Ijaws Claim To Most Populous Ethnic Group: Don’t Cause Disunity In Delta, Says Keston Okoti

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC and former member of the Delta State House of Assembly for Udu Constituency, Hon Dr Liege Lord Keston Muhammed Al-Amin Okoro, has taken a swipe at the Ijaw nation for daring to claim demographic superiority in Delta state, which ordinarily is Urhobo state.

This, he added signals a plot to undermine Urhobo in the coming years if Urhobo fail to wake up and continue to dictate the pace and political direction.

Reacting to a statement from a Delta Ijaw APC Stakeholders meeting hosted by former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe to the effect that ‘Ijaws must work together as a united Ijaw people to maximize our population advantage being the most populated ethnic group in Delta State’, Chief Keston Okoro declared that Delta Ijaw people were already referring to Urhobos as fools and that the time for Urhobo to wake up and see the Ijaws as foes and not as a friend is now.

His words: ‘’Naturally, it’s my thinking that it God’s design for the Urhobos, Ndokwas, Isokos, Itsekiris, and Ijaws etc ethnic nationalities to hail from Delta State and we are all brothers and sisters as we intermarried hence it is expected for us to live together as one big family but that doesn’t mean we should not know our boundaries.

‘’If the Ijaw people of Delta State fail to acknowledge the demographic superiority of Urhobo in the state which ordinarily is an Urhobo state, then Urhobo must think deeply and see the Ijaws as a threat to their political wellbeing. An Ijaw man as Governor is a threat to Urhobo well-being and this must be seen in that light. In 1999, Urhobo population in the state was more than 50 per cent. Politics has reduced Urhobo to a little less than 50 per cent but not less than 40 per cent. For Ijaws who are less than 20 percent of the state population to be claiming population superiority even with an Urhobo man as governor is enough signal for Urhobo to be wise.

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‘’It is now clear, that Ijaws are planning to chase an Urhobo governor from office in 2027. They can’t even wait for 2031 for Urhobo to complete the 8 years for power to shift to the south. An Ijaw man as governor of Delta state will make Urhobo to face existential threat in the future. They are even flaunting the positions they were able to grab for themselves all because of the advantage they had in producing a president for 6 years, a position that did not benefit Urhobo in any way.

‘’The Ijaws are a very selfish set of people. They groomed a Tompolo under the Jonathan presidency who is now harvesting so much from the government having been positioned by Ijaw leaders for the privilege of securing pipeline protection contracts. Aside from that, there is nothing exceptional about Tompolo other than the violence they provoked in the creeks. The federal government’s decision to allow the main thieves to guard and regulate crude oil theft is understandable and has conferred some superior advantage in controlling violent agitations in the creeks.

‘’If a slave living in a community with bonafide indigenes grow up and start dragging landed properties with the bonafide indigenes then they will have no choice than to make that slave realize immediately that he or she was bought to the community as a slave so he does not cross boundaries with indigenes. Bendel State was created by one hundred percent (100%) aggregate vote of the Urhobos which later give birth to Delta State 

‘’Let me also warn very sternly that Ijaws should not provoke Urhobo. The music being played by them is not sweet to the ears of any sensitive Urhobo patriot. The Oil and gas assets like gas plants and other huge investments in Urhobo land can face challenges if the federal government continues to patronize the Ijaws and give strength to them to the detriment of other ethnic groups in the state. Seriously if an Ijaw man as governor will reduce Urhobo to nothing and Urhobo must be on their guard and never be taken off guard. The Ijaws are up to something and the statement from that stakeholders meeting must be viewed with all seriousness.

‘’That the gods are silent does not mean they should be served with water in place of well brewed drink. Urhobo does not deserve the knock on the ehad that the Ijaws are presently throwing. Urhobo head is too big for a knock on the head.

‘’In the past elections Hon. Minister Godsday Orubebe was the Director General of APC Campaign Organization, how many votes did Ijaws give to the APC? The Ijaws did not even afford 5% of the total vote APC got in the state but Delta central brought the highest votes while Udu, Ughelli South and North federal constituency was the only constituency that deliver their 5 over 5. Now we can see you boasting of gains and achievements under the administration you contributed nothing or little to bring to power. Pipe line surveillance contract to the Ijaws, Amnesty to the Ijaws, Nigeri Delta River Basin Authority to the Ijaws. At the state level, water way security head is also Ijaws. This is a clear case of MONKEY DEY WORK BAMBOO DEY CHOP.

‘’Convening a meeting for the unification of APC members of Ijaw to speak with one voice is not a bad idea. If you plan for proper prosecution of the 2027 general elections is also commendable but that should not be to the detriment and to demean others. This is because it’s incumbent on true patriotic APC members in the state to fall back to their various wards, LGAs and constituency to launch a campaign of unification so as to strengthen the party in the state to achieve the objectives and goals of the party at all levels.

‘’In as much as we support the move to unite the party ahead of 2027, we must also guide our paths and interest so as not to throw stones and cause more harm, distrust and disunity amongst ourselves through selfish and self-centered flaunting of ill-gotten political harvests.

‘’Urhobos are exclusively in the 8 LGAs of Delta Central, then Patani and Warri South LGAs, while Ijaws are in the waterlogged Burutu, Bomadi, Warri south-West, and part of Patani, Warri South and Warri North. How can the people living in scanty, waterlogged or swampy villages with a handful of inhabitants claim population advantage over Urhobo people with more towns and cities than villages? This provocative claim must be viewed seriously and Urhobo should be on guard because the Ijaws seem not to have good intentions for peace in the state’’, Hon Dr Liege Lord Keston Muhammed Al-Amin Okoro added.