define the essence of being together with terns and condition. I am however working on a document in order to bring up some of the reasons why Biafra failed initially. And my argument is that, how genuine is Biafra considering the already ethnic majority chauvinism as witness today? What is the fate of the minority Niger Delta? Thus, let's not generalize "we are all Biafrans" without recognizing those ethnic minority groups in their own right. The permanent thing in life is chabge, Biafra should dialogue with Niger Delta. And the sky will be our limit. That's my campaign. Let's learn to respect the orderliness of others.

Between Niger Delta Struggle and Biafra Struggle which predated which?
Niger Delta was first declared by Adaka Boro in 1962 and few years after Ojukwu declared Biafra. So from this analysis who should be claiming who?

If they think Niger Delta should be part of Biafra, let them stop the speculation and come down for dialogue, it is through such meeting that nations will enter into terms and condition, and probably the name to go with.

If Biafrans claim Niger Delta was part of the old eastern region... I will accept, but mind you, that was the result of the ill and unbergain marriage of Lord Luggard that gave birth to Nigeria. Before then, this nations were independent and sovereign states, kingdoms and empires on their own.

HE WHO COME TO EQUITY MUST COME WITH A CLEAN HAND. I SUPPORT FREEDOM, BUT DO NOT FORCE BIAFRA ON ME... NIGER DELTA.

As observed by Ken Henshaw, the current generation of 'Biafrans' are the most stupid so far. How dare you sit in your home or offices and draw your Biafra map and include places like Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, etc as part of your empire? Did you consult them? Did you seek their opinions?

You are forcing people to join a country whose commander in chief you have already anointed- Nnamdi Kanu; whose currency you have already decided- Biafra Pounds; whose official religion you have already adopted- Judaism; whose God you have already chosen- Chukwu Abiama?

Do you not realize that you are doing to those people the same thing you accuse the British and Nigeria of doing to you?

For carving my state into your 'Biafra' and renaming it without my permission and consultation, I have a moral duty to fight you with everything I have. I don't fight you because I do not want your freedom; I fight you because I love mine too. I don't fight you because you don't have a right to your country; I fight you because I have the same right. I fight you because your map is an insult to me and my freedom to choose.

If Biafra think they cannot do without Niger Delta, let them come for dialogue, a round table through which the terms and conditions of uniting both nations will be determined. And not to generalize "we are all Biafrans" HE WHO COME TO EQUITY MUST COME WITH A CLEAN HAND. I SUPPORT FREEDOM, BUT DO NOT FORCE BIAFRA ON ME... Let's learn to respect the orderliness of others. Enough of this ethnic majority chauvinism, Niger Delta must be respected in its right.

From Deezia Burabari Sunday.

This work is published by
Deezia B. S. (2016) Ekong Initiation Rites into Adulthood among the Ibibio/Ibion People of Akwaibom State. Icheke journal of the faculty of humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Port Harcourt. Vol 14 No 1. pp 59-72

This work is published by
Deezia B. S. (2016) Ekong Initiation Rites into Adulthood among the Ibibio/Ibion People of Akwaibom State. Icheke journal of the faculty of humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Port Harcourt. Vol 14 No 1. pp 59-72

THE OGONI YOUTH CO-ALITION MOVEMENT (OYM), FELICITATE WITH THEIR FATHER, BROTHER AND LEADER, THE DISTINGUISHED SENATOR MAGNUS NGEI ABE (CHAIRMAN SENATE COMMITTEE ON FERMA) ON HIS BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY.

The Ogoni YouthCoalition Movement (OYM), on this special day felicitate with their Father, Brother and Leader, His Excellency, the Distinguished Senator
Magnus Ngei Abe, one time Minority Leader, Rivers State House of Assembly (1999-2003), Commissioner for Education, Rivers State (2003-2007), Secretary to Rivers State Government (2007-2010), and from 2010 till date has been a Senator, Federal Republic of Nigeria. His aim have been to make positive contribution to the development of the country by identifying with other visionary senators to push for a legislative agenda to grow the Nigerian economy, as well as offering quality representation which has resulted to both infrastructural/environmental and human development in Ogoni, Rivers South East, and beyond.

In a statement signed by Comrade Deezia Burabari Sunday, media aid to Chief, Hon. Comrade-Sunny Bekanwah, Formal Khana CTC Boss, and President Ogoni Youth Co-alition Movement, the Ogoni Youth happily celebrate a man with character, integrity, and a youth friendly, with a great sense of responsibility.

The state asserted that " the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrate, but a great teacher inspires. Thus, leadership is the combination of strategy and character... Your rectitude and reputation has greatly inspires the Ogoni Youth to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more... For its takes leaders to grow other leaders."

The statement further described the Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe as being strong but not rude; kind, but not weak; bold, but not bully; thoughtful but not lazy; humble but not timid; proud but not arrogant; humor, but without folly... A man every youth look up to in emulation. "

Summarily, the Ogoni Youth Co-alition Movement pray that the good God and ancestors of Ogoni land, who have preserved Bongana Ogoni from the primordial age up until this day continue to give you ( Senator Magnus Ngei Abe) wisdom and preserve you and family as long as you continue to work for the realization of the Ogoni mandate, which entails the holistic betterment of the Ogoni people.

Once again, Happy Birthday Anniversary.

Signed:
Comrade Deezia, Burabari Sunday.
Media aid to Chief, Hon. Comrade-Sunny Bekanwah (President OYM).

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CHANGE YOUR MINDSET AND IDEOLOGY FOR NO OLD ROAD LEADS TO A NEW DESTINATION... OYM CALLS ON OGONI YOUTH

The Ogoni Youth Co-alition Movement (OYM) condemns in strong terms, the recent communal clashes, youth restiveness and related killings in some part of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, as such amoral acts can lead to developmental retrogression .

The OYM National Coordinator, Comrade-Sunny Bekanwah reintegrated that it is not more bigness that should be our goal. Thus, we must attempt, rather, to bring people back to... The warmth of community, to the worth of individual effort and responsibility... and of individuals working together as a community, to better the lives of the people and the Ogoni at large. If we must succeed, we must recognize that the community redevelopment is not solely the rehabilitation of housing as perceived but also include our value for "Life" and peaceful coexistence.

I am an Ogoni man, not because I was born in Ogoni but because Ogoni was born in me. Thus, it is my dream that Ogoni becomes a great nation with strong might.
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and nothing worth killing for... Therefore, what value does it add to your family and the Ogoni nation when we unnecessarily take the life of our brother and fellow Ogonian? It is shameful that we know the price of everything and knows the value of nothing... He added.

He further call on the Ogoni Youth to change their mindset and ideologies. He said; think of distinctive footprints. Insofar, as all things move forward and not backward, avoid retrogressive thinking, imprison negative thoughts, build a strong wall against negativity, be optimistic in pessimism and think ahead of time.
Understand the time you have and know what to do with the time, for time can loose it essence with time (He admonishes).

No old roads lead to a new destination... Therefore, we must learn to tolerate and live together in peace as brothers or perish together as fools. Change your conception, for together we can face any challenges as deep as as the ocean and as high as the sky... He concluded.

It is too flippant that other nations and ethnic groups are celebrating innovations, and different developmental strides. While some of the Ogoni people and communities instigate and celebrate cultism and communal crises...
To this end, i begin to wonder the kind of accounts or records of stewardship that some of us will give to our ancestors and the Almighty God... Of a peaceful and loving Ogoni nation that was handed over to our generation.
The Ogoni Youth Coalition Movement hereby call on the communities and groups involve to give peace a chance.

Signed
Comrd Deezia Burabari Sunday
Media aid to Comrade-Sunny Bekanwa. The OYM National Coordinator.

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ASSOCIATION OF PAST STUDENT'S UNION LEADERS (APSUL) IAUE PORT HARCOURT, HEARTILY CONGRATULATE ALL 2013/2014 AND 2014/2015 GRADUANDS ON THEIR CONVOCATION CEREMONY.

The Association of Past Student's Union Leaders (APSUL) of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Port Harcourt, heartily congratulate all 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 graduands on their convocation ceremony.

Your graduation marks the culmination of all the hard work you have put through your life as a student. Enjoy it, savor it and bask in the delight of achieving your goals. We are proud of you, and we believe that your graduation ceremony is a celebration of the fact that you are now ready to go out there and make the world a better place. Once again, CONGRATULATIONS.

In the same vein, the Association wishes to congratulate, Professor Joseph Barineka Kinanee, The AG Vice Chancellor Ignatius Ajuru University of Education on the first successful convocation under his administration. We pray that may God see him through this tough time.

Again, the association (APSUL) also wishes to congratulate His Excellency, Chief Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, for the completion of Rumoulumeni road which was like a dead trap before he assumed office as the governor of the state, as well as other infrastructural development within the university. However, the Association wishes to register their displeasure with the absent of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike from the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education first convocation under his administration as the governor of Rivers State. IAUE is the only University of Education in the whole South South. Hence, his absent indeed, send a bad signal to the students and the University community at large. If we can remember vividly, his predecessor Chibuike Rotimi Amaech, the then governor of Rivers State never visited IAUE until it was time for electioneering campaign. And if the present governor could not attend IAUE convocation, we wounded if he is waiting for campaign period as usual.

Summarily, as a body we continue to appeal to the governor of Rivers State, that you don't look for very good where there is excellence. Hence, he should help confirm Prof J. B. Kinanee as the Vice Chancellor, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, for the growth and development of the institution.

Signed:
Comrd Deezia Burabari Sunday
(APSUL Coordinator)

NO FAIR HEARING, NO NUC NOR ASSUU IMPUTES... THIS IS BROAD DAY ROBBERY

ASOCIATION OF PAST STUDENTS UNION LEADERS (APSUL), IGNATIUS AJURU UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
PORT HARCOURT

ASOCIATION OF PAST STUDENTS UNION LEADERS (APSUL), IGNATIUS AJURU UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION PORT HARCOURT, APPEAL TO HIS EXCELLENCY, CHIEF BARRISTER NYESOME WIKE THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE TO CONFIRM PROFESSOR J. B. KINANEE AS SUCH LAW PASSED BY THE RIVERS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ON TEN YEARS PROFESSORIAL EXPERIENCE FOR VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE INSTITUTION DOES NOT EXIST IN ANY UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA.

Considering the tremendous contributions and achievement of Professor J. B. Kinanee which ranges from human to infrastructural development, The Association of Past s Students Union Leaders (APSUL) Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Port Harcourt is appealing to His Excellency, Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, that as a man who support justice and fairness, he should not ascend to the bill pass into law by the Rivers State House of Assembly on ten years Professorial experience, as such law does not exist in any university of the Federation. Hence, such law is aimed at shortchanging merit and credibility with personal interest which is capable of springing uproar in the institution.
Professor J. B. Kinanee’s developmental strides cannot be over emphasized as his administration as the AG Vice Chancellor has added credit to the present administration of Governor Nyesom Wike. With the full accreditation of 23 programmes run by the institution, commencement of Post graduate Programmes, MOU with Lome Togo, four inaugural lectures which is first of its kinds in the history of IAUE and lots of other monumental achievements in the university. Hence the saying, “A Good Friday can be forecast from the proceeding Thursday” The Association of Past Students Union Leaders of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education therefore appeal to the Governor of Rivers state to encourage diligence and hardwork by confirming Professor Joseph Barineka Kinanee as the Vice Chancellor, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Port Harcourt. You don't look for very good where there is excellent... Prof J. B. Kinanee is an astute administrator, the students as well as the university community wants him to continue with the excellent work which he had started already.

Signed:



Comrade Deezia Burabari Sunday
(An Activist and Coordinator of APSUL)



Comrade Amadi Chibuzor Anwuri
(General Secretary APSUL)

A MOMENT AND A MEMORY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RITA IME

The tide recedes, but leaves behind bright sea shell on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gently warmth still lingers in the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains.
For every joy that passes something beautiful remains.

My life has been influence by many but the most special influential person is Rita Ime. She and her family provided me the shoulder to cry on, back then on my NYSC in Ibiono Ibom LGA, Akwa Ibom State.

She made me to understand that to love is to have someone special, to listen and care, to make special memories and then smile with #Pride. She also said to me, "friendship is not all about companionship, as it also include the gift of being able to build each other up and sharing heartfelt experiences and important moments of each others lives." Hence, we both shared our pains and sorrows, needs and happiness, and as well exchange deeds. She stood by me through thick and thin, everyday with her I l earn something beautiful anew. Though not every honest thought is full of truth, as bleeding honest hurt more than bleeding wounds, but she is a cornucopia of honest truth. Hence the tag- #Virtuos_Woman...

While walking today, I turned around and her face came into view, and I had a flash-back of the things that were spoken the day we both said #goodbye upon the completion of my my service (NYSC) year. Though the goodbye was ironical as we both swim in tears comfort, praying for a moment and a glorious day to come... Before I realizes my self, I have passed my bus stop. It was that little trans or flash back that reminded me that October 4, was the day #Rita_Ime cried out or arrived from her mother's womb into this 'Religious but Amoral society,' while others were dancing with songs of joy for journey mercies.

Thus, as an adopted Akwa Ibomite, who had long #Dakada beyond biases, I join voice with the family and relatives, love ones, friends and well wishers to say; #INEM_ISUA_EMANA (Happy Birth Day)... Lolzzz!

May the road rise to me you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your field.
Shine on my dear, and #AgeWithGrace... Amen.


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My little effort while on National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is never a waste as I received a copy of my publication while on service in ICHEKE Journal of the Faculty of Humanities. Vol 14. No 1, March 2016. Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

As an academia, whose scholarly interest ranges from Philosophy of Religion to African Philosophy, I have embarked on lots of research works, one of which, is the 'EKONG INITIATION RITES INTO ADULTHOOD AMONG THE IBIONO/IBIBIO PEOPLE OF AKWA IBOM STATE.' I carried out this research while on NYSC in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

I discovered that in every culture, traditional practices celebrate life-cycle which perpetuates community cohesion, and transmit values to subsequent generations. The Ekong Initiation Rites into Adulthood is a ritual ceremony that marked the transition from one phase of life to another; It is a tumultuous transition from adolescent to adulthood, with its inculcation of high moral standard among the youths in their teenage age with the provision of a forum for traditional civic education, through which the people's cosmology, tradition and customs were being taught.

The cultic involvement of the Ekong initiation rites was also an avenue were the leaders of these cults, as custodians of ancient wisdom, transmit much cherished love humility, responsibility and respect etc. to the community.

However, the value of Ekong Initiation Rites into Adulthood has been watered down to mere ceremony, as well as an embodiment of molestation, theft, discrimination, and distortion of economic, educational, social, political and Religious activities, allegedly perpetrated by the Ekong society through its masquerade.

This and several other issues surrounding the Ekong Initiation Rites into Adulthood Among the Ibiono People of AkwaIbom State attracted my attention. Hence the essence of this work to critically investigate the pains and gains of the Ekong initiation rites.

For more details or how to get a copy of the Journal contact me at burabarisunday@gmail.com
Or the editorial board at www.ichekejournal.com

CONGRATULATIONS!
Comrd Deezia Burabari Sunday
(To God be the glory).

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AMOR SPONSUM: AN AMAZING CONCEPTION


There was a time,
In the epoch of Bué-Luawii.
Within this period of conception,
Something amazing was in creation.
In the rent of a cool evening,
Stood the yellow moon observing,
As the wind ruffled the tawny pelt,
And trees stood wobbling in sober,
Speaking in pretense as the wind roared,
And psyche wrestled in loan of fears.

In the days of old,
When knight were bold,
When cock does not crow in odd,
Came the amazing creation,
And the cock crows,
Announcing to the wind,
The neonate introductory wail.
A record breaker?
They ask within.

Behold!
Was the signal of a queen birth with flair,
Crowd waiting in the wing,
To join in sing,
Amidst the joyous pains and fears,
She cried out tears,
In quest to know the unknown,
All replied with a powdering laugh,
Chanting:
Nwi-e-mea-e, Nwi-e-mea-e, Nwi-e-mea-e!

On a tide of blood, pains and tears,
With rainbow blessings and lullabies,
God calmed all fears,
With His goodness and mercies.
Her name was simple,
And yet meaningful,
It speaks parental whim,
Her name was;
"GOODNESS"

Lingering on the space of time,
Within the muddy banks of reality,
Waiting to grasp a tighter clasp,
Field seems barren in gallop clash,
All faith she grasp,
Like the root of a tree.
Within the circumference of lyrical toast,
Though wimped,
Is the lifting of glasses,
Celebration of an 'Angel of destiny'
But could there be a female Angel?
Lolzzz!

Like a black child,
Her birth pangs,
And struggle became her birthmarks,
Her passion burned into her heart,
It glowed like phoenix that never dies.
She is another kind of them but not like them,
She speaks rivers of hope,
A Compendium of knowledge,
An epitome of beauty.
Like a daughter of autumn,
And mother of the spring,
Very young at heart,
Strong and bold with an unbroken spirit,
She is indeed, a blessing to her generation.

Here is my trivial wishes,
Just to say;
Happy Born Day (Bon Anniversaire)
Age with grace.


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for more detail contact burabarisunday@gmail.com

THE PROS AND CONS OF "EKONG" INITIATION RITES OF ADULTHOOD IN IBIONO IBIBIO TRADITIONAL SOCIETY OF AKWA IBOM STATE.

BY

DEEZIA BURABARI SUNDAY

Abstracts
This Study Explores the Pros and Cons of
“Ekong’’ Initiation Rites of
Adulthood among the Ibiono-Ibibio Traditional
Society of Akwa-Ibom State.
In every culture, important traditional practices
exist which celebrate
life-cycle transitions, perpetuates community
cohesion, or transmits
traditional values to subsequent generations.
These traditions reflect
norms of care and behaviour based on age, life
stage, gender and social
class. The research methodology employed was
ethnographic and the use of
oral tradition. Existing literatures on the subject
matter were also made
use of in analyzing the subject matter in
question. The institution of
‘Ekong’ initiation rites of adulthood, the benefits
and effects as well as
the continuity and changes were examined.
Through this research, it was
established that despite the benefits of ‘Ekong’
initiation rites of
adulthood to the Ibiono traditional society, the
disadvantages tends to
outwit the benefits, with its enormous influence,
thereby creating
economic, educational, social, political and
religious effects on the
people, which has resulted to developmental
retrogression in Ibiono
traditional society. Therefore, one will
recommend that, while not adopting
the negative/harmful practices of ‘Ekong’
initiation rites, the good part
must be preserved and mingle with the modern
concept thereby maintaining
the peoples distinctiveness.

Good to hear...

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Encyclopedia of World Cultures Supplement | 2002 |
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COPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group, Inc. Ogoni.


ETHNONYMS: Khana

Shared by Deezia Burabari Sunday

The Ogoni live in an
area along the eastern edge of the Niger Delta.
Ogoniland, as this area is known, is to the
northeast of the Imo River, and the city of
Port Harcourt in Rivers State lies to the west.
The Ogoni homeland covers more than 400
square miles (1,036 square kilometers),
borders the Bay of Guinea, and features deep
valleys and gentle slopes. The region once was
covered by a thick rain forest but has suffered
from deforestation and pollution after decades
of aggressive oil exploration.
Ogoni oral history provides a vivid story of
the group's origins in the Niger Delta. The
version accepted widely by the Ogoni tells of
their migration from Ghana during a brutal
civil war. Although the dates are not specified
in Ogoni narratives, scholars believe that
archaeological and linguistic evidence
indicates that the Ogoni arrived in the Niger
Delta around 15 b.c.e. Ogoni history speaks of
an Ogoni woman named Gbenekwaanwaa
leading a group composed primarily of
warriors, spirit mediums, and medicine men
by canoe to the settlement of Nama. Some
people believe that this is why the Ogoni
describe themselves to others as Khana.
Demography. In 2001 there were an estimated
500,000 Ogoni living in Nigeria, a country
with more than 100 million people.
Linguistic Affiliation. In addition to English,
three distinct languages are spoken in
Ogoniland: Khana, Gokana, and Eleme.
Linguists trace these linguistic clusters to the
Cross River group of languages in the large
Niger-Congo language family.
History and Cultural Relations
Radiocarbon dating in and around Ogoniland
suggests that the Ogoni are among the oldest
settlers in the Niger Delta. Archaeologists and
linguists trace the Ogoni presence in that area
to 15 b.c.e. These estimates are supported by
references in Ogoni oral history to a "silent
trade" that many scholars trace back to the
fifth century b.c.e.
Ogoniland did not necessarily play a
prominent role in the transatlantic slave
trade, and there is little evidence to suggest
that Ogoni were enslaved.
When the British entered Nigeria and imposed
colonial rule in 1885, they left the Ogoni in
relative isolation. Despite indigenous
resistance, colonial rule was imposed on the
Ogoni in 1914. The Ogoni were not held in
great esteem by British colonial officials and
were neglected within the ethnically based
colonial social structure.
In the late 1940s the Ogoni successfully
fought colonial efforts to separate them into
groups and incorporate them into the existing
territorial divisions of Opobo, Degema, and
Ahoada. They also persuaded colonial officials
to grant them their own Native Authority, a
distinction that had been achieved by many of
Nigeria's larger ethnic groups years earlier.
However, efforts to preserve the traditional
communal system were stymied in 1956,
when the Ogoni were divided into three
separate county councils: Khana, Gokana, and
Eleme.
Their relationship with neighboring ethnic
groups was further strained a year later when
the Ogoni provided the swing votes for two
members of an opposition Nigerian political
party, the Action Group. That vote forced the
removal of two members of the Igbo-
supported ruling party in eastern Nigeria, the
National Council of Nigeria and the
Cameroons. However, conflicts over oil and
money have come to define the status of the
Ogoni in Nigeria.
Ogoniland was forever altered when oil was
discovered by Royal Dutch Shell in 1958. An
estimated 900 million barreis of oil worth
roughly $30 billion has been exported from
the area since 1958. The discovery of oil
placed the Ogoni people on a collision course
with forces interested in looting the resources
of their homeland. The World Council of
Churches estimates that since 1993 nearly two
thousand Ogoni have been killed and more
than thirty thousand displaced as a result of
conflict with Royal Dutch Shell and the
Nigerian government over oil exploration in
their homeland.

Economy
Subsistence. The Ogoni economy is based
largely on fishing and subsistence agricultural
production of foods such as yams and
cassava. Yams occupy a central place in the
economy. They not only are an important
source of physical nourishment but also have
tremendous spiritual importance in the
culture. The annual yam harvest is a time
when the Ogoni pay respect to the land on
which they live. However, oil reserves
dispersed throughout Ogoniland remain a
primary source of income for the Nigerian
government.

Commercial Activities. Oil exploration and
exportation is one of the chief commercial
activities in Ogoniland, but many of the most
impoverished residents of the area do not
receive the benefits derived from oil revenues.
Trade. The Ogoni played a major role in
commerce involving agricultural products on
the rivers and streams of the Niger Delta.
Although the origin of those commercial
activities is not known, scholars believe that
as early as the thirteenth century Ogoni
traders were using large canoes to carry
yams, plantains, palm oil, pots, and lumber to
sites along the delta. Ogoni traders ventured
into the hinterland and returned with salt
cones, medicines, copper rods, and iron bars
used to make daggers and knives.
Land Tenure. In precolonial times land was
used primarily to cultivate crops such as
yams, plantains, and cassava. When an
individual needed additional income to
survive, the culture allowed him to pledge
(bere) his land to someone else in exchange for
hard currency. The land was never sold
outright but instead was used as collateral
until the loan was repaid. While awaiting
repayment, the pledgee could use the land to
earn an additional income by cultivating
crops to sell at markets throughout the delta.
Sociopolitical Organization
Political Organization. Ogoniland is organized
around six major territorial kingdoms: Babbe,
Eleme, Gokana, Ken-Khana, Nyo-Khana, and
Tai.

Conflict. The discovery of oil in the Niger Delta
and throughout Ogoniland brought with it an
intense struggle over money, power, and the
right to self-determination. The Shell Oil
Company began exploring for oil in Ogoniland
in 1958. Since that time more than two-thirds
of Nigeria's oil has come from this region, and
oil exports from the Niger Delta constitute
more than 90 percent of Nigeria's export
income. As Shell and the Nigerian government
stepped up their efforts to export oil, they
came into direct conflict with Ogoni customs
and traditions. Ogoni leaders accused Shell
and the Nigerian government, led by General
Sani Abacha, of exploiting the Ogoni people
and their natural resources with little concern
for the social and economic impact.
Deforestation, environmental pollution,
unemployment, and destitution strained an
already tense situation. In 1990 Ogoni leaders
responded by forming a resistance
organization called the Movement for the
Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP). Doctor
Garrick Leton was elected as the group's first
president, Chief Kobani as its vice president,
and Ken Saro-Wiwa as its publicity secretary.
The poet and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa emerged
as one of MOSOP's most vocal and visible
leaders. He and other Ogoni leaders crafted
an Ogoni Bill of Rights that articulated an
alternative environmental, economic, and
political arrangement for the exploration and
exportation of oil in Ogoniland. MOSOP urged
Shell and the Nigerian government to adopt
more environmentally responsible methods of
exploration and share the immense wealth
generated from that exploration with the
Ogoni people. MOSOP is a selfdescribed
nonviolent movement, and its public protests
against the construction of additional
pipelines were met at times by fierce and
violent government opposition. Ogoni leaders
accused Shell of allowing its pipelines to fall
into disrepair, leaking oil and contaminating
the environment. Shell in turn accused the
Ogoni of deliberately sabotaging the pipelines.
On 4 January 1993, MOSOP mobilized 300,000
people, more than two-thirds of the Ogoni
population, for a peaceful protest against
Shell in the town of Bori. Ogoni Day, as it was
called, caught the attention of environmental
and political activists worldwide. After
consistent and intense pressure from MOSOP
and other nongovernmental organizations
around the world, Shell halted its operations
in Ogoniland in 1993. However, the company
returned a year later with support from the
Rivers State Internal Security Task Force
(ISTF), a special Nigerian military unit formed
specifically to suppress the activities of
MOSOP. Shell's return and the presence of
ISTF sparked another round of fierce protests
and public confrontations.
The conflict often turned Ogoni against Ogoni.
After an international tour designed to raise
global awareness of the plight of the Ogoni,
Ken Saro-Wiwa returned to Nigeria in late
1992 with the intention of mobilizing an
Ogoni-led boycott of the country's national
elections in June 1993. Saro-Wiwa's intentions
placed him in direct conflict with some of the
more conservative Ogoni elders, who
considered the boycott counterproductive. The
bitter struggle between the two factions
culminated on 21 May 1994, with the brutal
murder of four conservative Ogoni leaders in
Gokana Kingdom. Although international
observers argue that the crimes probably
were committed by a group of disaffected
youth, the Nigerian government accused Saro-
Wiwa and eight other MOSOP leaders of
committing the crime. While under arrest, the
Ogoni 9" were prohibited from seeing family
members and were denied access to lawyers
and basic medical care. Despite appeals from
international groups, Saro-Wiwa and his
fellow detainees were executed on 10
November 1995.
Conditions changed with the death in 1998 of
Nigeria's military dictator, General Abacha,
and the installment of a democratically
elected civilian-led government a year later.
President Olusegun Obasanjo's government,
working with Shell, has initiated development
projects in Ogoniland designed to clean up the
environment and bring money and jobs to the
Ogoni. In 2001 MOSOP actively participated in
hearings held by the Oputa Human Rights
Investigation Panel. They submitted the so-
called Ogoni 13 petition, urging the Nigerian
government to acknowledge the past and
accept responsibility for repression by past
regimes.
The following is an excerpt from the Ogoni 4
petition presented by Joseph Kobani, a lawyer
and the brother of the late Chief Edward
Kobani. "The Ogoni crisis .. . started with the
gross injustice meted out to the Ogoni people
dating back to the period before
independence. With the discovery of oil in
commercial quantities in Ogoni, the mindless
exploitation of this resource brought with it
myriads of problems including
underdevelopment and environmental
degradation. Regrettably no benefit accrued to
the Ogoni themselves from this resource.
Rather, the proceeds thereof were being used
to develop other parts of Nigeria. Ogoni sons
and daughters could not find jobs in the oil
companies exploiting this resource. Our
children could not even go to school where
such existed because we could not afford to
educate them. It was worse at the federal
government level. The sum total of this state
of affairs was that the Ogoni people became
an endangered species—in danger of
extinction."

Religion and Expressive Culture
Religious Beliefs. Christianity is widely
practiced in Ogoniland, but a number of
indigenous elements of Ogoni culture are still
present. The traditional culture places a great
deal of importance on the land, including the
abundant streams and rivers that run
throughout the region. Those streams and
rivers provide food and a source of spiritual
nourishment for the Ogoni. They are afforded
a good deal of prominence in Ogoni culture
and are worshiped by some as a god. The
Ogoni also believe that the human spirit or
soul can manifest itself in animals.
Arts. In the late 1940s the scholar M. D. W.
Jeffreys spent a considerable amount of time
investigating the Ogoni pottery industry.
According to Jeffreys's account (1947), the
women in the Ogoni community handled the
production and distribution of pottery.
Jeffreys described the pottery as being crafted
on a foot-operated turntable called the ladum,
a tool shaped like a saucer that stood on a
pedestal "about three inches in diameter and
two inches high." Upon completion, each item
was given a unique brand by the potter,
distinguishing the handiwork from that of
others in the community. Jeffreys recorded
more than forty-five different markings during
a visit to a pottery market in Ogoniland.
Although Ogoni pottery making was quite
common in the late 1940s, Jeffreys indicates
in his notes that the craft was rapidly being
displaced by the presence and availability of
large gasoline and kerosene tins that were
proving to be more adaptable to Ogoni needs.
For other cultures in Nigeria, see List of
Cultures by Country in Volume 10 and under
specific culture names in Volume 9, Africa
and the Middle East.

Bibliography
Cayford, S. (1996). uThe Ogoni Uprising: Oil,
Human Rights, and a Democratic Alternative
in Nigeria," Africa Today 43: 183-197.
Crow, Melissa (1995). 'The Ogoni Crisis: A
Case-Study of Military Repression in
Southeastern Nigeria," Human Rights Watch 7(5):
July 1995.
Endicott-Guthaim Gallery, Inc. (1975). Art of the
Ibo, Ibibio, Ogoni. New York: The Gallery.
Jeffreys, M. D. W. (1947). Ogon i Pottery," Man
47: 81-83.
Kpone-Tonwe (1997). "Property Reckoning
and Methods of Accumulating Wealth among
the Ogoni of the Eastern Niger Delta," Africa
67: 13-158.
Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People
(1992). Ogoni Bill of Rights: Presented to the
Government and People of Nigeria October, 1990.
Port Harcourt: Saros International.
Osaghae, Eghosa E. (1995). 'The Ogoni
Uprising: Oil Politics, Minority Agitation and
the Future of the Nigerian State," African Affairs
94(376): 325.
Saro-Wiwa, Ken (1968). The Ogoni Nation Today
and Tomorrow. Port Harcourt: Saros
International.
—— (1991). Nigeria: The Brink of Disaster. Lagos:
Saros International.
—— (1991). The Singing Anthill: Ogoni Folk Tales.
London: Saros International.
—— (1992). Genocide in Nigeria: The Ogoni Tragedy.
London: Saros International.
—— (1994). Ogoni Moment of Truth. Port
Harcourt: Saros International.

ALONFORD JAMES ROBINSON, JR.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
Robinson, Alonford. " Ogoni. "
Encyclopedia of World Cultures
Supplement . 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 7
Aug. 2016 <http://
www.encyclopedia.com >.

What is the right to life without the right to eat?
What is the right to breath without the right to clean air?
What is the right to rest without a quiet atmosphere?
What is the right to good health without good medicare?
What is the right to development without good education?
What is the right to patriotism without the right to participation?
What is the right to security without the protection of law?
In a word, what is freedom without substantive liberty?
And specifically, what is right to peace without the right to justice?

Congratulations to the Ogoni people for their courage in enforcing the United Nations Declarations on the Right of Indigenous Peoples, without fear or retreat.

4th ANNIVERSARY OF OGONI SELF GOVERNMENT DECLARATION AND RELATED ISSUES:

The Ogoni struggle was the first ethnic assertion on the claim to self determination of the second or more recent form of nationalism within the Niger Delta region
(Okwu 1994:98-118). The Ogoni Struggle was a struggle for physical
existence, environmental justice, resource control, political participation, self rule and POLITICAL AUTONOMY. The Ijaw followed suit by mid 1990s, by
seeking political restructuring that guarantee s the Ijaws, self rule, resource control, self development and regional autonomy within a true federal framework.

From the above analysis, the Niger Delta Struggle was a collective action aimed at ending discrimination and exploitation which arises from denial and violation of their human right by the Nigerian State. Such collective
action is pursued by resistance movement (MOSOP and
MEND etc) which emerge with an ideology based principle of self determination as a driving force for
ethnic autonomy. Hence, according to the author and father of resource control and self determination
campaign in Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa and the world minority at large, the environmentalist and human rights activist, KEN SARO-WIWA:

"The call for self determination was therefore a call to return to status quo ante colonialism. it was also a
rejection of indigenous colonialism which I have characterised elsewhere as cruel in the extreme,
insensitive and primitive..." (Ken Saro-Wiwa 1990:55).

Similarly, Rabl asserted, that self determination has evolved to mean that no people must be forced to live under domination or under a constitutional system which it does not agree to. Every people has the right to live within its own territory on external freedom and
international liberty (Rabl 1963 as cited Nawaz 1965:84).

Many people's around the glob are going through their own process of self-discovery more than ever before, these people seek liberation to "get back to their history" (Carley 2005:11). Thus, Deezia Burabari
Sunday asserted that self determination is liken unto the
Judaeo-Christian Religious demand, which among all other righteous law in the Bible, "LOVE" is chosen as the
cardinal demand of God. So do the Niger Delta demand for "Resource Control and Self Determination" is
perceived to be the only solution to the Nigeria's National Problem.

Hence, the group, Advocacy for the Actualization of Ogoni Freedom (AAOF) joyfully congratulate the Ogoni Nation on their 4th Anniversary of Ogoni Self Government Declaration. This declaration was made on August 2, 2012 by the Ogoni People through Dr. Goodluck Diigbo. The group also applauded Dr. Diigbo for his effort in keeping to the Ogoni Mandate (Ogoni Political Autonomy).

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Sign.......
Comrd Deezia, Burabari Sunday
(AAOF Coordinator)

KEN SARO-WIWA THE FATHER AND AUTHOR OF RESOURCE CONTROL AND SELF DETERMINATION.

Ken Saro-Wiwa is described as "THE AUTHOR OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR RESOURCE CONTROL AND SELF DETERMINATION" in Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.

To confirm the above assertion, Steave Mill (2005) opine that "the struggle of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni People propelled the Sierra Leon Club to look at global environmental protection in a whole new light..."

According to Alfred Ilenre (2005) he asserted that the Ogoni case is to serve as a model of what the peaceful struggle of ethnic minority should be in any nation...

Similarly, in the words of Kay Bishop and Glin Ellis, the asserted that he (Ken Saro-Wiwa) may be only 5 foot tall but he is the biggest man we have in Africa.

William Boyd confess that a writer who fought for his people and who gave his life for their cause...Such writer are very, very rare indeed.

Sole Soyinka in similar view asserted that..... I never really knew you, I cling to yours because I own a closer death, a death that dared elude prophetic sight. Dreams we all share, but close presentiment may hover round the head, invisible to all it most concerns. We had become immune to dread. Assailed by tutuous ways we eschewed the literal. The hopes was patient, a suspended sentence hung over him, named Moses of Ogoni land.

In the words of Ike Okonta, Ken Saro-Wiwa occupies a special place in African political historiography today precisely because he dared to break this deadly trap.

Sister Majella McCarron asserted the Irish media referred to Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni as inspirational, providing support for the cause of Irish local communities against multinational...

Nduka Otiono asserted that Ken Saro-Wiwa's experience has continue to nourish the consciousness of his various constituencies the literary, human and environmental rights and resource activists...

In the words of Vincent Idemyor, a man who was willing to give his life; a man who perhaps knew that it was necessary to force the forces of evil to kill him so that his people could be liberated. A man we call Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Gordini G. Sarah asserted that Ken broke a myth by using the platforms of literature and the mass media to give a ringing voice to the oppressed and exploited minority nations of the Niger Delta.

Nnimo Bassey added that, I saw in him, a writer who use every stroke of his pen to provoke and mobilise the people to build a health view of themselves and their heritage as well.... I was fascinated by his dogged determination to help the Ogoni regain sovereignty and dignity within the a bit of the Nigerian State.

Hence, I describe Ken Saro-Wiwa as the father and author of resource control and self determination. But the question remains, why has MOSOP, the vehicle for Ogoni freedom struggle goes in extinction. All other agitators and campaign organisations today imitated the footstep of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Thus, Ken Saro-Wiwa was an eye opener to Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
Ogoni People! Rise up and take up the mantle.

Comrd Deezia, Burabari Sunday
(Admin, Advocacy for the Actualization of Ogoni Freedom).

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