GROUP CALLS ON TINUBU TO CAUTION DELTA GOVT AGAINST PEDDLING MISINFORMATION

By Monday Peters, Abuja

A group under the auspices of the Focus Egbema Group has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently caution the Delta State Government over what it described as a deliberate attempt to incite ethnic crisis between the Ijaw and Itsekiri people in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

A statement jointly signed by the Central Coordinator of the group, Comrade Mingo Meshach Sayami Ogumaka, the group condemned a recent publication on the Spotlight Delta Facebook page, which falsely claimed that the Itsekiris were the major ethnic group in Warri North and misrepresented Ijaw monarchs as mere “clan heads,” while referring to the Olu of Warri as “His Majesty.”

The statement read, “The claim that Itsekiris were the majority tribe in Warri North is false and misleading. The Ijaw people are the majority in Warri North, and this fact is well-documented. Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori’s administration should know the actual demographics of his own state, and no official publication should carry false data,” the statement read.

Comrade Sayami stressed that the longstanding disputes between Ijaws and Itsekiris in Warri Federal Constituency had spanned over 30 years and were well known to successive Delta state governments. He accused the current administration of taking sides for political reasons, despite the Delta State Traditional Council laws clearly defining the status of every ethnic nationality’s traditional institution.

“Calling an Ijaw throne a clan head is not only insulting but also unlawful. Egbema Kingdom will not bow to intimidation or eye-service judgments. For over 20 years before the administration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Egbema people were marginalized. Although Okowa brought some relief, the injustice and deprivation have resumed under the current government,” Sayami declared.

The group noted that despite Egbema Kingdom’s position as a major oil-producing area and the largest Ijaw population in Warri North, the people had been denied appointments, projects, and government recognition.

They also referenced the recent Supreme Court judgment that nullified the existing wards and polling units in Warri North and other Warri LGAs as proof that urgent corrective measures are needed to ensure fairness.

“Egbema Kingdom’s throne is one of the oldest in Southern Nigeria and the biggest Ijaw kingdom in the Niger Delta. How can a tribe smaller than even one of our clans mislead the government into spreading false information? Governor Oborevwori has visited nearly every other kingdom in Delta State to commission or award projects, yet he has ignored Egbema. He did not even pay a condolence visit when our monarch passed. Truth is bitter, but it must be told — this hatred and bias must end. Egbema people deserve development and respect,” they added.

The Focus Egbema Group reaffirmed that Egbema Kingdom would never cede its rightful position to any ethnic group in Warri North after decades of suffering and marginalization, and urged President Tinubu to intervene to ensure peace, equity, and justice in Delta State.