Tuesday 11 March 2014

THE SHREWD EXCLUSION OF ITSEKIRI ETHNIC NATIONALITY FROM THE 2014 NATIONAL CONFAB:

By Robinson Ariyo


We today welcome you all to another press briefing. Not too long ago, we had one, at which we decried the senseless killings of our brothers and sisters in the creeks by attackers identified to be Ijaw militia.
While we elected to pursue that in a civilized manner, we are still waiting for the wheel of justice to grind to a halt.
Today, barely 8 (Eight) months later we have again called on you to register yet another blow delivered below our belt; the difference on this occasion is that this is not coming from the Ijaw militia, but as you might presently be able to judge, it is coming from the Presidency and most likely with the conspiracy of the Governor of Delta State.
Let us be quick to respond here to those who will want to say that the Governor of Delta State is an Itsekiri man. Our response is that we should remember that the same Governor has not wasted any opportunity to emphasise the fact that he is a detribalised Deltan; a fact that has continued to show throughout his dealings with the people of the State.
To his credit therefore, he is not an Itsekiri but a hybrid. He is all the tribes in Delta State merged in one.
Now, the reason why we are here today!
  We were woken up to the sadness of the exclusion of the Itsekiris from the list of delegates scheduled to brainstorm on the details of a new arrangement for Nigeria at the National Conference set to commence on the 17th day of March, 2014. “How is this possible?” some of us have asked without any answer; not even a senseless one.
We recall that after several weeks of preparation, the Federal Government released the names of 483 prominent Nigerians who are expected to hammer out the details of how we are to live together as a nation after 100years of forced union.
  As expected, resource control and devolution of powers are key items on the agenda of the conference. Let us keep in mind that as at today, Delta State is arguably the topmost on the chart of oil producing states in Nigeria.
And it is not in dispute that in Delta State, the Itsekiri ethnic nationality accounts for the highest proportion of this national treasure. This fact the Presidency and indeed our detribalised Governor know very well.
With the conspiracy to exclude the Itsekiris from participating in this conference and the fact that over 20 delegates of Ijaw ethnic extraction are on board, Nigerians need to revisit the set of criteria finally chosen by the Presidency to make this possible. But first a few questions:
1.  What kind of rationality in the circumstances could be behind the complete exclusion of the ethnic group with the highest contribution of natural resource to the commonwealth?
2.  Why is it that the only time in the history of delegate conferences when the Itsekiris have been excluded happens to be when a Niger-Deltan became President of the country and an Itsekiri man who happens to be a detribalised became Governor of Delta State?
3.  Have the Itsekiris by this exclusion been segregated from Nigeria and allowed to discover their destiny?
     
Prior to this day, would any of us have imagined that a list of 483 delegates would be released by the Federal Government of Nigeria and there would be no single Itsekiri name? We are talking about 483 here! Even if we concede that 9 (Nine) more names are being awaited, we all know the criteria with which those additional names would be chosen and none of them will guarantee for sure the inclusion of an Itsekiri name.
But even if the criteria finally bring in one Itsekiri name as being suggested by some quarters, the questions continue:
1. Why is it that it is in the case of Itsekiri that we have to wait in panic until the last 9 (Nine) names are released?
2. Why is it that we have to agitate, shout and cry out before our dues are paid?
3. Is just one delegate if eventually allotted sufficient for an ethnic group that accounts for about 30% of the resource in issue?

We suggest that it is because in this instance, the selection criteria for the delegates were rigged from inception to favour one ethnic group above every other ethnic group in Nigeria.
Be patient, we will presently demonstrate this fact.
Early in the life of this Conference arrangement, it was clear that the preponderance of opinions was that selection of delegates be done along the lines of ethnic nationalities.
Renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze re-affirmed his position several times that representation to the proposed national conference be based on ethnic nationalities, which according to him is the “soul” of nation.

Despite the emphatic views of this erudite scholar and that of many other well-meaning Nigerians, the Presidency went ahead with a different selection strategy because to go along the line of ethnic nationalities will not allow the “discretion” that has sustained this mass scale of rigging.
The Presidency would not have been able to guarantee that Ijaws have the well over 20 slots which they now have. While the Itsekiris have none, Isokos and Urhobos have only about 3 jointly.
The cripple excuse given by the Presidency was that there are too many ethnic groups in Nigeria. We had anticipated this strategy hence we very quickly reacted in our representation to the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue/Conference in Benin City, Edo State on the 28th day of October, 2013. We quote:
The Dialogue/Conference should be composed of such number of delegates from ethnic nationalities officially recognised (gazetted) as an ethnic group by the Federal Government of Nigeria or by each of the 36 states in the Federation prior to the announcement of this conference; provided that no ethnic group shall be represented by more delegates than another ethnic group. I.e.
once an ethnic group has been selected on this basis from a state, that same ethnic group shall not be again selected as being from another state.
Delegates from each of these ethnic groups shall hold consultative fora with their constituents and collate views that will constitute their position at the conference.

At the level of the consultative fora, delegates shall ensure that the views of all segments of the group are heard and deliberated upon and the most popular of these are then documented as the position of the group.
Now that the Presidency has gone ahead to execute its strategy of lopsided representation of delegates to suit the President’s ethnic group, we call on all other ethnic groups in Nigeria to peruse the list of delegates against the alleged criteria and determine how much each has been cheated in this scheme before we proceed any further with the conference.
There is a proverb in our local dialect; “ The smell of fart will tell how the faeces will be”. We can now begin to perceive the outcome of this confab.
And as the latin maxim goes; “Nemo dat quod, Non habet” meaning; “you cannot give what you do not have” We will concern ourselves here with the very obvious cases of rigging as they affect Itsekiri.
1. Traditional Rulers
Here the Itsekiri Monarch meets the criteria but an Ijaw Monarch does too and so an Ijaw Monarch was picked by “discretion”
2. Christian Leaders
Here the Itsekiri Pastor who is probably the only person who has held the position of President of CAN and PFN simultaneously meets the criteria but an Ijaw Clergy does too and so an Ijaw Clergy was picked by “discretion”
A breakdown of the rigging per category:
1. Elder statesmen
-2 Ijaws
2. Retired Security and NIA officers
-1 Ijaw
3. Traditional Rulers
-1 Ijaw
4. Trade Union Congress of Nigeria
-1 Ijaw
5. National Women’s Societies
-1 Ijaw
6. Market women Associations
-1 Ijaw
7. Christian Leaders
- 1 Ijaw
8. Civil Societies
- 1 Ijaw
9. Nigerian Diaspora
- 1 Ijaw
10. People living with disabilities
- 1 Ijaw
11. Socio political/Cultural and ethnic Organisations
- 1 Ijaw
12. Professional Bodies
- 1 Ijaw
13. Senators Forum
- 1 Ijaw
14. Federal Government
- 3 Ijaws
15. Bayelsa State
- 3 Ijaw
16. Former L.G.A Chairmen
- 1 Ijaw

The above are the selection criteria that have enabled this degree of massive rigging which has not only short-changed other ethnic groups but has almost guaranteed the non-participation of a key stakeholder; Itsekiri.
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