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OPINION: Toru-Ibe State, Aiyedatiwa’s “No Land Ceding” Remark, And The Ondo Ijaw

Published

1 month ago

July 22, 2025

By Icon-James Tam

The renewed push for the creation of Toru-Ibe State has once again brought the long-standing conversation around political inclusion and fair representation to the front burner particularly for the Ijaw people of Ondo State.

While I personally maintain a cautious stance on the possibility of state creation in today’s Nigeria, I cannot in good conscience dismiss the merit of the Toru-Ibe proposal. The uniqueness of the Ijaw story, their spread across multiple states, Ondo, Edo, Delta and the structural realities they contend with, all underscore the legitimacy of this demand.

Toru-Ibe State is not a new invention. It has a long and documented history, now receiving legislative attention as the National Assembly reviews the 1999 Constitution. Among the dozen proposed new states is Toru-Ibe, projected to include parts of Delta, Edo, and Ondo particularly Ese-Odo Local Government Area and the Ebijaw Ward in Odigbo.

During a recent consultation in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review met with various stakeholders. The Ijaw delegation, led by respected elder High Chief F.J. Williams, articulated a strong and factual case. The gathering was passionate. From the placards to the chants of “Asawana,” the message was clear, Ijaw people in Ondo are ready to align with their kin across state lines under a shared identity.

As someone who identifies strongly with the Ijaw cause, I understand the emotions in that room. Since the creation of Ondo State in 1976, our people have remained on the periphery. Despite a growing list of achievements such as Arogbo Kingdom having at least a lawyer to each family and other professionals to it credit in the state, our political elevation has remained limited. The highest position ever held by an Ijaw in the state is that of Secretary to the State Government.

Despite being a critical contributor to the state’s oil wealth, we have never led OSOPADEC, the agency set up to manage that same wealth. We are routinely included as non-executive participants, not because of a lack of competence, but because of a political structure that struggles to accommodate us beyond tokenism.

It was within this already difficult context that Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa made a statement that many of us found disappointing. In his remarks at the Dome in Akure, the Governor stated that although he is not against the creation of new states, “Ondo will not cede its land to another state.”

That remark, in our view, was both unfortunate and unnecessary. The lands the Ijaws occupy in Ondo today are not borrowed,they are ancestral. If a new state is carved out to reflect the cultural and geographical realities of the Ijaw people, it is not ceding,it is realignment. The lands remain with the people; only the political boundary shifts.

Remarks of that nature can be avoided with proper vetting and sensitivity, especially at a time when the national conversation is focused on unity, justice, and equity.

The Ijaw people of Ondo have shown extraordinary patience over the years. But even patience has its limits. We cannot afford to allow sentiment or political caution to downplay valid concerns of marginalization. I call on Ijaw elders, leaders of thought, and community advocates to issue a dignified and unambiguous rejoinder to the Governor’s comment not out of hostility, but to set the record straight.

One of our consistent challenges as a people in this state has been the fear of political reprisal. Too often, leaders shy away from assertive positions for fear of being blacklisted or losing out on patronage. But silence has never been a path to justice. Speaking for your people should never be a political liability.

Our place in Ondo’s governance structure has remained secondary. Even at the level of traditional leadership, it took the intervention of good Samaritanlike Barr. Sola Ebiseni to challenge what was nearly a permanent exclusion of the Pere of Ijaw from becoming Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Obas. Though progress was made, even the forthcoming opportunity for that chairmanship due to rotate to the south remains uncertain for Ese-Odo, the only Ijaw local government in the region.

In all of this, Toru-Ibe State is not just an aspiration,it represents hope, equity, and a better future for a people long overlooked. It offers the Ijaws of Ondo a pathway out of structural sidelining and an opportunity for real self-determination.

As we await the decision of the National Assembly, I wish the Ijaw people strength, focus, and unity. May this be the beginning of a new chapter in our political history.

By Icon-James Tam

Convener, Social Crusade for a Sane Society

News

IGP Appoints New Force PRO

Published

2 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has approved the appointment of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Benjamin Hundeyin as the new Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO).

Hundeyin, a graduate of English Language from Lagos State University, also holds a Master’s degree in Legal Criminology and Security Psychology from the University of Ibadan. He further obtained a Certificate in Civil-Military Coordination from the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Training Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The new FPRO is an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), a Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM).

A seasoned communicator, Hundeyin previously served as the Police Public Relations Officer at Zone 2 Command, Lagos, and later at the Lagos State Police Command.

He was also part of Nigeria’s contingent to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur, Sudan, in 2020, and at different times worked at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, as Administration Officer in the Public Relations Department.

The IGP urged Hundeyin to deploy his wealth of experience in communications and security to further strengthen the image of the Nigeria Police Force and sustain robust relations with the public.

He takes over from DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who served as Force PRO until his redeployment.

News

Jonathan In Edo, Says Nigeria’s Politics Full Of Betrayals

Published

3 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the level of betrayal and lies in Nigeria’s political atmosphere.

Jonathan spoke in Benin on Thursday at the 70th birthday ceremony of his former Chief of Staff and former deputy governor of Edo State, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe.

Jonathan, who described Ogiadomhe as an ally that can be trusted all time, added: “One of the few friends that gave up their necks when I became president, is Mike. You know politics in the Nigerian standard is about betrayals.

“You find it difficult to see somebody who will say the same thing in the morning and in the evening. I’ve witnessed a lot of betrayals, especially my 2015 elections, and Mike is somebody who would take a bullet on my behalf.

“He is somebody that you can take his word to the bank; most other politicians, you cannot take their words to the bank. They will tell you something, the next one hour they are saying another”.

On his part, deputy governor of Edo State, Dennis Idahosa, who represented Governor Monday Okpebholo, said the foundation Ogiadomhe laid as deputy is what is still being followed.

Lucky Igbinedion on his part said he had no reservation handing over the affairs of the state to Ogiadomhe as his deputy governor when he needed to travel abroad.

Also speaking former governor of the state and senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oahiomhole said whenever he discussed politics with the celebrant, he always told him that wherever Jonathan is, is where he would be.

He commended his wife, Lousia for being a dependable wife.

The birthday celebration attracted many dignitaries including former governors Lucky Igbinedion, Professor Osarhiemen Osunbor, Adams Oahiomhole and Ibrahim Dakwambo of Gombe State.

Others included former deputy governors including Rev. Peter Obadan, Pius Odubu, Marvelous Omobayo, Chief Judge of Edo State Daniel Okungbowa, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Blessing Agbebaku who led other members of the assembly, traditional rulers among others.

News

ITF Warns Organisations, Employers Against Rejection Of IT Students

Published

8 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has warned organisations and employers nationwide against rejecting students seeking attachment for their Industrial Training (IT) exercises.

ITF Area Manager in Bauchi, Dr Ashore Paul, issued the warning on Thursday during the orientation exercise for prospective IT students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.

Represented by Mrs Nanzem Yilshuut, Head of Training at the ITF Bauchi Area Office, Paul said that “the act establishing the Fund mandates every organisation to accept students for industrial attachment.”

He further stated that any employer or organisation found in breach of these provisions was liable to conviction and sanctions.

Paul also urged the prospective IT students to adhere to the rules and regulations of any organisation they joined and to be willing to learn and fulfill their responsibilities.

“When these students come back, we expect that there is a difference.

“They should have learned something new because definitely, what they learned in school, would be expected to be put into practicals.

“This will help them in their academics and also assist them in their future endeavours.

“They must participate 100 per cent, they must be disciplined and they must be willing to learn.

“We go round to ensure that they are doing what they are expected to do at their places of attachment.

“When we go for supervision, we ensure that what they are learning is in line with their courses,” he said.

The Rector of the institution, Sani Usman, said that the industrial attachment was an activity that enabled polytechnics to fulfill their mandate as technology and skill-driven institutions.

“Our students are given industrial experience during their first year so as to be registered in their minds that all of them are meant to be skilled class men and women and that is why the industrial attachment is very important.

“It enables them to build on what they have learned in their respective classrooms and practicals during the year,” he said.

Usman emphasised the importance of proper supervision during industrial training.

According to him, it will ensure students not only attend their placements but also carry out their assigned tasks effectively.

“The supervision is also to see that the employers or the places they have been sent to do their Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) do not exploit them to the level that is not required by the institution”, he said.

He further revealed that 3,000 students across all departments in the institution were going for this year’s SIWES.