“Rivers Not 6th Igbo State”, INC Cautions Politicians To Stop Inciting Ethnic Crisis

By Akinwale Kasali

The Ijaw National Congress, INC,  Worldwide, has raised alarm over alleged plots by mischievous politicians and enemies of Rivers State to incite ethnic crisis in the State.

The Group further urged the people of the State to desist from listening to people fanning the embers of hatred and crisis, saying that statements capable of causing ethnic crisis in the state should be avoided.

The National Publicity Secretary of INC, Worldwide, Chief Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, made this appeal in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Oyakemeagbegha said his advice follows assertions in some quarters that Rivers is the 6th Igbo state.

He said the statement was misleading as it does not reflect the true situation in Rivers.

He said the fact that an Ikwerre indigene emerged the President General of a `faction’ of Ohaneze Worldwide does not confer the status of 6th Igbo state on Rivers as claimed by one Ikwerre indigene.

“The INC ordinarily would not have responded to such reports if not for the fact that such publications can mislead the gullible reading public.

“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.

“Rivers population currently has more than 50 per cent as Ijaws. There are also other ethnic nationalities like Ogoni, Ekpeye, and Eleme.

“Concede that there are people within the lkwerre ethnic nationality who trace their origin to the Igbo ethnic nationality.

“The fact still remains that they are infinitesimal as some historians within the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality are daily disputing their ties to the Igbo,” he said.

He said similarly, it would be unjust for Ijaw nation to claim ownership of States by mere fact that such States contain Ijaw population.

“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.

“Also that Prof. Benjamin Okaba, the President of INC is from Delta, does not automatically convert it to Ijaw state.

“Ijaws lay claim only to Bayelsa as an Ijaw State simply because it is predominately occupied by the Ijaws. The fact of geography, history and ethnic web does not lie.

“Ijaws are not ready to concede any inch of their land to anybody. For those who have little flair for history, ljaws are known never to bow to anybody,’’ Oyakemeagbegha said.