Determined to assert themselves, Niger Delta residents in Lagos launch a platform to foster unity and rub minds on issues of common interest, Head, News Desk, VICTOR EBIMOMI, reports.
“Those of us that are out of our states of origin are never recognised by our host states. This is as a result of non-cooperation or what I will describe as ‘babel tongue’ syndrome. We have the Hausa as Arewa; the Igbo as Ndigbo; the Yoruba as Oduduwa or Afenifere. But the Niger Delta has no group to fully represent its people. Everybody to himself, God for us all syndrome is what is prevailing with Niger Delta people.”
With these seemingly sermonic words from Bishop Lawyer Edema, the bell announcing the need to forge a stronger tie among the Niger Deltans resident in Lagos State was literally sounded.
The head of Pillar of Truth Faith Mission, Lagos, made the call at the launch of the Lagos State chapter of Niger Delta Empowerment Association, of which he is the chairman.
The event, which took place at the auditorium of the Church at Ojo, in Ojo Local Government Area of the state, drew people across the six states of the Niger Delta region which comprises Akwa-Ibom, Balyesa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo and Rivers. And those who spoke at the well-attended event expressed the same deep concern about the fate of their brethren in the state. Specifically, they lamented that for long, they have been sidelined in the scheme of things, particularly in Lagos where they have a significant proportion of the total population and contribute a lot towards the development of the state. Consequently, they resolved that henceforth the trend has to be reversed. They however noted that the only route to get out of the marginalisation closet is by speaking with one voice and act as one family.
Given an instance of the series of the alleged marginalisation suffered by the Niger Deltans in state, the cleric noted that “since the inception of politics in Ojo Local Government, the post of the Vice Chairman has become the exclusive right of the Igbo people”, despite that there are a good proportion of other ethnic groups, especially Niger Deltans.
He however did not heap all blame for the shortcoming on the relevant authorities, but shared it among his people, maintaining that it still boils down to lack of unity among them.
“It ought not to be so but because the Niger Deltans are not united, nothing is kept for them except only to come out and vote. They call us that we are voters and not politicians; I think that assumption is wrong and should be corrected”, he said.
Away from politics, Edema said the association intends to focus more on reviving the cultural values of the Niger Deltans outside their region so that those values would not go into extinction or be subsumed by the culture of their host communities. Besides, he added, it would be fully involved in the welfare of the members through empowerment and rendering of helping hands in terms of need.
“The association is non-political but out to salvage our people from the shackle of poverty and to redeem our lost cultural stand within the community of people. Today the Niger Delta youths cannot speak their mother tongue. Lingua extinct is fast eating deep within the region. Today, the Niger Deltan foods are no longer eaten or cooked by the youths; they say it is old fashioned. The traditional dressing is a taboo to the youths. We borrow anything that comes our way because we are not united.
“But this gathering is historic because Niger Deltans are waking up from their slumber to come together as one indivisible body. We are here today to witness the birth of new-born baby. I expect each and every one of us to pray for the child to mature to carry the vision of his father in Jesus’ name,” he explained.
Rev. Emmanuel Ohenrin, who was the chairman of the occasion, echoed the words of Edema, saying the purpose of the association was to unite the Niger Delta people in the state to speak with one voice, identify with one another wherever they live as well as galvanising them to take their rightful place.
On the political scene, he added that apart from coming together to empower one other, the association also intends not to remain apolitical while political activities are going on around it.
“We want to identify with people we want to rule us,” he said, adding that the launch of the association was long overdue as it has been existing in some other states.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association, Solomon Toro, echoed similar sentiment concerning the gradual loss of cultural identity, values and ethos of the Niger Deltans who are out of their states but asserted that with the launch of the association, the trend would be reversed even in Lagos which is reputed to be a microcosm of the Nigeria nation.
He noted that with regular convergence of the people, they would revive the spirit and values that once stood them out as ‘a unique people from a unique region’.
He explained that the so called uniqueness informed the slogan of the association which is “Niger Delta, Great People; Great People, One Love”. Explaining further, he said, in the time past strong love used to run through the blood of the average Niger Deltans so much that they easily identified and interacted well whenever they met also tried as much as possible to protect common interests.
“Before, it was rare for a Niger Delta person to kill his brother for ritual or do something funny with his daughter. But now, the story has changed. So ‘one love’ means we want to revive the respected culture and bring back the old glory and spirit of brotherhood that existed before,” he said.
With all the attendees resplendent in their traditional attires and with smiles radiating in their faces, the entire auditorium was at a point literally turned cultural fiesta as their dialects occasionally reverberated in the auditorium. As the event came to an end, it was clear from the interactive mood of the attendees who spoke their language with relish and glee that a common front had indeed been forged among them.
