The real story concerning [the] creation of Bayelsa State has remained untold for several decades. The story has remained untold this long because those who saw it all and had the priviledge to be involved choose to keep silent. Their inexplicable silence, arising most likely from commitment to service and humility, has given room for lies emanating largely from benefit captor syndrome.

The creation of Bayelsa State, to some extent, is a collective effort. However, within that collectivity, roles differ and the roles played by the individuals must be clearly identified with a view to giving honour to whom honour is due and diminishing the prevalence of the benefit captor syndrome inherent today in the history of creation of Bayelsa State.

The Ijaw National Congress (INC) under the leadership of Joshua B. Fumudoh (Pioneer President) duly submitted a memorandum to the office of the State Creation Committee in Abuja chaired by Arthur Mbanefo. The memorandum demanded creation of three homogenous states for the Ijaw Nation. The states were Toru-Ibe, Bayelsa and Oil Rivers for Western, Central and Eastern zones of Ijaw National Congress respectively.

The INC leaders duly appeared before the State Creation Committee at Uyo, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Benin and Akure in defence and public hearing segment of the Committee’s Programme. In all these interfaces between the INC leaders and the Committee, one thing that was very glaring was the excitement exhibited by the chairman of the Committee and the honour he accorded the INC leadership. Reference to just one incident will suffice here.

At the sitting of the Committee in Akure, Ondo State, two persons, High Chief F.J Williams, National Secretary INC and Hon. R.A Jolowo, Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, indicated interest to speak on behalf of the Ijaw Nation. The chairman of the Committee insisted that only one contribution is allowed in accordance with standing rules, protocol and procedure. In the circumstance, a deadlock was created. Hon. Jolowo insisted persistently that he was duly mandated as a spokesperson by Ijaw elders and leaders in Ondo State before the Committee. Jolowo’s insistence led to an altercation between him and the chairman.

The deadlock was eventually resolved in favour of the INC leaders by the chairman on the premise that, apart from the procedural issues, he has come a long way with the INC leaders and he is confident that they will not fail in their responsibility. In the circumstance, High Chief F. J. Williams of Ondo extraction in Congress was mandated to present the Ijaw position.

The Fumudoh-led INC did not end the crusade for creation of homogeneous Ijaw States with defence and public hearing before the Committee on State Creation, further steps were taken in a well-designed lobbying process. One such step was a letter of appeal for intervention on behalf of the Ijaw Nation addressed to twenty five selected leaders in Nigeria, including former Heads of State.

Secondly, copies of our memo for State Creation were formally, personally and interactively forwarded to top Ijaw military officers, including Rear Admiral Victor Ombu, FOC, Eastern Naval Command; Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni and Major General Charles Ndiomu. Our efforts did not end there, we paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Committee in Abuja.

High Chief F.J Williams left Port Harcourt for Lagos to pick up General Ndiomu to join the delegation for the courtesy visit because Ndiomu and the Chairman of the State Creation Committee, Arthur Mbanefo, had a close working relationship. The other NEC members in the delegation were Joshua B. Fumudoh (President), Senator Douye Diri (Organising Secretary) and Erasmus Patrick (Asst. National Secretary).

When the delegation arrived the waiting room of the Committee Chairman, one of his aides went inside to brief him. We heard him in a loud voice ‘Please let them come in’! Immediately we were
ushered in, the Chairman stood and said ‘General, if the reason you are here is the demand by Ijaws for States, I will not attend to you. These men (pointing at us) have convinced us beyond reasonable doubt that Ijaws need States of their own. If it is only one state my Committee will recommend in our report, it will be for the Ijaw people. Please don’t try to take the credit due these men’.

Everyone in the delegation was utterly dumbfounded. What followed this wonderful and amazing comment was entertainment and vote of thanks. Perhaps more exciting was a call the Chairman, Arthur Mbanefo, put through to us much later. He said the Committee had been given an order by the Military Head of State, General Sanni Abacha, to recommend only one State per Geopolitical Zone in their report. In the circumstance, he wanted to know which one of our three states we wanted him to recommend. Without any acrimony, we settled for Bayelsa State because it is the home and Jerusalem of all Ijaws.

With this narrative, there is no gainsaying that the creation of Bayelsa State is one significant milestone in Ijaw struggle for unity and self-determination. Ijaws in the Central Zone of the INC today are in a geopolitical, socio-cultural and economic configuration with abundant opportunities and capacity to put up plans of their own for self-development in accordance with their own motivations and aspirations.

With this narrative, who truly are the founding fathers of Bayelsa State? Although, the creation of Bayelsa State is a collective effort, yet within the National Executive Council of Ijaw National Congress was a caucus of courageous, selfless, energetic, humble, focused, indefatigable and visionary leaders. These leaders are Joshua B. Fumudoh, High Chief F.J. Williams, Senator Douye Diri and Erasmus Patrick.

Within the geographical configuration known as Bayelsa today, if one individual should be given the honour of a ‘Founding Father’, that individual is Senator Douye Diri. Let us give honour to whom honour is due. The jinx that prophets are honoured save in their home or place of birth must be broken.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
High Chief F.J Williams is the Pioneer National Secretary, INC, Vice President 3, the Opufungeowei of IjawLand, the Osaghin (Most Versatile of Ijaw gods).

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