Pre-Colonial Wars
The Trading Houses waged endless wars with their war canoes among Ijaw City-States of Andoni, Okrika, Bonny, Opobo, Kalabari and Nembe. Wars were many in the markets, market routes and home fronts. This gave the principalities their “semi-military character,” according to Biriye.
The over-abundance of arms and ordnance, dumped by European merchants in exchange for slaves and legitimate goods over the centuries, meant minor disputes were settled with cannon balls instead of dialogue. At the close of the 19th Century, some of these kingdoms had well trained professional armies:
In fact, Britain had drawn two military contingents from the Oil Rivers (100 soldiers from Bonny and 50 soldiers from Opobo) for the Ashanti Wars of 1875 and had developed much confidence in the valour and military techniques of Bonny and Opobo…. In the Ekpeye War of 1899, soldiers and two captains were supplied by Bonny. The Captains were Benstowe and Ate and they served under two Europeans (see “Oil Rivers is Coming to Limelight” in “Harold J.R. Biriye: Essays and Speeches Volume One,” p. 137).
Pre-Colonial Treaties
Treaties of Friendship and Protection between Ijaw ancestors and the British monarch were signed in the 19th Century. As Masters of the Atlantic, Ijaw monarchs signed treaties with the British disallowing Slave Trade when that devilish enterprise was abolished. Below is an anti-slavery treaty of 1839 between King Pepple of Bonny and Captain Tucker, reproduced from “Oil Rivers is Coming to Limelight” in “Harold J.R. Biriye: Essays and Speeches Volume One,” pp. 95-97:
“Agreement Between Captain Tucker And King Pepple”
Convention for the total suppression of the slave trade agreed upon by William Tucker, Esq., captain of Her Majesty’s Ship “Iris” and senior officer of Her Britannic Majesty’s Ships and vessels on the West Coast of Africa and King Pepple and the chiefs of the Bonny dominions.
It is agreed that the two contracting parties hereby covenant and agree:
1. That the Slave Trade shall be totally and forever abolished in the dominions subject to the jurisdiction of King Pepple and the chiefs of the Bonny and that no slaves shall be passed through, or exported from, these dominions, from the date of the ratification of the Agreement.
2. That in consideration of the total abolition of the Slave Trade forever, and that no slaves shall be permitted to pass through or be exported from the said dominions, Great Britain engages to pay to King Pepple, on the ratification of this Agreement, goods to the amount of 10,000 dollars per annum for five years.
3. That on each future of making the annual gifts, the man-of-war bringing the annual present, King Pepple shall furnish Great Britain with a demand from the merchants frequenting the Bonny, certifying the factthat no Slave Trade has to their knowledge existed there, and that no slaves have been passed through the dominions subject to the jurisdiction of King Pepple and the chiefs of the Bonny of the preceding year.
4. That if at any time whatever, either from want of that document or from any other circumstance, it shall appear that the Slave Trade has been carried on in, from, or through the dominion of King Pepple and the chiefs of the Bonny, gifts mentioned in the preceding Article will be put down by force and King Pepple and the chiefs of the Bonny will expose themselves to severe acts of displeasure on the part of Great Britain.
5. That King Pepple shall make a proclamation and law prohibiting all his subjects, or persons depending on him, from selling any slaves to be transported from the dominions subject to his jurisdiction, or to aid, abet, or assist in any such sale, under penalty of severe punishment.
6. That at the particular request of King Pepple, the said gifts shall be paid in dollars, viz., upon 10,000 dollars per annum year by year for five years, upon the document required being received as proof of his having fulfilled the said Articles.
7. And this Agreement shall be considered binding, and be continued in full force by and to the heirs and successors of King Pepple.
8. That should Great Britain at any time permit the Slave Trade to be carried on again, the chiefs of the Bonny shall be at liberty to carry on the Slave Trade also.
(SIGNED) W. TUCKER (SIGNED) KING PEPPLE
Read also: Ijaw Nationalism, 1959-2024 (1)
It is on record that these treaties were never nullified by Nigerian independence. Some 334 of them, covering Ijaw sovereignty, territories, mineral resources, maritime, trade, defence, etc, are still valid today, “These treaties were presented as evidence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at Hague by the Nigerian Government in 1997 when it had controversy over the Bakassi peninsular with Cameroun” (see Ambily Etekpe, PhD, et al’s “Harold Dappa-Biriye: His Contribution to Politics in Nigeria,” pp. 17-18).
Golden Age of Ijaw Nationalism, 1959-2015
Biriye, 1920-2005, was the father of modern Ijaw nationalism. This exceptional genius relied on diplomacy to maximise the Ijaw power base when he saw no hope in the 1958 Nigerian Constitution Conference where the Willinks Minority Report was read. He did this by taking two crucial steps. One, in 1959 he formed the Niger Delta Congress, NDC, to articulate minority aspirations. And two, his NDC formed alliance with the Ahmadu Bello-led majority Northern People Congress, NPC. His survivalist thinking being that even if the Ijaw man had to enter independent Nigeria in the pocket of a strong man called Bello, so be it.
The alliance made it possible for Melford Okilo to become Parliamentary Secretary under Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa; following the former’s election into the House of Representatives under the NDC. On 15th January 1966, both Bello and Balewa were killed in a military coup bringing to an end the NPC/NDC alliance. Once more the Ijaw nation found itself powerless but only for a brief period. Three events happened in quick succession to make Ijaws strong again.
One, the killing of Bello and Balewa, seen as Ijaw protectors, provoked the Ijaw folk hero called Boro into armed rebellion on 22nd February 1966. His twelve-day revolution, aimed at carving out an independent Niger Delta Republic from Nigeria, was directed against Igbo domination and not Nigeria.
Two, the counter coup of 29th July 1966 returned power to northerners while eliminating the Igbo power base at the center. The Ijaw nation experienced some relief at the center even though the opposite remained the case in the Eastern Region where Igbos were firmly in control.
And three, to free Ijaws at the regional level, Biriye revived the NPC/NDC alliance by reaching out to General Gowon in Lagos and northern leaders in Kaduna. Gowon created Rivers State out of the Eastern Region on 27th May 1967.
In the civil war that ensued, Biriye discharged his alliance obligations contributing men and resources to support Gowon. That was how the three Ijaw ambassadors were fronted against Ojukwu. Post-civil war Nigeria was fair to Ijaws with the latter producing Rivers State Governors Okilo, 1979-1983, and Rufus Ada George, 1992-1993. Bayelsa State was also created in 1996 for Ijaws by General Sani Abacha.
The Ijaw nation entered the Fourth Republic, 1999-present, from a position of strength. In1998, Ijaw youths issued the Kaiama Declarationbefore formingthe powerful IYC. Following the destruction of Odi in 1999, they embarked on armed struggle. It was in the midst of this militancy that translated into an all-out 2009 Oil War that the Ijaw-born Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was elected Vice President in 2007 under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who declared Presidential Amnesty for the regional militants in 2009. In 2011, Jonathan was elected Nigerian president.
Decline of Ijaw Nationalism, 2015-Present
Suddenly in 2015, a new northern/Yoruba alliance, led by Mohammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, removed Jonathan from office. With Jonathan out of the way, a loop-sided Indigenisation Programme of the oil and gas industry was implemented. Agip and Total Energies, with assets located in Ijaw territories, were acquired by a business interest owned by an illustrious son of the Oduduwa nation. No Ijaw man, company or government was given the opportunity to participate.
The Ijaw National Congress, INC, and IYC were also never consulted when Buhari signed the illegal Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline that poses an existential threat to the Ijawnation. The Ijawnation awaits both the IYC and INC strident and sustained pronouncements on this genocidal project.
In the trauma following the sacking of Jonathan, serious minded Ijaws pondered whether post-Biriye Ijawland was led by exceptional geniuses or bungling idiots. How did we slip from maximal in 2011 when we produced the president to minimal in 2015 when Jonathan was removed? To ask this is to ask why our traditional northern ally turned against us? Why didn’t the INC detect the conspiracy against Jonathan? Even if the removal of Jonathan from office was no fault of Ijaw leaders, have we done enough in 2024 to protect Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State? Poor management of Ijaw national interests is squarely to blame for this sad state of affairs.
Way Forward
In “Nigeria-South Africa Relations: Footnote to History,”Ekpebu’s argument is that “International relations are ever dynamic and never static. Anything is possible given the right condition. For instance, America went to war against Japan as a result of poor diplomacy. But under well-managed relations today, the two are the best of friends. You could say the same of Germans and Jews. Again, bad management could turn allies into bitter enemies as America and Venezuela have it today.”
Likewise, if bad management cost the Ijaw nation our friends, the leadership of INC must correct this error in post-Biriye Ijaw nationalism. We must reestablish mutual trust with our friends. Properly managed, a new alliance could in 2027 produce Ijaw presidency; thus amending the 2015 injustice that denied Jonathan a second tenure.Importantly, now is the time for the Ijaw leadership to formalise the Ijaw/Igbo relations with a view to making the two neighbours best of friends.
Finally, the Ijaw nation must revive the Pan-African Bank, PAB, PABOD Conglomerate, as well as implement an economic blueprint capable of acquiring stakes in the critical oil and gas industry. An Ijaw businessman can do for us what a visionary businessman did for the Oduduwa nation by acquiring Agip and Total Energies.
(Concluded).
Akamande, Email: [email protected], is Leader of Thought of Izon Ebe.
