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Don't Cede Itsekiri to Ondo, Group Warns

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
December 5, 2004
Posted to the web December 6, 2004

By Dan Gumm

ITSEKIRI National Youth Council, INYC, has appealed to the National Boundary
Commission not to allow itself to be used to cede part of Itsekiri land in
Warri North Local Government Area to Ondo State.
The Itsekiri group advised the agency to retrace its step and not allow
Itsekiri towns and villages which include Aja Edun, Uba-Ijekere, Molume-Oyibo,
Eketie, Eke-Kporo, Ugbege, Ebokiti, Oweleba, Ototo, and 50 other communities to
be ceded to Ondo State.
The group in a statement in Warri said it would not accept any of Itsekiri land
being ceded to Ondo State for any reason, saying that "in Delta State, we have
consistently resisted same tendency and we should not give up irrespective of
the sources and those involved."
INYC in the statement signed by Daniel Ireyenieju, national president, advised
the National Boundary Commission to instead adjust all the boundaries of
Itsekiri land of Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West local government
areas into Ondo State. "This," according to them "would be welcome by the
Itsekiri as against this partial one balkanising their land."
The Itsekiri youths also appealed to their Yoruba kith and kin to prevail on
the Ondo State government to "forget this evil dream of forceful acquisition of
Itsekiri land," adding that, "the Afenifere and Yoruba Council of Elders must
fulfill their traditional responsibilities and historical responsibility
towards the Itsekiri by prevailing on Ondo State to halt the dream of acquiring
Itsekiri land before it is too late." Continuing, the statement said: " The
attention of the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) has been drawn to moves
that has reached an advanced stage to cede part of Itsekiri land in the present
Warri North Local Government Area to Ondo State using the National Boundary
Commission as the arrowhead."
"If this is fully accomplished, it will translate into the fact that the
Itsekiri would have been fully balkanised into Delta, Edo and Ondo states as
against today's situation whereby Itsekiri are fractionalised into Delta and
Edo states, despite the smallness of our population within the context of
Nigeria's demographic configuration. "This plan which has almost been fully
hatched from information available to us, involved both the Delta and Ondo
state governments using the platform of the National Boundary Commission.

   

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