Ijaw Nation And The Pharoah Who Did Not Know Joseph

WISDOM ONIEKPAR IKULI 

The title of this piece is coined from the story of Israelites that is recorded in the book of Exodus 1:8.

In the above story, Joseph who was a prisoner miraculously rose to the exalted position of Prime Minister in Egypt despite his nationality as a stranger.

The privileged position bestowed on him a lot of privileges and opportunities because of the love that the then Pharaoh had for him.

The brothers of Joseph who had earlier betrayed and sold him to slavery but were later forgiven, totally forgot their past history and experiences. Instead, they began to behave like the Epicurean philosophers.

Epicurean philosophers had a common believe that they sermonized and sloganized about. They often said “Let us eat, drink and make merry for tomorrow, we shall die”.

They never encouraged the culture of saving for the rainy day.

While the brothers of Joseph were merrying, the Pharaoh that loved Joseph died. They thought nothing changed that it would be business as usual. But to their surprise, a lot of things changed overtime. While they expected friendliness and peaceful coexistence, hostility became the order of the day. And, while they were still hopeful that things will change, suddenly the Egyptians turned all Israelites to slaves.

The new Pharaoh did not only choose to ignore or disregard Joseph’s past help to Egypt, he decided to enslave all Israelites.

The above simply means that even though the Egyptians never liked the unimaginable privileges and opportunities that Joseph and his people enjoyed, they decided to keep quiet because of the undiluted love that the then Pharaoh had for Joseph. They only waited for the end of his reign.

One of the central and inherent messages and lessons is the fact that no kingdom or king reigns forever.

While Ijaw Nation share some similarities with the Jews, Ijaws who are among the oldest inhabitants of the area now designated as the African continent are a blessed people. They are blessed with abundant human and natural resources. They are productive and highly resourceful. The average traditional Ijaw man is very hospitable. They are truthful and very trustworthy.

But unlike the Jews/Israelites, Ijaws have never been conquered or enslaved by their neighbours.

As a matter of fact, the British imperialists decided to balkanize Ijaw territories into smaller units out of jealousy and envy of the abundant human and natural resources in Ijaw land. They also did so in order to weaken Ijaws that they felt were too strong and powerful.

The Egyptians succeeded in enslaving the Israelites because they were carried away like the Epicurean philosophers.

Again, it is either the Israelites of those days did not had planners and strategists or they relegated them to the background.

We can liken the above story to those of Ijaws and Ikwerres. While Ijaws were enjoying prevalent rights, privileges and opportunities in Rivers State, Ikwerre people on the other hand were planning.

The Ikwerres had short term, mid-term and long term plans.

In the past twenty years or thereabout, Ikwerres who were hitherto relegated to the background politically and economically in the old Rivers State are presently dominating and dictating everything in the new Rivers State.

In our contemporary democracy (1999 till date), they have remained the vocal voices and most relevant stakeholders from the geographic Niger Delta region (South South geopolitical zone) at the federal level.

In 2014 and 2019, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was appointed the Director General of General Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation.

He served as super Minister in the Buhari administration. While he was controlling everything regarding Rivers State at the federal level, another Ikwerre man, Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike was the Governor of Rivers State.

In 2023, two illustrious sons of Ikwerre land: Amaechi and Wike contested the presidential primaries of the two leading political parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP respectively. They both came second out of the various highly placed aspirants.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would have won the 2023 presidential election if he had chosen Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike as his running mate due to the grand conspiracies and internal sabotage against Bola Ahmed Tinubu by his then APC leaders.

Today, while Chief Wike is like the beautiful bride in APC because of the excellent work he is doing in the building of FCT and also weakening opposition, his brother, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Esq. is the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The implication of the above is that, head or tail, Ikwerre socio-economic and political interest remains highly protected.

Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom state and present Nigerian Senate President is also promoting, projecting and protecting the interest of his people that they are positioning strategically without making noise.

Before now, Akwa Ibomites were despise. Then, Akpabio whose intelligence and high level of resourcefulness was identified by His Excellency Obong Victor Attah came up with his reformation and uncommon transformation agenda.

Overtime, Akwa Ibomites who were house maids, groundnut sellers and others were transformed to best wife materials and Chief Executive Officers.

Today, they are dominating in most of the International Oil Companies (IOCs).

Akwa Ibom state is presently one of the most developed states in Nigeria. Most federal government conferences, private sector conferences and even some states take their conferences to Uyo due to the beautiful and peaceful nature of the state.

Barr. Godswill Obot Akpabio was introduced to Governor Obong Victor Attah.

Attah never looked at the young age of Akpabio then, rather he saw the vision of the young man. That singular patriotic gesture of Attah has rewritten and changed the destiny of Akwa Ibomites.

In Delta State, the First Lady of the federation is deliberately positioning her people strategically without making unnecessary noise.

In my dream, I would have pondered and even believed that Ijaw Nation is bewitched. But as a researcher and renowned student of history, I will hold otherwise because the missing link is very obvious. They are easily identifiable.

Lack of unity of purpose, relegation of intellectualism to the background and total disregard for strategists are the basic problems of Ijaw people.

Joseph was a dreamer. He had great vision. He was also a strategist. But his brothers had problems. In their shortsightedness, they squandered everything their brother saved and also destroyed the goodwill that he built overtime because of their high level of unproductivity.

Ijaw National Congress (INC) is supposed to be the mouth with which Ijaw Nation can mobilize Ijaw people all over the world. It is supposed to be the platform to strategize, network and also ginger Ijaw people when they are weak.

Sadly, no one can tell the exact position of things in the INC.

Look at the Yorubas. While their political elites play politics, they don’t ever compromise their advocacy and socio-cultural bodies and groups like the Afenifere, O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC), etc.

Afenifere, OPC and others at all times play individual and collective roles for the common good and betterment of the Yoruba Nation.

No focused and visionary people monetizes or commercializes it’s apex socio-cultural organizations.

INC is supposed to remain the conscience of Ijaw Nation. It is supposed to coordinate, mobilize and manage the Think-Tank and Intellectual Reservoirs in Ijaw Nation.

Ijaw Nation will be doomed if it monetizes and commercializes her apex socio-cultural organization.

The Modern State of Israel that was established in 1948 is very powerful because it learnt from it’s past mistakes. Powerful and patriotic individuals like David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), Golda Meir (1898-1978), Ze’ve Jabotinsky (1880-1940), Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952), Theodor Herz (1860-1904) and other visionary zionists worked and fought for it’s actualization.

Ijaw kings like King Fredrick William Koko of Nembe, King Amachree (Amakiri) of Kalabari, King Ibanichuka of Okrika, King Jaja of Opobo, King Perekule of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Akalisuo of Engenni Kingdom and other first generation powerful Ijaw kings did not only fought against exploration and exploitation of the abundant natural resources in Ijaw land, they fought to protect Ijaw territories and also preserve Ijaw ethnic identity and dominance.

The second generation of Ijaw emancipators like Chief Ernest Sisei Ikoli, High Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Chief (Sen.) Dr. Melford Obiene Okilo CFR and others engaged in intellectual struggle to preserve Ijaw identity, ensure Ijaw unity, secure Ijaw territories and also protect Ijaw economic and political interest in the independent Nigerian state.

Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro deployed intellectual and gun diplomacy to promote, project and protect Ijaw economic and political interest.

While the contemporary Niger Delta cum Ijaw struggle leverages on the same Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro pattern, patriotism, selflessness, unity of purpose and other key ingredients seems to be missing.

Under the watch of the present political, religious and traditional leaders of Ijaw Nation, may no part of the Ijaw Nation be seceded directly or indirectly to any tribe. May the present crop of leaders in Ijaw land resist any attempt to allow the subjugation or relegation of Ijaw Nation beyond her position as the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria.

The Sir Henry Willink Commission Report designated Ijaw as the fourth largest tribe amongst the over 250 tribes and ethnic groups that were hitherto independent empires, emirates, nations and kingdoms before the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914.

The United States of America Embassy in Nigeria reaffirmed the above position in their 2012 report on tribes and ethnic groups in Nigeria.

I therefore urge Ijaws in Rivers, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Imo and others to go back to the drawing board.

On the other hand, Bayelsa State which is the Jerusalem and Headquarters of the Ijaw Nation must continue to play her role as the home of Ijaw people all over the world.

Finally, Ijaws must go back to work. Ijaws must assemble a body of Think-Tank and outstanding Strategists to plan and strategize so that it can regain her pride of place amongst comity of tribes and ethnic nations.

We must bear in mind that the United States of America as the World Policeman has never stayed a distance from the drawing board.

Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli, 
A Critical Stakeholder in the quest for a united and more prosperous Ijaw Nation.