The young women filed out in their numbers, armed with placards. They have just one mission: to re-echo to the world, especially to Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL)—the American oil giant whose station borders their ancestral home—that Sarabubor is an Ijaw territory under Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The counter protest of the Gbaramatu women comes on the heels of an alleged claim by their counterpart neighbour—the Itsekiri, that Sarabubor is not part of Gbaramatu, a comment the women did not only find offensive, but one they saw as an attempt to rewrite their ancestral history.

"We are here to correct an impression made by our neighbors, the Itsekiris, who are claiming ownership. This land, Sarabubor, belongs to us. This land is our home," said the leader of the protest, Mrs. Otutufegha Glory, President of the Association of Gbaramatu Female Graduates (AGFG).

"Chevron, please don't be misled by our neighbours that are claiming ownership of this place," she counters, and added, "Sarabubor belongs to our forefathers. It's our land. Sarabubor is our identity. You cannot rewrite our identity," she echoed.

Bearing placards with inscriptions such as: "Sarabubor is Gbaramatu Ancestral Land", "Our Land, Our Roots, Our Right", "You Cannot Rewrite Our Identity", "Sarabubor is Gbaramatu Land Yesterday, Today, Forever" among other bold inscriptions, the women, on arrival in the community, first took the media on a tour of the ancient settlement before proceeding to make a loud statement with their press briefing.

"As you can see, we walked through the community, and there is no trace of an Itsekiri person living here," said Otutufegha. "Everyone here are Ijaws, not just Ijaws, but Ijaws of Gbaramatu Kingdom. Whoever that says Sarabubor belongs to him should come to the community. We have taken a tour around the community to show you that this is our land, and that there is no single Itsekiri son or daughter staying here," she proclaimed confidently.

Adding her voice to the protest, Amb. Endurance Nwachukwu Bekenawei, pioneer president of the AGFG re-echoed the message of the president.

"We are here as women to express love, unity and peace, because women they say are agent of peace and change in the community. Hence, we have come to extend our hands of friendship as agents of peace to our sisters, and to proclaim loud and clear that we are not tenants, we are landlords in our own ancestral land. Sarabubor is an Ijaw land, belongs to Gbaramatu. Chevron, take note," she cautioned.

Also lending her voice, a representative from the student community in Gbaramatu Kingdom under the aegis of the National Association of Gbaramatu Students (NAGS), Comrade Seigha Nesiama, said, "Firstly, I would like to state here that Sarabubor is not just a soil, it is not just a mere ground, it is a ground that holds our history. It is where future history is going to be built. And for that reason, we would like to disparage every rumour and every baseless claim that is going around stating that this place belongs to our neighbours, the Itsekiri.

"And secondly, we are not here to portray aggression or violence. We are here to foster unity and to foster peace upon our own Gbaramatu people here—to show that we are not swayed by the ongoing baseless claims. So please, we would like to declare to those people that are our neighbours that Sarabubor is a Gbaramatu Kingdom community," she stated.

Asides setting the record straight of ownership, the women unanimously called on CNL to contribute meaningfully to the development of the riverine community that is lacking basic amenities, as they lamented that it is a grave irony for the American oil giant to be feeding fat from crude oil while inhabitants of the community languish in lack.

The protest brings to the fore once again the fragile nature of the existing relationship between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri, and the need for investors to consult widely to avoid falling prey to imposters who disguise as aboriginal owners, but with no trace of their presence in a settlement they lay claim to. In the end, such action is perceived to be largely influenced by oil politics.

View protest photos here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Brw1tPt1Y/

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