The Ibusa Sense of Republicanism is in the Extreme

 

The Ibusa Sense of Republicanism is in the Extreme

- Kizito Ijeh, Politician and Initiator of People of Oshimili North

Chief Kizito Ijeh, the Dike Di Oha Nma of Ute Ogbeje is a household name in Ibusa community. The ace politician, one of the founders of the APC in Delta State recently marked his birthday in the community and amid the friends and well-wishers that came to celebrate with him; PEN MASTER (EMEKA ESOGBUE) found the opportunity to engage him in a media chat. In this interview, Chief Kizito Osadebe Ijeh makes mind-boggling revelations on his personality, upbringing, political gains and losses by the Ibusa community, why he decamped from APC to join PDP, the state of NGOS on youth development and the current Uwolo tussle. He identifies disunity as the major factor standing between the Ibusa community and its development and thinks that the pursuit of Anioma State in the Southeast is not only unnecessary but an impossible task in the present Nigerian composition. Excerpts.     

Pen Master: Could you introduce yourself to our readers, please?

Ijeh: I am Chief Kizito Osadebe Ijeh from Umuekea here in Ibusa and part of my primary school was in Ibusa here from Pry 1 to 3. I did that at Sacred Heart Primary School, Ibusa before I went to Orogodo Primary School in Agbor also in Delta State where I did my 4 and 5. I completed my primary school in Benin, Edo State; Ivbiotor Primary School, Sapele Road, Benin City. I went to St. Augustine's College, Ibusa and I graduated in 1982 and immediately I did my OND in the first phase of Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic where I read Mass Communication. I did that from 1982 to 1984. I later went to University of Jos where I read Theatre Arts. I served in Kaduna for my NYSC. Ten years later, in 2000, I did my Masters in International Diplomacy and Strategic Studies. I did that in Lead City University in Ibadan, Oyo State. I also did a leadership course and obtained a certificate from Academy for Governance in Ibusa. These are the major ones I did. I love my community. Thank you.

Pen Master: Chief Kizito Ijeh, I know you are well-known in Ibusa, your community. Are there other things about you that you want to share which we might not know?

Ijeh: There is nothing much to share other than to say that I love my community and I am proud to come from where I come from. No matter the negative things people may say about our town, I think our community is one of the most blessed. We are always found in every sphere of life. I am yet to see any government in Nigeria, not to talk of the Delta State that an Ibusa indigene is not involved in one way or the other. Ibusa is a community where in any field, whether in entertainment, sports, business, politics, or science, we are there. You will be surprised where you can find us, if I start to name them. Would you believe that the main DJ of Don Jazzy, Big N is from Ibusa? When you visit the hallowed chamber of the Aso Rock, you will find our Henry Nzekwu there. Your uncle, Prof Esogbue (Augustine) is of NASA. One of the youngest prodigies in mathematics, the Okades is from Ibusa. Prof Okidegbe (Nwanze) was in the Economic Council during the Jonathan administration. Would you talk about Chief Peter Okocha who is in the marine; clearing and forwarding? We are always there. Why won't I be proud of this community? We are so blessed. Our only minus is that we are cursed with unity and it has become a known factor that you will never see us united but individually, we are always at the peak of whatever we do. I am proud of this community anyway.

Pen Master: In your recent 59th birth anniversary celebration, Pen Master Publications described you as the Ibusa cat with 9 lives. How has life been treating you since returning to settle in your Ibusa community?

Ijeh: (Laughing loudly) The cat with 9 lives! Well, I think I have been blessed; blessed with providence, blessed by God. Some people will say that someone has seen 99 with just 1 remaining. I have seen so much in my life that sometimes, it seems as I have lived this life three, four times, compared to my age. I have been through widowhood and I have been through divorce. I thank God for that. Regarding my return to settle in my community, I came in here in 2006 with Chief Fred Ajudua to pursue politics because I felt there was the need to give back to our community; to make a mark because the last thing someone should aspire to be is just to be a number. People are born every day and people die every day. If you are born and you die, leaving no mark, that means you were born to be just a number.  In-between your birth and death, you should be known for something. You don't come from this kind of community that we come from and there is no positive mark from you. For me, me, it's been challenging, living here. I am 59 and what exactly should I be doing outside my community? God forbid that I die outside my community and people are thinking about how to bring me back. I was born here in Ibusa Maternity and I will die here. Life has been challenging but I thank God for giving me the opportunity to do what I do.   

Pen Master: Okay, but Chief, you are a prominent politician and as a matter of fact, one of the founders of the APC in Delta State. Lately, you switched your membership to PDP in what came as a major surprise to political watchers in the state. Perhaps, this media chat will offer your followers the opportunity to understand the reason behind this...

Ijeh: (Looking up and beaming with smiles) Why did I leave APC? To be honest with you, Pen Master, at a point, it came to me that my time with APC had ended. I lost the zeal to remain with the party. Prior to my APC membership, I was in Accord Party with Hon Dr. Princess Pat Ajudua and the husband (Chief Fred Ajudua). When they left to join PDP, I didn't go with them because I was comfortable being an opposition politician. Long before the formation of the APC, my godfather, Engr. Hyacinth Enuha told me that APC was to be born and we waited. When the time came for the formation, by providence, the late National officer, Chief Akamukali came and asked that we formed the party in Oshimili North and a few of us including the late Kennis Azike from Illah, Hon Ben Okonkwo from Okpanam and me, from Ibusa were given the mandate to form APC in Oshimili North. The five wards of Ibusa were created by me and the journey began. It wasn't about money be we diligently formed the party and believed in it but sometime, this year especially, after the general election of last year, our inability to gain power, our abysmal performance at the elections, disunity in the party which was so fertilized, our going to court; and even before this court period; my mind was already made up. I was getting too old to continue to be an opposition politician. You know there is a point you get in life, you just know it is not what you want to bequeath to your children - a serial opposition politician, a habitual opposition party man - somebody who just wakes up and he is opposing the ruling class. It was at that point I decided that sooner or later, I could just leave and I got the opportunity this year. I didn't waste time. I just felt it was time to leave. Uprooting PDP in this Delta State is not only a herculean task but impossibility. Let me just tell you: when I came into PDP, and was part of the machinery that prosecuted the local government election, I realized we were playing in APC. In PDP, election is a serious thing. They take election seriously. They give it everything while the APC look at it as someone going to a social event. In PDP, everyone is involved. It is one for all, and all for one. Once a person is accepted as a candidate, the members put grievances aside to deliver. I am happy I left the party where elections are social events. Yes, I left APC and joined PDP and I am happy I did. I am okay with my decision. Thank you.

Pen Master: You have provided us the reasons for leaving the APC but regardless of this rationale, do you think your people have benefitted from democracy since the 1999 inception?

Ijeh: (Showing surprise) Yes, we have! Why will I say we haven't benefited? In this town, not until just last year, we had held on to the House of Assembly from the time of Dr. Mrs. Felicia Nwaeze to Hon Dr. Pat Ajudua up to just this 2023. Would we say we haven't benefited? To cap it, we have had a senator. Can we say we haven't benefited? We have had Hon Pat Mozea and in-between, we have had commissioners. Would we say our people have not benefited? We have. In my local government, we have Ibusa, Okpanam, Akwukwu, Ebu, Ukala, Aniwalo, Ugbolu and yet, our community has been in the seat of power up till today. Should we say that they have impacted on our community? Maybe, that is another kettle of fish because I won't say our community has gotten the much it has pushed into government. Have their foray in politics given us the much we have put into politics? Remember my initial comment in this chat that individually, our community is blessed but have we gotten together to map out what we want from government? I don't think so. We are the major community that put other chairmen in power in the local government. Our community is self-made because a lot of things we have been put in place were by our individuals. Pen Master, why is Asaba having so much concentrations of MDAs, ministries, departments and government agencies and others? Apart from ADP (Agricultural Development Programme) that has been there, we don't have any other government presence; ADP is on a large expanse of land but nothing is happening there. We have not been able to attract anything to our community. Here we are, sandwiched between Asaba and Ogwashi-Uku. Ogwashi-Uku has a polytechnic. I remember that several years ago, I approached a prominent politician here in Ibusa and asked him: Why can't we approach the State Government and tell them to give us just a school out of the polytechnic maybe the business studies or finance so we can have a satellite campus in Ibusa? I reasoned that if we have it, it will impact on us so much here. It will reduce brain drain we face in our community but the suggestion died a natural death. Save for the Admiral University, we have nothing but what impact has it done us? Nothing! You know why? Any school with everything inside it does not actually impact so much on the host community. If it was a public institution, houses would spring up to benefit the community but this is a private university. Maybe now that it is being transformed to a public university, we may make some gains. During the administration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, we got two roads, the Nkpayala Road and Immigration Road. These were the only two roads we got and to former Governor's credit, they were standard roads. Every other road is bad but thankfully, our present Local Government Chairman, Hon Innocent Esewezie is working on Okanga Road. We also have our brother, Pastor Okeze (Idowu) handling another road construction. Maybe, with time, we can get infrastructures. Pen Master, how do you comprehend that the State Government has not given us one or two departments here in Ibusa yet, we say we are part of the Capital Development Territory? They have not said Ibusa give us a land and let us establish something in your community. When Senator Peter Nwaoboshi as a senator attracted skill acquisition centre for us, I was part of the drive. In fact, I remember being dragged to Abuja. The police came for us because of the land and we stood and said this is for the community and this should be given for it. Take away this skill acquisition centre, I don't think I can find any other government presence in my town and we are part of the Capital Development Territory. Thank you.  

Pen Master: ...you are also a philanthropist who with the instrument of People of Oshimili North, the Organization initiated by you, touched lives enormously within the local government. What inspired your foundation of this Organization?

Ijeh: The group, People of Oshimili North (PoON) was formed in 2015 with the sole aim of bringing our people across the local government together. We strive to foster love among ourselves. In fact, one of the major things we do every year is to reach out to people, the less privileged. I remember we have distributed note books across the local government. We visit hospitals; we visit the aged.  Although we may have a lot of areas that have not gotten but we are getting there. We look forward to sharing what we have among ourselves and our communities. Several years ago, one of our members who is no longer there because he wanted us to change the name and concentrate on Ibusa but that is not our thought process. The thought process is that we should bring our people together and every man or woman born in this local government can be a member but People of Oshimili North is not an all comer affair. As a matter of fact, we weed people regularly from the platform. The moment we feel you do not meet up with our standard, we remove you. It is not about money. We want to see the blood of patriotism. The prerequisite for membership is patriotism but we have so many people from across the local government in the group. Yesterday, while I mark my birthday, some members were in Atuma for a member's father's burial and afterwards, they came to my home to felicitate with me.

Pen Master: Hon Ned Nwoko, the Senator Representing the Delta North Senatorial District at the Nigerian Senate is currently campaigning for the creation of Anioma State to be relocated in the Southeast. Do you also share the idea of this regional change?

Ijeh: (Cuts in) No, I don't share the idea. The possibility of the idea working out is what I don't know. We are Niger Delta. Do the Igbos consider us to be Igbos? No, they don't. They will never accept us. You want an Igbo man with the pursuit of the sixth state in the Southeast Region - Adada, Orlu, Orashi, Njaaba and other proposed states to accept us, to take that state that should give them the sixth state? That cannot be. Again, how many of us in Delta North come from the East? The Ika did not come from the East; people in Aniocha North, the Issele-Uku, the Ubulu-Uku are not from the East. Pen master, what makes you think they will accept us? We are endangered species because the people from the East do not accept us. We are in Delta State but the Delta South and Delta Central also see us from another prism but they accommodate us. If we now say we want to go to the East, how do we appear before them? Do we qualify for a state creation? Yes, we do but again, this idea of state creation is moribund. I don't think it is possible any more in present day Nigeria. The present administration is not looking at state creation but want to regionalize the government. That means they want to devolve power from the central to the regions. We are going to see stronger regions; we might possibly see the South-South Region, Southeast Region, Southwest, North West, Northeast and North Central. We may be looking at six regions in Nigeria.  We may be going back to provinces. Pen Master, with that, do you see us running to the Easterners to say we want to belong to your region? Delta North is an umbrella senatorial zone and we are better left the way we are. Do I share Senator Ned Nwoko's view on state creation? No, I don't.

Pen Master: Now, Chief, I will take you back to Ibusa. How do you think the leaders and stakeholders of this community can put away this degree of disunity?      

Ijeh: On the issue of disunity in Ibusa, I tend to hold a contrary view with a lot of people. Our town is founded on disunity so; I don't see how disunity will end in the town. I tell people that Ibusa is a town blessed with everything but cursed with unity. There is no way you will see an Ibusa where everybody is on the same page and talking with the same mouth. I grew up in it and I am 59 and I tell you that even until the day I will die, Ibusa will be disunited. Disunity is what we have come to inherit and it is not leaving us any time soon. Let these present combatants leave the stage and another set of combatants will come out and continue with this our vehicle of disunity. I can't proffer any solution because it is inborn in us. We will always be disunited. That's our inheritance. Pen Master, anybody telling you any other thing is just 'whining' you, if I may use that word. Thank you very much.

Pen Master: ...and the Ibusa Youth Council as pointed out by Hon Charles Okwali, an indigene of the community, is yet to organize an election to transit the administration. Do you have any guidance on how they can move forward?  

Ijeh: (Frowning) Well, to be honest with you, I have very little or nothing to say about them. There is nothing fantastic to say about them. I don't know but...probably, the last time we had Ibusa Youth Council; we started and ended it with Ifeanyi Nwaezeigwe. We have Ibusa Youth Council and Fulanis are invading our community and kidnappers are on the prowl. I just heard of someone they killed in the bush in the community. We have Ogwashi-Uku breathing down on our necks. We have land grabbers terrorizing our psyche. We have all types of vices in our town and we say we have a youth council. I am yet to hear whatever they have done. Honestly, whether election or not, there is no positivity there for someone to look up to. If you have a youth council that nobody listens to or respects because they don't respect themselves; because they don't serve, why should I be bothering myself? There is nothing there, my dear Pen Master.

Pen Master: ...but why are there no NGOs on youth development capable of guiding the youngsters instead, the community concentrates so much philanthropic energy on the aged?

Ijeh: (Clears his throat) Regarding the NGOs, it may interest you to know that something interesting is going on in our community. A young man sat down with me, Stanley Agboso and Dr Pat Adigwe and told us that he had a vision to start to send our young people out of Nigeria to run their Master's degree. We thought about it and just last month, we were able to send one person out, Mr. Paul Awele Udogwu. In the selection process, this Guy had no hand. In fact, we were the ones that introduced the young man to him. I never knew Paul Udogwu or his parents. He is in the UK now. As I speak to you now, we are processing for two other people to leave again. You know what; this was how our fathers lived. Do we have known NGOs on youth affairs? I am just hearing about this one. Which youths?  These people who are in our bushes, carving out our lands or which ones are you talking about? Once in a while, we hear of people abroad who come, donate equipment or run skill acquisitions and take photos share among themselves. You, people who are abroad, what is stopping them from saying let us create a colony out of Nigeria for Ibusa indigenes? You think our people who are in Ibusa don't want to be abroad? It is crazy. I read somewhere that before one dollar, a Jewish dollar will leave their community in the USA, that one dollar would have passed through 18 hands from the grocery to the real estate and to the bank because it is a colony in which the Jews pull the next person. Imagine if our people in Dallas come together and say our project for this year is to bring ten people from Ibusa to run a Masters programme or ICDU requests three take brilliant students to abroad. Let us start colonizing our colony but ego tripping will not allow them to do that. I challenge them. Don't tell me about bringing kits to check blood sugar as your program that will bring all of you from the UK or USA to Ibusa. Tell us you want five brilliant people from Ibusa to come and study abroad. Arrange for brilliant people and not largesse. They must not be your children. Pen Master, that's the kind of NGO, I want to see.

Pen Master: Chief, before I let you go, let us get your response on this: The Uwolo imbroglio is dividing the Ibusa community again. This is not peculiar to Ibusa though. In Ubulu-Uku, there are currently two Onishe. In Idumuje-Ugbo, there was kingship tussle. I don't know if this matter is settled now. The Aboh is also on kingship struggle. The question is why is the Anioma area always riddled with traditional crisis every now and then and what is particularly your position on the Ibusa version?

Ijeh: Well, this is a two-pronged question. One is about Ibusa and the other is about Anioma but let me take the general one before going to the particular one. You know that in our parlance, they always say "Igbo enwe Eze." Our sense of republicanism is in the extreme. We don't believe that anybody is above us. We look at every human being with suspicion. Our people say "afele o iji ga enyem nni, ti wea." Literarily, it means yes, you are about to feed me but break the plate. I won't die. This I think is the bane of our leadership crisis within the Aniomaland. This is why sometimes; our unions seem to be stronger than our traditional rulership. I think it also comes down to Ibusa. Now, to your second segment of the question, Ibusa is a peculiar town; peculiar in so many aspects. Ibusa is a town where we excel in everything but we are cursed when it comes to unity or leadership. We resent everything and nothing ever comes out good when it comes to our leadership. I think the only thing that hasn't been duplicated is the Obuzoship. We are using the word, "duplicated" because we mean not fought against because even at the emergence of the Obuzo, we have those who fought against it, created parallel institutions and refused to recognize the Obuzoship and leaned towards the Diokpaship. Unfortunately, it is still playing out. We have the Otu Odogwu, Otu Uwolo and the Otu Iyase and a group just came out from Otu Uwolo to say they don't recognize the Obuzo and that they were writing to the government possibly to proscribe it. Is it surprising? No, it is not but rather disappointing that people are clamouring for such. The Obuzo ironically will be sleeping very well because the throne has been wired in this kind of toxic relationship with sectors of the town who don't like his Obuzoship. The irony is that you may have this group with him today and tomorrow the other group comes to him and this other group, leaves. Now, we have come to your main question. For now, I don't sense an end to this Uwolo crisis because it is something that will continue. You know, we met crisis in Ibusa and will leave this crisis in Ibusa. The crisis is foundational. From that time when it was the era for the communities around here to draw authorities from Benin Kingdom, and one of our founding fathers, Ezesi went to Benin to draw authority and returned to become the Obi (of Ibusa). That same republicanism made that process to flounder so much that Ezesi left Ibusa on exile to present day Ejeme Aniogor. Conspiracy theories assert that in the process, he placed a curse on Ibusa. But where I go is that from that material time, the spirit of republicanism entered Ibusa and almost immediately, about six to seven people also expressed the interest to become Obi. The Obiship was supposed to be for one person but because you can't tell the other man what to do, it became a multilateral thing to be an Obi and almost every family now aspire to become an Obi. Now, we have come to the Uwolo issue. For people who live now, they may see this Uwoloship as intractable but we seem to forget that this is not the first time we are having issues with who is the Uwolo and who is not and even on double Uwoloship. We had this kind of crisis in the era of our most revered and flamboyant Uwolo, High Chief Willy Ukadike Ikolodo and even in the time of Uwolo, Uwolo Anyakpo, we had double and in this instance, we have double. Pen Master, I can tell you that in the next generation, we will still have double Uwolo. That of the present which also has its own crisis is because the Otu Odogwu decided to come together to say they would not present another Odogwu. Despite that, has the present Odogwu been accepted? No, if you come to Otu Iyase, we have had the period there were two Iyases. The present day players seem to forget that this is how our town is built. We are a town built on crisis just like Nigeria. We always seem to be on the edge. A few days ago, I watched the Diokpa of Ibusa host the Obuzo on Iwaji Festival. Now, he is saying he doesn't recognize the Obuzo anymore. Is this the first time? No. Will this the last time? No. So, it is not a surprising turn of event but rather shameful but that's how we are wired. It could be anything. Anything can cause a crisis but for every day we wake, there is something that will make them to say they don't agree with each other. We will keep praying to God that it is restricted to this level and doesn't stretch to violence but sometimes, it is so shameful that you are here from here. Not too long ago, Asaba lost the Asagba. They knew where the next one would come from and in our presence, a new was chosen and the whole town came together and they have just one Asagba whose authority they have all agreed to come under. I wish we have that in Ibusa but we will not. I am not saying that we may not but that we will not. Our sense of republicanism is in the extreme. This is the only town where nobody respects anybody and it is a shame. I wish it would be different but I don't think it will be. Thank you.                

Pen Master: Alright, any regret for you in life?

Ijeh: None! I am good with my life. I thank God for my life. There were people born with me that didn't see up to 59. My biological brother, Obi Akaeze died at 52 yet, God has kept me. Why should I regret life? I have done this and that and I am still breathing. God has been graceful to me and I thank him. I have no regret in life. Thank you.

Pen Master: Where do you see yourself in the next few decades?

Ijeh: (Smiling) I see myself as me. For every day, I wake up, I thank my God. I have made peace with my maker and I don't want to say I am looking at 30 years time. If I live up 30 years more, I thank him. I live up to 10, I thank him. I don't want to set a target for myself. I don't expect anything but anything that comes to me, I appreciate. I am not that kind of person. What matters is the ability to make use of the one given to me. Why should I tell God to give me 30 more years to accomplish this or that? I should accomplish the one I am accomplishing now and that is what matters to me.

Pen Master: Chief Kizito Ijeh, thank you for speaking with me. I appreciate this opportunity

Ijeh: I thank you, Dr. Esogbue for this opportunity to speak with you. May God continue to give you good health; give you providence. Thank you very much and may God bless you.