BY CHIEF JAMES IBORI
I have generally refrained from intervening in policy or public matters. However, this issue is far too serious to ignore. I speak from a position of personal experience, having lived my entire life in Urhobo Land, including my eight-year tenure as Governor of Delta State. I must confess that this is the first time I am hearing of a festival of this nature.
You can imagine my shock when I was contacted about this matter two days ago. My initial reaction was, “This cannot be true, but let me verify and revert.” Every right-thinking person must condemn violence in any form, especially when the victim is a defenseless person.
I personally made several efforts to ascertain the veracity of the social media reports and obtained an account from the traditional institution in Ozoro. From the facts available to me, even the custodian of our tradition whose authority is required for such festivals was not consulted. It is therefore unfair to ascribe such violence to the entire Isoko people, and most unfortunate that the Urhobo people have also been implicated.
One commentator even made a definitive pronouncement implicating the Ekene festival in orgies unleashed on girls and women. This is totally untrue. Festivals among Urhobo and Isoko people, apart from being celebratory, are woven around historical and spiritual motifs. They memorialize past events, reinforce belief systems, and are typically anchored in an essence sustained by strong moral values.
What happened is condemnable, and it is commendable that security agencies have now intervened to unravel what really transpired. It is my hope that this investigation will set the record straight: there is no “rape festival” among Urhobo and Isoko people.
Furthermore, I will work with the VC of the University and the Ozoro traditional institution to engage the youth so that this serves as a clear signal that actions that degenerate our values, our cultural norms and the role of women in our society will not be tolerated.
