A NEW DAWN ON THE HORIZON FOR THE 'IDOS' AND THE 'ITSOS' BY ABAI FRANCIS | PENGlobal

Once upon a time, there lived two African neighbouring tribes—the Idos and the Itsos—that dwelled in the mangrove of the delta that is today known as the Niger Delta. Before what the world called civilization was introduced to this part of Africa and before the nation Nigeria to which they belonged in the south was born and became independent from colonial rule, these two tribes, despite each speaking a unique language, were united, lived peacefully and inter-marry.

However, like every society, there lived within them greedy and selfish men, who, desperate for power, schemed with the white men that bear rule, so as to foist their superiority over their neighbours. Gradually, the politics of evil men found its way into the affairs of the two tribes and ever since then, things have never remained the same again. 

In the height of the power play of superiority, the Idos and the Itsos blindly went to war that resulted in the deaths of the innocent among them and the retrogression of the progress that had been made in the days of antiquity. Even though peace was later initiated after brokering a truce between them, the damage had already been done and the wounds inflicted refused to heal as the two tribes lived in suspicion and in an atmosphere of pretence. 

Then, one fateful day, something very rare and strange, happened, and turned the tide to a new beginning for both the Idos and the Itsos.

A young new king from the ruling house of the Itsos was to be given a crown to fill the void of leadership created by the demise of the former. His coming to the throne was not without opposition, as the politics of evil men had also found its way into corrupting the aged-long traditions of the Itsos as it concerns ordaining kingship. However, such politics was resisted, and the new king eventually emerged. In no time and in tune with the age, he initiated laudable entrepreneurial schemes to empower his people, and infrastructural projects to ameliorate their plights. He became loved by his people who noticed in him a great wisdom.

Then, one fateful day, the young new king informed his subjects that he would be paying an official and historic visit (as it had never happened before) to the ruling house of their neighbouring Idos. At first, his subjects the chiefs, opposed the overture, citing a thousand reasons. But prominent among these reasons are that such a move would be interpreted by their neighbour as a submission to their (Idos) superiority, and that, they (Itsos) are a peculiar people of pride that should never descend so low and put their honour to disrepute. But the king insisted and arrangements of the historic visit were made to that effect.

The king of the Idos, when he first learnt of the historic visit, thought it was a hugh joke taken too far. But when it was affirmed by an authoritative source, he gathered his subjects and allocated huge resources to welcome and to give the king of the Itsos a more than a well-befitting reception. Though he was delighted at such overture, the king of the Idos was still not certain if the visit would indeed become reality. For over the years, they have lived with their neighbour tensely while the war fought years ago had continued quietly. But now, a new dawn seems to be on the horizon, the king thought to himself. 

Finally, the day came. The king of the Itsos, accompanied by his subjects, made good his quest to visit. There was wild jubilation in the land of the Idos as well as excitement from the Itsos. The king of the Idos also invited other relative kings to the occasion, and it became a feast of kings. There were cultural display from both the Idos and the Itsos, wrestling contest, and masquerade display, all in entertainment of the kings and their subjects. In the height of the celebration, the king of the Itsos demanded an audience, and he finally spoke:

"Standing on the existing protocols, I am grateful for the warm reception accorded my royal presence and those of my subjects, even to other royal guests in attendance. I came here today to prove a point and I have proved it. For the wise, such a point is not farfetched, but for the ignorant I would speak on that point. 

"Looking at us today in this assembly, it would be difficult to believe that we (the Itsos and the Idos) have been living in cold conflict over these years. But now that we are all here together, is there anything wrong with being together? The entertainers that all performed showcased variety and added colour to this occasion. And such should be our disposition to each other. God who placed us here as neighbours did not falter, but we ourselves have faltered. Rather than focus on where our strength lies, we choose to focus on our weaknesses. For me, I have chosen the former.

"Before my coming here today, there were reservations from different quarters. But the truth remains that our progress has stalled for too long. If we must decide to move forward today, our decision must be anchored on unity which breeds peace, and peace attracts development. No man builds an empire and then allows war to destroy that empire. Husbands and wives disagree, but it is foolish for them to bring down the roof of their house. By the time the rain and the heat of the Sun comes, they will suffer the consequences. But if they manage their conflicts by disagreeing to agree, the better they will be.

"We have more to gain together than in disunity. No matter the laudable programmes I initiate for my people, if I cannot achieve lasting peace then I have achieved nothing because I will be exposing all of that to uncertainty. After my private meeting with my fellow king, we have decided to forge a common bond devoid of politics and ethnic sentiment. There's so much to say, but I believe my action today speaks louder than words. I will therefore end my brief speech by saying that as kings we carry greater responsibilities, one of which is to ensure the prosperity of our people. If we fail in that, we will answer to the One who gave us this noble identity from men. God bless us all."

AFTERWORDS:

The above vividly envisages a difficult decision (which is not impossible) to be taken by the royal leadership between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris of Warri South-West and Warri North LGAs, and in extension, other ethnic groups of Delta State, to courageously and humbly take the bull by the horn for posterity sake by uniting their people, as they both have more to benefit in the long term than they are in their current state of growth and development.