By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Itsekiri National Association in Canada, INAC, has urged Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to speak publicly and unambiguously in defence of peaceful coexistence and the legitimate rights of the Itsekiri people within his jurisdiction.

The group, however, raised the alarm over a planned attack on the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, by some elements in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, who are determined to prevent him from visiting Itsekiri communities in Uvwie.

The Olu of Warri, as part of the Itsekiri tradition, is to pay a royal visit to the Itsekiri community of Ugbolokposo, which is located in the Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

The INAC, in a statement signed by Fiogho Tonwe, President, Owen Fregene, Secretary, Tosan Eyide and Oritseweyinmi Adodo-obadoni, earlier, said such action as preventing a monarch from visiting his subjects at Ugbolokposo and other Itsekiri communities in Uvwie is a provocative action designed to inflame inter-communal tension for the sake of political visibility.

According to them, “the Olu of Warri has a legitimate and historic responsibility to his subjects wherever they reside, hence, a visit to Itsekiri communities within Uvwie that have co-existed with their Urhobo neighbours for generations

“It is neither an encroachment nor an act of aggression. It is the exercise of a sovereign’s duty of care to his people. To frame it otherwise is to distort history and manufacture grievance where none exists.”

While recognising the fact that not everybody in Uvwie endorsed the planned protest against the visit, the INAC condemned “those elements who have chosen to exploit communal sensitivities for personal relevance and political capital.”

The group also lamented the silence of the state government and the broader Urhobo political leadership as deeply troubling, saying that “at a moment when a clear, authoritative voice is needed to de-escalate tension and reaffirm the rights of all communities to practise their traditions freely, that voice has been absent.

“Silence from those in authority is not neutrality; it is, in effect, permission. It emboldens those who incite and abandons those who suffer the consequences.”

The INAC, therefore, called on Governor Sheriff Oborevovri “to speak publicly and unambiguously in defence of peaceful coexistence and the legitimate rights of the Itsekiri people within his jurisdiction.”

It also called on the leadership of the “Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and other Urhobo traditional and civic bodies to distance themselves clearly from those fomenting division, and to reaffirm the shared interest in peace that defines the best of the Urhobo-Itsekiri relationship.

“Security agencies, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security (DSS) to ensure that no harm comes to His Majesty, his retinue or the Itsekiri subjects he intended to visit and to hold accountable any individual who crosses the line from protest into intimidation or violence,” the group stated

The INAC called on “the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria to take notice, and where appropriate, to intervene in upholding the dignity and freedom of movement of recognised traditional rulers across Nigeria.

“The INAC stands unequivocally with our people at home. We are watching. The international community is watching. And we will not be silent when our heritage, our monarch, and our communities are subjected to intimidation dressed up as civic action.

“Peace is possible. It has always been possible. But peace requires courage from those in leadership, the courage to speak, to intervene, and to refuse to be silent when silence itself becomes a form of complicity.”