The Editorial/Publicity committee of National Association of Itsekiri Graduates (NAIG) has roll out the ITSEKIRI PERSONALITY with the so aim of rebuilding our confidence as an itsekiri for the future.this shall be done on monthly basis with a profile of men and women of itsekiris that has done us proud both in the past and presently.This would also includes statement,speech and Articles of Itsekiri friends all over the world.On ITSEKIRI PERSONALTY we shall be looking at brief history of the personality,Career and His Impact on itsekiri Nation.The first on the list would be a friend of the itsekiri Nation,known as Ahmed Bola Tinubu. REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN, HIS EXCELLENCY, ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU AT THE PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF ‘WARRI: A FOCUS ON THE ITSEKIRI’ HELD AT THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (NIIA) LAGOS ON FRIDAY, 02 JULY, 2010. His Excellency, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, GCFR Chief Allison Ayida, CFR, His Roya Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri, CFR, Ovie Ogharefe Akenzua Obazuwa, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu Hassan Adamu, Wakilin Adamawa CON, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Anytime Warri comes to mind I think of a great and illustrious history. I also ponder such names as Nana and Dogho Numa, men who exemplified faith in their people. They were men of fortitude and patriotism. They marshaled creative energies and the zeal of the Itsekiri people to etch their names in the eternal calendar of time. I also remember the recent past, with such men as the late Chief Alfred Rewane, a giant of a man who will remain a beacon of this age. He stood for all the qualities we seek in a hero; courage, selflessness, humanity and vision. From a young age, he cut for himself a path of rectitude and service, in enterprise; he was a Trojan Horse, turning nothing into wealth in an early age. He was also a humanitarian and philanthropist, touching lives from far and near with the largesse of his heart and pocket. In politics, he was incorruptible and above all, a relentless progressive. We cannot forget even if we tried, his role in the progressive movement of this country since his days in the Western Region under the great sage of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, without seeking a contract or pecuniary advantage for himself, he became a catalyst for some of the great and enduring achievements of the Region and Cocoa House to Airport Hotel. In the heady days of military, dictorship, he was a father figure, devoting enormous resources and wisdom to the struggle. He lost his life in the heat of this crucial moment of history. He was a true patriot in the august tradition of federalism in Nigeria. I also pay my tribute to Chief Allison Ayida, a veteran of many administrations, a tested technocrat and crisis solver and federalist. He has been a great resource to this country and a great Itsekiri son. I cannot think of Warri also without looking at the recent past when bloodshed and disputed replaces its image as a cosmopolitan, intensely commercial and peaceful city, with the famous appellation of the “oil-booming city” it had to do with disputes over land and history, over who owns the land and whose history is superior. That episode was marked by slaughter and slander, by fear and trembling, by plundering families and shattered businesses. It tested friendships, challenged memories of cordialities, wiped out homes and ruptured the innocence of communities. The nation for years was focused on this community where blood took over the metaphor of a people, like the Itsekiri, Urhobos and the Ijaws who were known for the colour of their attires, the rakish angles of their hats, the rhythms of their dance steps, their distinctive cuisines and, of course, the graced and inventiveness of their Pidgin English. I thought they all had a lot in common, and suddenly, war highlighted differences where harmony was necessary. As a Yoruba, I am conscious of my primordial ties with the Itsekiri. Nothing exemplifies this more than the language itself. The kinship may he denied in diet. We do not eat starch with banga soup. It may be denied in attire. Our hats are different today. But we cannot deny it in language, which is perhaps one of the deepest ways that historians and sociologists compare relations of cultures. The word Olu must be sufficient as a mark of primordial linguistic tie. That is why it is painful that there should ever be trouble in this place. The Ijaws and Urhobos also have strong ties with the Itsekiris dating back centuries. Harmony therefore pays. Blood and tears give us pains. Whatever the claims, it is imperative that an intellectual atmosphere rather than appeal to guns and violence should prevail. In histories of origins, cultural hubris sometimes takes over facts and facts can easily be coloured by historical partisans. What I seek is an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence, not partisan rancor. If there is rancor, let it not degenerate into bloodshed on the streets. The long history of coexistence means long history of intermarriage, intercourse of business and cultural exchanges and assimilations. If an Urhobo man takes on an Itsekiri man, he may not be sure that the Itsekiri is not his cousin, and vice versa. In many urhobos, you find Itsekirk blood, and vice versa. Ditto the relations with the Ijaws, the Isokos, the Ukwanis and so on. When we are born, we do not choose our ethnicities. God does that for us, and that means we belong to a single family, and that is the family of humanity. I come to call for harmony and intellectual engagement. I come to bury hatred and rancor. I come as a federalist. A federalist would call for ways of living together in peace. This should not forbid intellectual rigor. The abiding search for truth should, however, not suffer. Historians must do their work. Anthropologist must dig for the truth. The sociologist must seek facts. We cannot sacrifice inquiry and the human search for truth on my platter. We must, however, do so as a battle of minds for the goal to ennoble our lives. A society without thirst for knowledge destroys itself. It generates famine and famine leads to rage and death. What we need are rules of engagement acceptable to all. That should mean a summit of all groups in the spirit of federal tranquility. All stakeholders can come together and integrate blueprints, tackle rough edges, vent anger and frustration and see the common ground for generations to come. That is the spirit in which I come. Any where in the world where land claims and historical contradictions lead to internecine conflicts, scars linger. We know the consequences the last conflict here. We know that many families are still trying hard to bring back old ties. Some valuable properties have been lost. Many men and women are suffering in silence. Sources of income have vanished. Family patriarchs disappear. Children and women pauperized. Some lost years from school. These are damages of war. Some people became jobless and disoriented. The militancy of recent years was a result of the war. We need to go into a rebuilding mould. It is time for brotherhood, to turn our histories into balms of bonds and springboard to the future and catalyst of change. I know it is possible. There are strong men and women with great vision and humanity in the region, who can turn this age into another boom era not only in material terms but also in harmony and togetherness. ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos. 02 July, 2010.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 09:25:26 +0000
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