BY SUNDAY EGEDE- The Pointer
There are many ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and one of them is Ika. The people of Ika ethnic nationality are found in the Ika Federal Constituency which is made up of Ika North-East and Ika South local government areas of Delta State. There are 11 autonomous kingdoms within the ethnic nationality and each of them is headed by a traditional ruler who is the supreme custodian of the cultural heritage of his people.
As a result of the need to promote harmonious co-existence within and among the various strata or components of the Ika nation as well as to encourage the spirit of love, unity and mutual understanding of all Ika ethnic indigenes wherever they are, the Onu Ika Nigeria was formed by the progressively minded sons and daughters of Ika nation. The Onu Ika Nigeria was also formed to enhance and protect the public image of Ika people generally among others.
The vision of Onu Ika Nigeria, no doubt, is to become the mouthpiece and platform for the promotion of the interest and core values of Ika ethnic nationality and by the same vein, its mission is to promote, nurture and sustain the identity of Ika ethnic persons within the Delta North Senatorial District otherwise known as Anioma geopolitical zone of Delta State within the context of the federal republic of Nigeria.
Since the Onu Ika Nigeria was formed about 17 years ago, it has obviously lived up to its expectation in bringing the people of Ika nation together through the annual Ogwa Ika designed to provide a veritable platform where matters impacting on Ika social life, culture, tradition, education, health, progress and general welfare of sons and daughters of Ika nation are deliberated upon.
Only recently, the 14th Ogwa Ika which featured the 13th Ika Ka Mma Annual Lecture was held at the Ika National Hall, Agbor, headquarters of Ika South local government area of the state. In his goodwill message to the people of Ika nation during the ceremony, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan called on them (the people of Ika ethnic nationality) to use their annual gathering (‘Ogwa Ika’) as a platform for promoting greater cohesion, understanding, love and amity among the different communities in Ika land and within individual communities as well.
The governor who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, Dr. Festus Okubor, noted that the call had become necessary in view of some worrisome developments within Ika land, adding that “there is growing intra-community differences and that of kidnapping in the area”.
According to him, with the annual gathering of Ika people, differences should be narrowed, better understanding should be firmly agreed upon, methods of making youths in Ika to engage in more purposeful and productive ventures and becoming watchdogs of good conduct among themselves should be worked out while elders in individual communities could have a mechanism to leverage on this unity that ‘Ogwa Ika’ and ‘Ika Ka Mma’ annual lectures are all geared to attain.
While urging the organizers of the programme (Onu Ika Nigeria) not to relent in their efforts aimed at promoting socio-cultural, economic, environmental and educational development among the Ika people in particular and the nation in general, he said “the theme for this year’s lecture ‘Environmental Degradation: The Need to Pep up Standards for the Ika People’ is quite appropriate as it is in tandem with the environmental programme of our human capital agenda”.
Continuing, Uduaghan said “as a body, you (Onu Ika Nigeria) are in a vintage position to lead the advocacy for change of attitude towards deleterious environmental practices among our people”, adding that he was drawn to this year’s lecture because of his special interest in climate issues.
“It is my hope that at the end of this lecture, we should have succeeded in giving human face to environmental issues, empower our people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promote an understanding that even our local communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues like bush burning, deforestation, converting drainages to waste dumps, erecting buildings on drainage channels, illegal wood logging among others”, the governor stated.
Speaking further, he said that the state government, in pursuit of its three point agenda, remained committed to sustainable development of the entire state “including the fulfillment of the traditional obligation of providing an enabling environment for the peaceful operation of the private sector, pointing out that Ika land has always been known for its disposition towards peace, industry and commercial enterprise of its sons and daughters including well respected and great farmers.
As a state and people, Governor Uduaghan said, we assure all investors that our hands remain wide open to welcome them into the state. “As a state, we have sustained all our environmental programmes which were put in place by my administration. Much has been achieved but we need all the co-operation and understanding of all our people to withstand all the ravages that climate change may bring”, the governor added.
In his remarks, the Chairman at the occasion, Chief Andrew Nwadike stated that with the intensification of oil exploration activities in various locations in Ika land, the prospects of worsening environmental degradation would be compounded. With such marginal oil fields in parts of Abavo, Agbor, Owa and Ute Okpu Kingdoms, Nwadike said, exceptional proactive measures have to be adopted in order to avoid the likely collateral environmental damages whose consequences could be both intimidating and devastating. “Let crude oil drilling in Ika land bring us peace, blessing and prosperity rather than doom and devastation”, he added.
Speaking further, the Chairman submitted that after a careful forensic audit and rigorous definition of the Ika Nation, the compound name “Ika Ibo” does not exist, saying that you are either Ika or Ibo and not both. According to him, Ika Ibo was merely coined as a protective mechanism for our brothers and sisters across the River Niger during the civil war years, adding that “the clarification becomes very compelling as a device to avoid a gross display of ignorance on the part of our children and grandchildren”.
While applauding members of Onu Ika for their resilience and passionate commitment towards sustainable socio-economic and political development of Ika land, he stressed the need for a symbiotic relationship between them (members of Onu Ika) and the political class from Ika ethnic nationality, pointing out that such a synergy would make for mutual inclusiveness and compact.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Head of the collective leadership of Onu Ika Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Usifoh said that the current leadership of Onu Ika had resolved to resuscitate the dying Ika language as one of the strategies to reinforce the unity of Ika people and clarify their opaque identity among the Anioma people and the Nigeria nation at large.
Usifoh who spoke on a number of strategic focuses of Onu Ika Nigeria, called for the reactivation of animal rearing and the planting of economic trees in Ika land even as he cautioned on the double edge effects of crude oil and gas exploration, adding that the people of Ika nation should be more security conscious.
Delivering the 13th ‘Ika Ka Mma’ annual lecture which has “Environmental Degradation: The Need to Pep up Standards for the Ika People” as its theme, an Associate Professor of Geology in Delta State University, Abraka, Edwin Ozor Adaikpoh defined environmental degradation as a process through which the natural environment is compromised in some way, thereby reducing biological diversity and the general health of the environment.
Adaikpoh said that “this process (environmental degradation) can be entirely natural in origin or it can be accelerated or caused by human activities”, adding that many international organizations have recognized environmental degradation as one of the major threats facing the planet.
On the role of government in controlling environmental degradation, he said “government should ensure that all industries are located far away from cities; enforce strict laws for pollution control in industries as well as vehicles and ensure that all industries set up waste treatment plants”.
Continuing, the lecturer said the public should be educated on the causes and effects of environmental degradation, pointing out that it was of utmost importance for communities to ensure that Memorandum of Understanding were not violated by exploration bodies “and when cash compensation is made, the projects desired must be executed”.
