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DELINEATION: “EXERCISE IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND MORAL; NO MORE SUPREMACY, BUT BROTHERLY COEXISTENCE” – IJAW GROUP TUTORS ITSEKIRIS
Warri, Nigeria – July 16, 2025: The Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency have issued a bold and historic statement declaring full support for the ongoing delineation process by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a long-awaited correction to decades of historical distortion, political marginalization, and territorial misrepresentation.
In a strong worded release,the stakeholders challenged the legitimacy of Itsekiri land claims and monarch authority, asserting that the truth of Warri’s founding peoples and rightful landowners can no longer be buried beneath colonial narratives and elite manipulation. Read full release:
“PRESS RELEASE
“Issued by: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
“Date: 16 July 2025
“HEADLINE:
“THE LIE IS DEAD, THE LAND SPEAKS: DELINEATION IS HERE TO STAY, AND SO IS THE TRUTH
“TO WHOM MUCH LAND IS GIVEN, MUCH LIES HAVE BEEN TOLD
“For decades, a small ethnic group has wrapped itself in borrowed robes and built castles of influence upon swamps of fiction. The Itsekiris, by a mix of colonial favoritism, media mischief and oil-backed lobbying, have projected themselves as landlords over a territory they neither founded nor truly occupied in majority. They have distorted maps, fabricated history and declared themselves monarchs over a land that was already thriving with Ijaw and Urhobo civilizations before Ginuwa ever arrived at Ijala, an Ijaw town, not an Itsekiri creation.
“But history does not remain silent forever. The ground speaks. The creeks cry out. The people rise. And the truth long suppressed under the boots of colonial policies and oil politics has finally found its voice through facts, maps, judgments, census data and the awakening of ancestral memory.
“Today, we declare without any iota of doubt that the delineation of Warri Federal Constituency is not only constitutional, it is a moral correction, a historical rebalancing and a political rebirth.
“THE TRUTH HAS BEEN UNSEALED: KEY EXPOSÉS
“No Land, No Numbers, No Legitimacy
“Let it be told loud and clear, the Itsekiris have no ancestral claim over the majority of Warri land. From Gbaramatu to Ogbe-Ijoh, Okerenkoko to Isaba, these lands were never under the control of the Olu of Warri. In fact, Colonial Officer M.C. Smart (1933) stated explicitly:
“There is no historical evidence that the Olu or his agents exercised political control over Gbaramatu or the Forcados River areas.” (Intelligence Report, NAI CSO 26/2 27036)
“Census data also exposes the demographic fraud. While the Ijaws and Urhobos number in the hundreds of thousands, Itsekiris barely make up 5% of the population in Warri Federal Constituency. Their loud voice is not from the people, it is from privileged positioning and outside funding.
“The Manufactured Monarchy and the Fake Crown
“Until 1952, the title was simply “Olu of Itsekiri” a modest title rightly confined to a small ethnic domain. But in a colonial act of deception, the name was changed to “Olu of Warri”, creating the illusion of sovereignty over a land never owned.
“The Itsekiris were not the first settlers of Warri Division. Their claims to exclusive ownership are historically baseless.” — Prof. E.J. Alagoa, Niger Delta Oral Traditions and History
“That title change was resisted by Urhobo and Ijaw leaders of the time. Today, we renew that resistance and we demand the immediate reversal of the title back to its truthful form.
“The Ward Delineation: A Verdict of Justice
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after due consideration of population density, indigenous habitation, and administrative justice, has undertaken the constitutional exercise of delineation. The Itsekiris, sensing the exposure of their long-standing fraud, now resort to blackmail, media lobbying and legal stalling.
“But the game is up.
“We affirm that the delineation result must be announced. It is not just a democratic exercise, it is historical reparation.
“It was once said:
“In the past, the man has been first; in the future, the system must be first.” — Frederick W. Taylor
“Falsehood may run for years, but truth walks in one day and takes over the house.” — Ijaw Proverb
“The greatest injustice in the Niger Delta is not oil theft — it is land theft.” — Late Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” — Amos 5:24 (Holy Scripture)
“OUR FINAL ADVICE TO THE ITSEKIRIS
“Enough of the media manipulations. Enough of the legal distractions. Enough of clinging to a throne built on quicksand. You cannot hold the majority hostage forever.
“We advise you: accept the truth and let justice reign. Coexistence is possible but not at the cost of false supremacy. You are not landlords. You are not founders. You are, by all historical accounts, tenants who must now learn to live in truth or be remembered for lies.
“CALL TO ACTION
“We call on:
“INEC: Proceed without fear or favour. The delineation must be concluded and gazetted.
“The Presidency and National Assembly: Stand firm for constitutional equity.
The International Community: Monitor the manipulation tactics and support indigenous land rights.
“The Nigerian People: Reject false narratives. Support the voice of history.”
Sign:
Chief Tiemopere Joshua (President)
Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime (Secretary)
Ijaw Stakeholders
IJAW STAKEHOLDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
As the struggle for the truth and equity intensifies, the Ijaw Stakeholders have urged INEC to act boldly and without fear, while calling on the federal government, international observers, and Nigerian public to support a rebalancing rooted in constitutional fairness nd historical facts. With the tides of history turning, the statement concludes with a passionate appeal: coexistence remains possible-but only on the foundations of truth,not illusion.
LATE CHIEF BETHLEHEM INGO,
Bebefiyewei of Grand Iduwini Kingdom,
“A Voice Lost Forever”
It’s been 21 years, yet the name Chief Bethlehem Ingo still echoes with respect and warmth.
We join in remembering a man whose legacy lives on through the voices of those who still say, “He was a good man.”
Iduwini people lost a voice in the demise of the Bebefiyewei that personified Spokesmanship.
Chief Ingo’s memory remains alive in the lives he touched, in the battles he worn, in the legacies he bequited.
🕊️ Rest on, the Great Chief Beth Ingo. You are missed by Odimodi, Iduwini, Ijaw nation — today.. always.
_From all of us at IduwiniVoice_
By Daire Pere-ebi
Things happen everyday, and some are terrifying. Tale of hardship, moshaps, joy, goodwill, etcetera. But what if you’re told that in a tale of extraordinary endurance and resilience, British couple Maurice and Maralyn Baily survived nearly four months adrift in the Pacific Ocean after their yacht was fatally struck by a whale in 1973.
The couple had set out on a dream journey across the Pacific, having sold their home in England to embrace a life of seafaring adventure. Their voyage aboard a 31-foot yacht, Auralyn, took a devastating turn in Mar h 1973 as they sailed westward from Panama, near the Galapagos Islands.
In the early morning hours, a sperms whale collided with yacht, tearing open the hull. Within minutes, the Auralyn was beyond saving. The Baileys escaped into a small inflatable raft and dinghy, managing to retrieve a few essential items – some canned food, fishing gear, a compass, and a solar still. With no radio or emergency beacon, they were cast into one of the most remote parts of the Pacific, with little hope of immediate rescue.
What followed was an unimaginable 118-day survival ordeal. The Baileys battled the searing tropical sun, saltwater scores, dehydration, and hunger. They relied on collected rainwater for hydration and fashioned rudimentary tools from safety pins and yacht remnants to catch fish, turtles, and even birds. Their bodies withered from malnutrition, their clothing deteriorated, and their nights were filed with uncertainty as distant ships passed them by, unaware of their desperate situation.
Despite the hardship, the couple remained committed to surviving together. Climbing to each other through frigid nights and burning days, they pushed through the extremes of isolation and physical suffering.
Salvation finally came on June 30, 1973, when a South Korean fishing vessel spotted them and pulled them aboard. The Baileys, frail and emaciated but alive, were taken to Hawaii for recovery.
Their harrowing experience, later detailed in their memoir 117 Days Adrift, drew international attention and became a symbol of unbreakable human spirit.
Remarkably, the trauma of their ordeal did not deter them from the sea—they returned to sailing, their passion unshaken by the vast ocean that once nearly claimed their lives.
The Baileys’ story remains one of the most compelling sagas of survival ever recorded, a testament to courage, love, and sheer willpower against the unforgiving forces of nature.
Credit: Weired, Wonder, and Amazing Things
By Favour Bibaikefie
Abuja, Nigeria – In a commendable display of appreciation, ‘Gen.’ Dennis Kpaidia, leader of the Tantita Odimodi Unit, has lauded the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro (PhD.), for his unwavering commitment to peacebuilding and leadership development in the Niger Delta.
This follows the commencement of a three-day day intensive training programme on Peacebuilding, Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Mediation, organised by the PAP in collaboration with the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Abuja.
The training, held in the Federal Capital Territory, brought together selected youth and community leaders from various communities across the Iger Delta. The initiative forms part of the reintegration phase of the Amnesty Programme, aimed at equipping key stakeholders with tools for the effective leadership, dialogue, and nonviolent conflict resolution in order to forestall imminent intercommunity crisis.
Speaking to IduwiniVoice, Kpaidia expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Otuaro over what he described as a “visionary leadership style that prioritizes the growth and peaceful coexistence of the region.”He noted that such training sessions are vital in deepening participants’ understanding of conflict dynamics and in strengthening local structures for sustainable peace.
“This training has opened our eyes to new methods of resolving disputes peacefully and building consensus in our communities. I thank Chief Dr. Otuaro for investing in our future of the Niger Delta youth and for giving us the tolls to lead rightly.” Kaidia State.
The peacebuilding programme is expected to continue over the next two days, with sessions facilitated by security and conflict resolution experts, mediators, and development professionals from both civil and military backgrounds.
As the region continues its journey towards lasting peace and sustainable development, initiatives like this stand out as evidence of the evolving impact of the Presidential Amnesty Programme under Dr. Otuaro’s stewardship.