…says anytime Ijaw installs an Okirika/Kalabari governor, Ikwerre should forget Port Harcourt
Leader of the Indigenous Igbo Congress (IIC) in Rivers State, Engr. Chimenu Amadi has lamented the ongoing ethnic and land boundary expansion by the Ijaw ethnic group, stressing that Ikwerre gave room for such actions through her long years of identity crisis and denial of Igbo identity.
Amadi, an Ikwerre activist and a believer of the Igbo union, lamented that not just Ikwerre but other Igbo clans with identity crises, like Ndoki, are gradually sinking into the hands of the Ijaw expansionist agenda.
Reacting to the recent Ijaw claims of ownership of Port Harcourt and installing their own chiefs in charge of that area, Amadi urged the Igbos in Rivers State to unite or watch themselves re-colonised by a people they are bigger than due to fragmentation.
DrumAfricanews reports that recently, Rebisi leaders rejected Waterfront ownership claims by Ijaw and condemned what they termed the unauthorised installation of chiefs in Port Harcourt, while Nkpolu Rugburodo Council equally set the record straight on Rumuoji lands, urging Ijaw to respect history and due process.
According to the leaders, the reference to “Abonema Wharf” is purely geographical, indicating a transit point for travellers, and does not confer ownership or ancestral rights.
They emphasised that the land in question remains historically tied to the Rebisi people of Port Harcourt.
To support their position, the council cited documented history, colonial records, and judicial pronouncements, including references to the 1913 Hargrove Agreement and Supreme Court rulings which, they stated, recognised certain settlers as customary tenants under Rebisi ownership.
The statement further noted that attempts to reinterpret the history of Port Harcourt or assign alternative identities to established communities are inconsistent with available records and long-standing traditions.
On the issue of chieftaincy, the council reaffirmed that the authority to install chiefs within the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area rests solely with recognised traditional institutions, in line with the laws of Rivers State and the customs of the Rebisi people.
They urged individuals and groups involved to refrain from actions that may disregard historical facts or established legal frameworks, emphasising the importance of due process and mutual respect among communities.
The council also called on the Rivers State government and relevant authorities to ensure that established laws and traditional systems are upheld.
In a swift reaction to what the elders said and did, Amadi described their actions as weak and fearful, stressing that such actions are not befitting for what is currently ongoing in Rivers State.
“You can see how weak this statement (rebuttal) sounds. Do you know how long it took the Ikwerre (Rebisi) people to come up with this weak and fearful statement after the Kalabari people installed a king in Obonema Wharf inside Ikwerre land?
“And to think that this powerless man is putting their resources together through that stupid IPO headed by Okachikwu to stop me from uniting the Indigenous Igbos of Rivers State under the umbrella body of the Indigenous Igbo Congress IIC is the most pitiable situation we found ourselves in as Ikwerre people. Shame on them all, but I will be their downfall in Rivers State.
Speaking on what is also happening in Ndoki, Amadi said, “Ndoki is gradually sinking into the hand of the Ijaw expansionist agenda. It’s even annoying that the few NDOKI comrades in the IIC unity movement are amongst the most unserious and carefree people I have ever seen.
In fact, amongst the Igbo extractions of Rivers State, NDOKI seems to be the most reluctant and individualistic and nonchalant people in Rivers State. This is my personal opinion based on my regular experience with them.
“If this trend of annexation of the NDOKI people continues in a few years to come, they would be completely annexed into believing that they’re Ijaw people like the Opobos and Bonnys currently claiming when historically they’re the ancestral owners of both Opobo and Bonny as Igbos.
“The Ijaws are not relenting; they’re spending a lot of money to induce the youths with appointments, contracts and massive funding aimed at grabbing the NDOKI Igbos in both Rivers and Abia states.
“Unfortunately the Igbo Nation, as usual, are still sleeping in their individualism mode of operation, snoring themselves to extinction with the hope that Ohanaeze Ndigbo will bring back every lost Igbo territory.
“In reality, Ohanaeze is helpless, doing absolutely nothing, I mean, nothing but going about discouraging people from supporting the IIC efforts in uniting these indigenous Igbo extractions.
When you don’t know what to do to unite Igbos, support those that are making efforts, not discourage them. This is a call for actions, or we might continue to lose more Igbo territories to the Ijaw expansionist agenda in the Niger Delta.”
