A forum of Itsekiri indigenes under the aegis of Iwere Consultative Forum has appealed to the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III and elders of the Itsekiri Nation to make concerted efforts to restore a sense of unity and trust among the people of the kingdom.

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Lamenting that unity has taken flight amongst the people, the forum in an open letter to the royal father and made available to newsmen in Abuja recently, insisted that the unity of the people is not negotiable.

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The kingdom has been enmeshed in a chieftaincy crisis following the disagreements that trailed the selection of the sitting Olu of Warri, Tsola Emiko as Olu designate and the subsequent suspension of Chief Ayiri Emami as Ologbotsere of Warri and Chairman of the Olu Advisory Council.

Emami has since gone to court to challenge his suspension.

The letter of appeal was jointly signed by the Chairman of the forum, Prince Clem. Ade Omotoye and Secretary, Prince Arubi Ajofotan, described the recent development in the kingdom as unfortunate and embarrassing to the Itsekiri Nation.

They expressed concern that the interest of the people of the kingdom should be paramount in the ongoing chieftaincy faceoff, arguing that there have not been enough consultations in some of the actions, attributed to the throne.

“The question that comes to mind is, where are the Olu traditional advisers – the Chiefs? Where are his handlers, confidants etc?

“We feel that the Ologbotsere matter should have been handled differently, with more circumspection and with more regard to Itsekiri integrity.

“The present spat between Chief Mene Brown and Prince Yemi Emiko does not augur well for some parties in the existing legal suits. We feel it does not spell well to the foundation of the coronation.

“We will for subjudice not comment further on this matter even as we feel that it may be near impossible to involve the members of the peace committee in any Itsekiri enterprise in the foreseeable future flowing from the event of Friday 14th and Sunday the 16th days of April, 2023.

“Is the experience of Erejuwa II whose legitimacy on the throne was never questioned not enough for the Itsekiri people, at least, as a cautionary tale?

Again, where are the traditional “advisers” and or the “handlers” of the Olu?

“We want to note here that the situation in our Kingdom is moving at a frightening pace that something should be done fast to ameliorate real and perceived wrongs and misgivings.

“Again, we must understand that Ogiame is not sovereign. He, like other traditional rulers in Nigeria, is not guaranteed special protection by the Constitution in a democratic setting, as we have in the country today. His powers are at the behest of Itsekiri, Ogiame is the Lord of the people but Itsekiri own the Ogiame (mini Igbo, Igbo mini). His powers are derived from Itsekiri. Over time, the powers have been delicately poised to enjoy the loyalty of the people. It is this loyalty that the Olu must strive to maintain for the crown to continue to be relevant.

“Unlike in the past, the Olu does not have power over life and property. The relevance of Olu is dependent on his disposition, fairness and appeal. We must remind ourselves, again, that the place of an Olu and indeed all traditional rulers in Nigeria today is under the Local Government Chairman. This makes it imperative to be extremely conscious, calculating, wise, fair, just, trust trustworthy equitable, but not overbearingiven the aggressive nature, expansion tendencies and bellicosity of our neighbours, the crown and the people cannot get it wrong. Our neighbours friends, well-wishers, foes and indeed the world are watching the Ogiame and us. It is our sincere belief that the charade and drama are enough. The crown should not be doing anything to compound existing problems. The challenges are not insurmountable if only we have the desire to make peace and reconcile every aggrieved party. The acrimonious environment is toxic and is a breeding disaster.

“Itsekiri cannot afford a divided nation even as it appears that our neighbours have overtaken us in every sphere. It does not need a soothsayer to posit that we may be heading towards doom or extinction if something positive and radical is not done quickly to harness, harmonize and unite the Itsekiri nation. “Nothing and nobody is too big for the cause. It is for the survival of the crown, people and land of the Iwere Nation.

“On a final note, it is our humble advice that His Majesty be wary of perambulators and or praise singers on royal corridors scavenging for royal recognition coming with different negative stories about other Itsekiri.”

Inferring to the perceived marginalisation of recognized chiefs in the Warri Kingdom, the Forum admonished His Majesty Ogiame, Atuwatse III to accord certain chiefs the rights and privileges already accorded them in the custom and tradition of the Warri Kingdom.

“The only constant in nature is change, tradition will evolve and Itsekiri traditions, mores and practices will change and be “modernised” with time. However such modernization will not come by fiat or through the actions or proclamations of a “sovereign” or “monarch”. It will come by suasion, consultations and consensus. The traditional ruler, therefore, foisting such change on the people by way of fiat may have consequences.

“It is with the above in mind that we draw the attention of His Majesty to some of his conduct that he must necessarily pay attention to in order not to be seen as a traditional ruler having no regard for the tradition of his people thereby threatening his relevance.

“Ogiame is occupying our traditional stool and must, therefore, adhere and be seen to adhere to the tradition and culture of the Itsekiri people.

“We observe with dismay how Ogiame sits as a King on the throne while the Olori sits side by side with him as a Queen, this to our mind is a misnomer. Weare still battling researching kingdoms all over the world with both a King and a Queen at the same time. Traditionally speaking, the Olu sits on the throne as “Okparan” while being flanked (with reasonable space) by Ologbotsere to the right and Iyatsere to the left as “Ori-Eni” without more.”

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