The President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) Worldwide, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, and the honourable member representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi, were among Ijaw Nation sons that lend their voices to the call for the preservation of the Ijaw culture and the need for all sons and daughters of the Ijaw Nation to be "Ijaw conscious".

The notable Ijaw leaders made the call during the celebration of the week-long ancient Amaseikumor Festival in Oporoza Town, Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

According to the INC President Okaba, in his brief presentation of goodwill message, asides the preservation of the Ijaw culture through such festival as the Amaseikumor, there is the need for the Ijaws to engage with others in order to attract the needed development to the Ijaw Nation.

He said, "A big welcome and greetings from 40 million Ijaw people across the Niger Delta and in the Diaspora. Today is a wonderful day because one of the most ancient kingdoms in the Ijaw land is celebrating an ancient festival—a festival of peace, a festival of unity, a festival of hospitality that is worthy of emulation among the core Ijaw people. We are demonstrating the uniqueness of our ambiguity and it is also a call on all to resuscitate the Ijaw culture. Without the culture, we don't have an identity.

Speaking further he added, "I want to use this opportunity to call upon Ijaw people to speak Ijaw, to always speak Ijaw. To be Ijaw conscious. It is also a time to call on us to identify those things that unite us, not those things that divide us as a people.

"What we need to do is to engage, to engage and find better ways... It is not a time to war but a time to engage ourselves.. The message from the Ijaw Nation is peace,"  he stressed.

On his part, Rt. Hon. Pondi extolled the Gbaramatu Ijaws for steadfastly holding on to their cultural heritage as demonstrated with the celebration of the festival over the years

"I greet the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom for demonstrating the culture of the Ijaw people. It is historic that year in year out we have the assembly of Ijaw people and non-Ijaws here in this programme. This year is even more colourful because we have our royal majesties from across the country and I must salute very sincerely the people of Gbaramatu for always demonstrating that it is important that we celebrate our culture.

"Today, the senators that were here were happy with what they saw as well as those from the house of representatives. I am glad to inform this honourable gathering that what is happening here is being admired by everybody in this country," he revealed

Rt. Hon. Pondi further prayed for "the unification of the Ijaw people" which is part of what the festival is set to accomplish while he thanked His Royal Majesty, Oboro Gbaraun II (JP), Aketekpe, Agadagba, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, and Hogh Choef Dr. Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo for showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the people to the world.

Top dignitaries in attendance at the 2024 edition of the Amaseikumor Festival cut across traditional rulers from the Niger Delta region, the south-west, and the north-central parts of Nigeria, as well as political and non-political leaders.

The ancient Amaseikumor Festival is a week-long ceremony observed by the Gbaramatu people and is believed to cleanse the land of evil and to attract blessings on the land.

View photos on PENGlobal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/C1Q5pERvXczmMkgL/?mibextid=oFDknk

#penglobalcommunity #Amaseikumor2024 #Gbaramatu