The Ijaw National Congress (INC) Worldwide has issued a stern warning against what it describes as attempts to misrepresent Rivers State as an Igbo state, cautioning against statements that could incite ethnic tensions.
The INC’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, released a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, denouncing claims circulating in some quarters that Rivers is the “sixth Igbo state.”
“The INC ordinarily would not have responded to such reports if not for the fact that such publications can mislead the gullible reading public,” Oyakemeagbegha said.
Oyakemeagbegha specifically addressed assertions made following the emergence of an Ikwerre indigene as the president-general of a faction of Ohaneze Worldwide, emphasizing that this development does not redefine Rivers as an Igbo state.
“For the education of our people and the entire reading public, the INC wishes to state categorically that Rivers, as currently populated, cannot be referred to as an Igbo state,” he said.
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He pointed out that more than 50 percent of Rivers’ population comprises Ijaws, alongside other ethnic groups such as Ogoni, Ekpeye, and Eleme. While conceding that some within the Ikwerre ethnic group trace their origins to the Igbo, Oyakemeagbegha argued that these claims are disputed even within the Ikwerre community.
“The fact still remains that they are infinitesimal, as some historians within the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality are daily disputing their ties to the Igbos,” he stated.
Oyakemeagbegha warned against the notion that having Ijaw populations in certain states grants the Ijaw nation ownership of those territories. He drew comparisons with other states that have Ijaw populations, such as Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom, none of which are claimed as Ijaw states.
“For the sake of clarity, the fact that Ijaw exists in states like Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Abia does not make such states Ijaw states,” he explained. “Ijaws lay claim only to Bayelsa as an Ijaw state simply because it is predominantly occupied by the Ijaws.”
The INC also reaffirmed its stance on defending Ijaw ancestral lands, describing any attempt to “annex” such lands as unacceptable.
“Ijaws are not ready to concede any inch of their land to anybody. For those who have little flair for history, Ijaws are known never to bow to anybody,” Oyakemeagbegha declared.
He further reminded the public of the Ijaw people’s historical resistance to colonial conquest, emphasizing that the community’s defiance remains intact.
Oyakemeagbegha concluded by urging all stakeholders to desist from statements capable of causing ethnic tensions in Rivers. The INC, he said, would continue to resist any attempt to distort the ethnic and historical realities of the state.
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