Itsekiri people of Warri Kingdom, Delta State, have called for the creation of a Warri state with headquarters in Warri township and objected to the demand for creation of Toru-Ebe State by the Ijaw.
The ethnic group presented the position in Ikot Ekpene where the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution held the South -South Zonal Public Hearing on the bills to further amend the Constitution.
Chief Edward Ekpoko, Tolureju of Warri Kingdom and Chairman Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT) who led the Itsekiri delegation for presentation of the memorandum to the Senate Committee however noted that Itsekiris were first more desirous of an insertion in the constitution, a clause to protect minority rights than the growing agitation.
The oil rich ethnic group were joined by the Ilajes of Ondo State and the Binis of Edo in the objection to the Ijaws' demand for a Toru-Ebe State on perceived conviction that the Ijaws were tenants to them in the territories they were putting up to form the intended Toru-Ebe State.
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In the memorandum presented by ILoT on behalf of the Itsekiri and signed by Ekpoko as ILoT Chairman and Sir Amorighoye Mene (Secretary), Clement Omotoye, the presenter told the Senate Committee that state creation would not effectively address the challenges for which most groups are agitating for more states.
He said:"The Itsekiri produce over 33% of the oil and gas that sustain the Nigeria nation and sadly have no representative at the Senate of 109 members because of their minority position. It has only one Federal House of Representatives seat of the 360 seats. Of the 29 members of the Delta State House of Assembly, it has only two."
Omotoye said: "The cry for creation of more states in Nigeria is not motivated by the need to correct any inter-state or zonal imbalance or development. What the people want really is ethnic or sub-ethnic self-determination, and this is a natural tendency.
"The Itsekiri ethnic nationality demands provision of minority protection clause as contained in defunct Midwestern Nigeria Constitution be included in our constitution to protect the Itsekiri and other ethnic minorities.
"It is our position that ethnic/linguistic affinity should be the main consideration in constituting the federating units and not the artificially created/decreed states or regions or zones.
"Contiguous group of ethnic/linguistic minorities can be brought together to constitute a federating unit provided there are provisions in the constitution to protect each group as it was in the Midwestern Nigeria Constitution. "
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