By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi
Ika nation, going by information available at Wikipedia, world information engine, is a recognized tribe that is found in both Delta State and Edo State- and share similarities between the Igbo and Benin but are a recognized tribe on their own.
While the above is validly true and important, it is, however, important to underline that the historical account of the Ika Land is not the objective of this piece. This piece was inspired by two separate but related events that recently offered a roadmap for restoring the educational and cultural health and vitality of Ndi- Ika and proposed a strategy for re-introduction of peace and development to its proper position in Ika nation.
First is a recent media report that the Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Rural and Community Development, Emmanuel Okoro, while in an interactive meeting with the leadership and opinion leaders of the Ika Ethnic Nationality at the Palace of the Obi of Umunede, HRM Obi Ezeagwu Ezeweali 1, In line with the prosperity for all Deltans mantra of the Dr Ifeanyi Okowa administration, advised the Ika ethnic nationality to identify their developmental agenda for onward transmission to the appropriate quarters for implementation.
The second has to do with a vital disclosure by Dr David Solomon, the current Ika National Association USA President and Chairman, Board of Directors of the Association, during an interview with Ika Weekly Newspaper. He spoke on the margin of the forthcoming Ika National Convention slated for June 2022, in the United States of America (USA).
According to the Owa-Oyibo, Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State-born, but Atlanta, Georgia, United State of America -based Solomon, if you look at Ika land and you look at Nigeria today, Ika land is blessed especially with various political office appointments in Nigeria.
Ika land has the Executive Governor of Delta State, Ika land has the Chief of Defence Staff of the federation. Ika land has a Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and there are other positions that Ika people occupy in Nigeria and we have to tell ourselves the truth, it has never been good like this in Ika land in terms of these political offices.
And it is not going to be like this forever. If you look at Nigeria, it is important for every community to protect their interests and at the same time to address their problems and then to know what next.
That, in the opinion of this piece, was a statement of fact. But then, he added a striking statement to underscore that despite these useful progresses made, Ika land is evidently riddled with development challenges that bother on; non-sustenance of ethnic culture and tradition, poor funding of education which has resulted in situations where Ika children, that will provide the future leadership are seen learning in a not too impressive environment.
He captured it this way, some time ago, we saw pictures of children sitting on the floor, some of them sitting on top of the blocks, some children laying on the floor to write and learn. Those conditions were not encouraging at all. Most of us grew up in one village or another. We went to primary schools in the villages, we had chairs, we had tables and when a parent looks at the child he/she sent to school, the money they spend every day washing their clothes because of the learning conditions these children are.
You see, another thing that I see as the major problem is this, the major custodians of our cultures and language must agree that it is dying in their hands. Who are the primary custodians; our Royal fathers, second every Ika person home and abroad, if the custodians of our culture can agree to the problems, it becomes easy to solve the problem? the western way we try to adopt is no culture at all, it was their way of colonizing us and robbing us blind of our God-given natural resources, we all must take the responsibility of reviving Ika culture.
He noted; “We must not allow English or foreign culture to overtake our Ika culture and whenever we come together, we all must ensure that there are still practices of our culture and language that will remain memorable in the hearts of our children and the hearts of everyone.”
To help solve this problem and other nagging challenges in Ika land vis-à-vis education and culture he explained that one of the focuses of his administration as the national president of Ika National Association USA in conjunction with my executive and the board of directors is to provide reading chairs and tables for most of the schools in the villages. ‘We want to see what we can do in terms of providing basic chairs and reading desks for Ika children, especially the primary schools in the various villages as much as we can do. That is what we are doing currently.
Well, you can agree with me that the unity of the Ika nation can never be overemphasized, and it is one thing that we will continue to promote, and I believe that all of us coming together from various parts of the world to attend this Ika world congress. It will bring us closer.
Also, to look at ways to strengthen our progress, and gains that Ika land have gotten through our various key political office will be an opportunity to look at various existing cultural, and security challenges facing Ika land.
To be honest with you, Ika land has been blessed compared to many communities in Delta State and Nigeria at large. There are many communities in Nigeria that have experienced many deaths, bloodshed, loss of properties and all of that. But, Ika land has been a very safe community. Thanks to the government of our brother Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and many key players that have ensured that things remained ok.
We are looking forward to a more united Ika nation, more sustenance of the progress and prosperity that Ika is experiencing and a better opportunity to see that the Ika community and Ika kingdom are becoming the next happening kingdom or community in Nigeria. Everything may not be perfect but there is so much good to expect’.
We need to stand and start telling ourselves the truth. We should not allow politics to divide us in Ika land. We should not allow the kingdom to divide us in Ika land, as we are, we speak the same language, we have things in common and if we begin to trace our roots, we may discover that we come from one kingdom but may have another family in another kingdom. There is a tendency that we all are one.
In every developed nation or society, there are people that put efforts together to make a better society. Let’s do that and continue to move Ika forward, he concluded.
This piece holds the opinion that there exist ingrained lessons that other tribes and ethnic nationalities must learn from the above position.
Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), a Lagos-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and can be reached via [email protected]/08032725374