Indigenes and residents of Oboghoro, like these of greater than a number of Itsekiris who inhabit their rural and riverine communities, deserve all of the adornments of a fairly good, wholesome life to which at greatest they’ve meagre (and even lower than meagre) entry. This was one lengthy thought that entered my thoughts and stayed there for a pleasantly very long time after I persuaded myself to cruise there earlier than the Christmas that has simply handed. As a matter of reality, time after time, the main points of the wealth of Oboghoro-land are encouraging and nourishing to the loyal pleasure of each true Itsekiri patriot – though within the distant previous what there’s now in Oboghoro was not what was there.
The place is Oboghoro? It is a vital Itsekiri Royal Group in Warri North Native Authorities Space of Delta State. It might solely be reached by way of the ocean and rivers within the Kingdom of Warri. Itsekiri historical past has it that the city was based by Crown Prince Ijala at about 1740 AD on the heels of ethical disapprobation – which envy and jealousy engendered. This very tiny little bit of its coming into being – or of what led to the founding of the city after Prince Ijala departed Ale-Iwere for the explanation already acknowledged ought to fulfill the curiosity of those that are understanding or listening to about Oboghoro for the primary time.
Geographically talking, Oboghoro is situated as an island within the egregious sea which inhabits the overwhelming majority of Itsekiris, the denizens of the magnificently rich Kingdom of Warri. However as egregious as the ocean has been from timeless time, the Itsekiri folks, universally acknowledged as a folks, an ethnic minority of quintessential intelligence, have very efficiently learnt find out how to nonetheless the ocean (and rivers) and tame their marshy land to their benefit.
With respect to Oboghoro of Ijala specifically I’m not hesitating to cite with pleasurable pleasure for this column’s teeming readers the next truthful and factual historic and geographical comment of acute business and financial significance: “The historic truism that Oboghoro was the emporium and business gateway to the Benin River was evidenced by the presence, within the days of yore, of corporations like Harris & Co, Douglas Stewart, Millers Brothers, James Pinnock &Messrs Horsfall. In the middle of the event of the New Face of Oboghoro, Mass of Cash, which have been the currencies utilized in authorized tenders within the pre- and post-colonial eras have been unearthed on the Oboghoro River financial institution, the place the retailers have been berthing their boats,…”
In fact, issues have since modified for the folks of Oboghoro and descendants of Ijala. However they’re decided, very decided, that their very wealthy and rich land should regain all that they’ve seemingly misplaced to the vagaries of Nigerian political independence that dropped at the fore over time the incorrect species who to all intents and functions should not – and can’t be – stars of the folks and of their respective communities.
Ceaselessly, I used to be regaled with optimistic tales of some Oboghoro folks, and the final “Ijala descendants who intersperse a number of communities spanning throughout Warri north, Ethiope west, Okpe Native Authorities Space of Delta State, the Ikara of Edo State, in addition to Ondo State” who by quite a lot of means are loyally and patriotically dedicated to tilting the ethical economic system of the land on the favour of all. The future of Oboghoro of the trendy time is the future that ought to comply with the form of Dubai.
“That have to be the brand new imaginative and prescient.” I recall vividly an indigene of Oboghoro telling me this someday in August of our rotten 2024 – properly earlier than the considered visiting the favored Itsekiri city visited me. However totally different emotions of antagonism welled from totally different locations of my portion as a human being and a Prince of Warri: can Dubai go to Oboghoro from the United Arab Emirates? Will highly effective elites from inside and out of doors our land, and from inside and out of doors our Niger Delta territory out of envy and jealousy enable this to occur? Will the parvenu personalities and personages about city not really feel threatened and encourage and nourish and nurse “skepticism in regards to the legitimacy of personalities” that will push them apart?
On Thursday, 19 December, 2024 after I boarded the speedboat within the firm of my usher/conductor mandated by my chief host at Oboghoro to convey me there unfailingly, the above sensations obviously articulated themselves in me. Our cruise began from Sapele within the brilliant cool morning.
When my usher conducting me to Oboghoro wished to know what was happening in my thoughts, I merely answered that we weren’t cruising in Tinubu-like yacht! My conductor, a really clever and seasoned Barrister-at-Legislation, replied me with a wholesome guffaw! A few of the different individuals who have been in our speedboat shared my sentiment jocularly, however significantly once they have been within the know of what transpired between us.
I went additional: why did the president not grant Warri Kingdom (and the Niger Delta together with Ilaje-land) the privilege to utilise the stupendous amount of cash gotten from us to develop our land? Or is the cash not ours? And should we as a minority folks proceed to languish in ache and penury as a result of we don’t have the ability and privilege that almost all teams who’ve the ability and privilege have?
Should we proceed to undergo on this nation that’s wickedly skewed in opposition to us, and that’s divided between the haves and the have-nots who’re the pure and providential homeowners of their pure wealth? And what does Tinubu really want a yacht for? We deserve extra – we the much less given homeowners of our pure wealth.
As we cruised to Oboghoro I may see within the expansively expansive mass of water and the inexperienced vegetation all about us the true which means of being a riverine or water folks. The longitude and latitude of the mass of water rendered me speechlessly speech-less. For properly over a number of many years I’ve been an absentee waterman, an absentee riverine denizen – not any longer starting from Thursday, 19 December, I promised – and nonetheless promise.
We arrived at Oboghoro earlier than Atuwatse 111, CFR, whose go to climaxed and terminated the top of the actions that the Oboghoro neighborhood partook in for 3 months constantly at Atuwatse 111’s palace in Warri. The Warri ceremony was Ghigho Aghofen (“which is a ceremonial watch-keeping of the Olu’s palace by communities inside” the area of Atuwatse 111, whose imaginative and prescient for Itsekiris and Warri Kingdom is the imaginative and prescient of visions).
I don’t want to dwell extensively on the occasions at Oboghoro on the mentioned 19 December (and different days as much as 24 December) for strategic causes which the columnist is chest-keeping.
After the collection of cultural dances by totally different ethnic teams that graced the event within the spirit of concord, I went on bodily communion with Oboghoro the Dubai of Itsekiris within the making.
Our host-in-chief, Dr. Godwin Ebosa, a person I understand, rightly or wrongly, as one particular person and personage of few phrases born to stardom however prefers to be effaceable, was in his aspect of components. He clearly is on a really agency floor in Oboghoro the place he and his crew patriotically conceive for the city its present image and what it’ll be sooner or later that’s the future.
The personalities and personages from totally different walks of life that have been visitors at Oboghoro have been personalities and personages certainly, however I have to skip their names and identities – minus Chief Brown Mene who gave us the Olu’s phrases that marked the enormously forward-looking monarch of monarchs’ tremendous Royal attributes. My boyhood chum, the ever radiant Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and his elder sister Chief Yemi have been equally current as a son and daughter respectively of Oboghoro. It was one thing that was greater than one thing for us to satisfy and see once more after centuries!
I left Oboghoro “the Dubai of Itsekiris” in excessive spirits and with fond recollections. I shall return.
Afejuku might be reached by way of 08055213059.
