Ogbakor Ikwerre to reconcile warring sons & daughters
By Alice Micah
The leadership of Ogbakor-Ikwerre, a socio-cultural organization in Rivers State has said the body is making frantic efforts towards reconciling all sons and daughters of Ikwerreland who are at logger-heads due to political differences.
The move was disclosed by the President-General of the organization, Chief Sampson Agbaru, while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Port Harcourt on the 2009 Ikwerre Day Celebration.
According to him, the Ikwerre Day celebration which is billed to hold this weekend (July 11, and 12), at Obiri Ikwerre, near Port Harcourt, would be used to bring its sons and daughters together.
Chief Agbaru disclosed that though the body is a non-political organization, it would explore ways of bringing aggrieved sons and daughters of the ethnic nationality together again.
“Though we dissociate ourselves from politics, we are making efforts to reconcile our sons and daughters who are at logger-heads because of politics”, he said.
The President-General further stated that the two-day celebration is also aimed at thanking God for what he has been doing for the people of Ikwerre ethnic nationality, noting that before now, the Ikwerres were often seen as shy and lazy.
Chief Agbaru restated the demands of the people of Ikwerre, which included creation of additional states and local government councils in Rivers State, adding that such move will help to bring about meaningful development to the rural areas.
He called for collective efforts from all ethnic groups of the Niger Delta so as to ensure that the struggle for emancipation of the people do not go in vain.
Chief Agbaru emphasized that in as much as the Ikwerre ethnic nationality supports the Niger Delta struggle, it was against criminality.
“The Ikwerre people think that the Niger Delta struggle is not for one ethnic group. It must be total, everyone must join the struggle, but not in a violent way”, he added.
The president-general therefore used the opportunity to invite other ethnic groups in the state, as well as the Tiv people of Benue State to join the Ikwerres in their celebration.
