Stakeholders in the Niger-Delta have emphasised the need for promoting peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups in the region and the country as a whole.
They made the call during the official launch of the maiden edition of the “Warri Boys Social and Welfare Society Lagos aka Warri Boys Association Lagos and the One Billion Naira Appeal Fund Raising” for the construction of a multipurpose complex in Warri.
The chairman of the Warri Boys Social and Welfare Society, Lagos, Mathew Ogagavworia in his welcome address, explained that the project was conceived in an effort to give back to the city of Warri that shaped them, as well as nurture its future by addressing some of its most pressing needs.
He highlighted that the one billion naira project, which he characterised as a beacon of hope would be a multifaceted hub that would serve three major purposes: a Drug Rehabilitation Center to offer a recovery path for those battling addiction; a Skill Acquisition Centre that would empower individuals with valuable skills for better employment opportunities and; a Back to School Unit meant to reintegrate out-of-school children back into education.
In his lecture, a Professor of English Literature and Literary Analysis, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, Hope Ehgagha, advocated for the return to the era of brotherliness and harmonious living among Niger Deltans, particularly the Warri and Sapele natives while citing the Okuama killings as one of the main effects of deep-rooted ethnic rivalry that is left to fester unchecked.
Though a native of Sapele, the Prof. admitted that Warri was as much his home as it was to its indigenes even as he stressed the need for all to put away the ‘strange’ rivalry and hostility that now existed between the two groups as well as among other ethnicities, which he didn’t witness and were practically nonexistent during his growing up days.
He affirmed that Warri and Sapele youths back in the days used to engage in friendly banters which he termed “warding” that went on to birth what is now known today as “stand-up comedy”. According to him, the exercise sometimes resulted in physical combats, verbal attacks and some forms of vulgarity but that was as far as it got.
“But we are all from the Niger Delta. The Sapele boy giving a lecture to an assembly of Warri boys is a clear indication of accommodation in the spirit of managing diversity, which is central to the theme of my talk today.
“The clue to my choice of “Managing Diversity in a Plural Society” as my focus of attention is in the invitation to give a lecture later conveyed in such terms as ‘we are inviting you, our guest speaker, to speak, to pick a topic relating to peaceful co-existence among our people’.
“And then, I asked some questions. How come, as a nation, we seem to have retrogressed in terms of peaceful co-existence? Why has there been a surge in ethnic intolerance in Nigeria? Is it not true that, as youths growing up in Warri and Sapele, we were practically blind to ethnic origins of the persons we chose as friends? What went wrong suddenly, that we have become less tolerant of each other? Why are our differences so pronounced that we are now seeking comfort in ethnic enclaves? Where did we as a nation get it from, despite our earliest hopes and aspirations?” the Prof. queried.
The twin-event which held in Lagos over the weekend, witnessed the attendance of dignitaries like the Group Executive Director of IBRU Organisation, Olorogun Oskar Ibru, with some other Royal Fathers including Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Flex Mujakperuo, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oboro Gbaraun 11, the Oroseun of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, Ogheneochuko Eyekpimi among others.
Representing the Royal Fathers, the Otota of Okere Urhobo Kingdom, Gold Eburu, illustrated the enduring hostility that exists among fellow countrymen and even individuals of same ethnicity while recalling how he sat next to a fellow Warri monarch at a gathering yet they refused to speak to each other.
He said: “I was a regent of Okere Urhobo Kingdom where the former Oroseun went on his ancestral journey. I was invited to an ocassion. I got there before the Olu. I sat down as a regent representing a kingdom. The Olu Warri came, along. Though I am a regent but I was standing in for a king. He sat by me, we were there for over an hour; we didn’t talk to ourselves.
“Where is his kingdom? Where is my own kingdom? Both of them in Warri, yet, we were not talking to each other. Is that how it should be? I believe that such occasions are occasions where people can even motivate their followers to begin to mend fences.
“I am not laying any blame on anybody but I am only saying that Warri that we grew up to know never knew who was an Urhobo, Itshekiri, Igbo, Hausa; that was the Warri we grew up to know.”
However, the Retired General took time out to appreciate the event’s Chairman, Rotimi Oluwagbemiga for embodying the true Nigerian spirit by discountenancing tribalism through his acceptance to chair the ocassion albeit not being a “Warri boy”.
“I want to thank you very much Otunba, for coming here to join us in this ocassion. I don’t know whether you are a Warri boy, or you are just a friend of a Warri boy. But just like you have come to show friendship with us, I want to tell you that even though I’m a Warri boy, I am also a Lagos boy; I’m one of your chiefs in Akeso Kingdom,” he added.
The event’s chairman, similarly, expressed great delight at the privilege to serve as the chairperson of such an “amazing gathering to lunch the 1 billion fund raising appeal for the construction of a multipurpose complex in Warri with a mission to empower individuals with the tools required to thrive.”
He emphasised that they’ve all gathered under the banner of Warri Boys Association (WBA), united by a common vision and a resolute determination to make a difference in their city back home in Delta State.
“Together these initiatives embody the spirit of WBA, a spirit of resilience, compassion and unwavering determination. However these goals cannot be achieved alone, it is through the collective efforts of each and everyone of us that this vision can make a real and lasting impact on the lives of those in need.
“So, humbly, I urge you to to join WBA’s noble cause to stand shoulder-to- shoulder as they embark on this journey of hope and transformation. Together a better tomorrow can be built for ourselves, our children and generations to come,” said Oluwagbemiga.
Meanwhile, Victor Enebeli, who represented the Chairman and CEO of the Ibru organisation, echoed his boss’ yearning to see the lost glory of Warri return such that it is transformed into a tranquil abode not just for its kinsmen, but also to all Nigerians and people from around the globe.
He said: “His heart is there in this project, because Olorogun Oskar Ibru is a homeboy, he’s always at home. And he asked me to say this: he is bitter with the way Warri is right now. Warri was one time the melting point for business and social life.
“Once upon a time, we are talking about Ijaw, Itshekiri, Urhobo and the rest. It was the unity that made it possible for people from abroad to come and establish, put up companies and they lived with us.
“Warri is not an Itshekiri or Urhobo land, it’s a small nation of Nigeria. Everybody come there, get married, settle their own business and they are comfortable. But now you cannot say that. It’s a real shame; it’s a big shame.”
“And Olorogun Oskar Ibru has asked me to say that whatever it is that you think for us to bring back that glory that it used to have, we should embrace it. That we should not just come here, give big talks, heavy words, eat, dine, drink and go. But at the end of the day, let the needle move and, let us see action,” he added.
