Ukwuaniland And The National Census (Editorial) By Professor Steve A. Okecha

To begin this discourse, I shall, first of all, reproduce verbatim my comments on pages 4-7 of the book titled, NOW I KNOW MY PEOPLE, authored by me and published in 2012: “Our people are not aware that the Ndokwa Nation will forever be haunted by two major past political miscalculations: first, the merging of Ukwuani and Ndosumili Districts of old to become ONE Ndokwa Local Government Area; second, the short-changing of Ndokwaland in the 2006 nationwide census exercise due, largely, to the ineptitude and nonchalance of Ndokwa political class coupled with the political myopism of our people in general.

For my money, these miscalculations cannot, and will never, be remedied, to our detriment. This, I shall explain in due course as the discussion progresses.Those days, Nigeria was carved out into Provinces. Each Province was made up of Divisions, while each Division comprised Districts. Aboh Division, for example, was made up of Ukwuani and Ndosumili Districts; Urhobo Division consisted of Eastern Urhobo  District [present Isokoland] and Western Urhobo District [the present Urhoboland]; while Asaba Division comprised Aniocha and Ika Districts.

When the Federal Government decided to restructure the country in the mid 1970s, some Districts became LGAs, while some were even split into 2 or more LGAs. But instead of Ukwuani and Ndosumili Districts becoming at least 2 separate LGAs, they were incautiously merged to become ONE Ndokwa LGA. The government was ill-advised by a few of our elites in privileged positions, who felt that merging our 2 Districts would foster unity in brotherhood and engender the spirit of patriotism. The miscalculation would have been avoided if many of our people in different fields of human endeavour had been widely consulted before the government was advised.

Thus Aboh Division of all Divisions in Nigeria metamorphosed into only ONE LGA, while its counterparts were spilt into 2 or more LGAs. The exercise, no doubt, has considerably relegated the Ndokwa Nation, as Aboh Division [present Ndokwa Nation] has today 3 LGAs; Urhobo Division 10; Asaba Division, 6.

The politics of merging has not been favourable to the Ndokwa Nation.There is no way one can be convinced that, one day, a civilian government will create more LGAs in such a manner that the Divisions of old would have equal number of LGAs. That will not happen. I am waiting to be proved wrong.The Ndokwa Nation, to say the least, was blatantly short-changed in the 2006 nationwide census exercise.

While the electronic data capture machines arrived days after the exercise had commenced, at some of our towns and villages, most of our riverine towns and villages never saw one data capture machine or a semblance of it. The exercise  was a sham, yes, it was a sham in Ndokwaland. But, at the end of the so-called headcount, spurious population figures were provided for all Ndokwa towns and villages.

The Ndokwa Nation was short-changed in the superlative. The population of Ikaland [a former District of old Asaba Division] is now TWICE that of the ENTIRE Ndokwa Nation [old Aboh Division comprising Ukwuani and Ndosumili Districts]. Nothing could be more fictitious. Nothing could be more devastating.

How could  the population of one District of old be TWICE that of TWO Districts combined? Something definitely went wrong in the headcount. The current population figure for Ndokwaland is UNACCEPTABLE, and I have repeatedly said so in some of my public utterances. Based on the outcome of the 2006 census, the National Population Commission after its delineation exercise, announced that Ikaland would have 2 Federal Constituencies, while Ndokwaland would have one as usual.The Ndokwa political class, to a large extent, put us in this mess.

While their counterparts in the other ethnic groups spent their money, and ran around to ensure that  their people were counted when the census exercise was in progress, most of the Ndokwa political leaders could not be bothered. They sat complacently in their homes, “waiting for the coconut to fall.” They also did not protest visibly when the census figures were officially released.

The colonial administration in its wisdom, created Divisions and Districts unbiasedly based on a number of factors: population, land mass, linguistic affiliation, contiguity, among others. Thus, Aboh and Asaba Divisions of old were more or less at par. That the Ika population now doubles Ndokwa’s is, therefore, inconceivable. We did not fight in any war that diminished our population.

I am not, in any way, against Ika people; in fact, I love them very much for their political astuteness, vision and aggressiveness in recent times. All I have been saying and I am still saying, is that the 2006 nationwide census exercise was maximally flawed; it has further plunged the Ndokwa Nation into political and economic relegation.”

Here we are in 2023 – another national census year. Our people should be encouraged to ensure that they are counted. But, we should not expect wonders, though, in our land because wonders may not happen. As we are planning to be counted, other ethnic groups are also designing ways to get their people adequately captured in the exercise. I am sad because our 2006 figures are reference points.

Demography has its rules or formulae or techniques. For example, Ika’s population in 2006 was double ours. Yes. There is no way our own population will, in 2023, equal Ika’s, let alone surpass or double it. My people, I am rationalising. I am being academic. And I am sorry for spoiling your day. This exposes the more, the harm done to our ethnic group by our selfish, nonchalant, visionless, patriotism-deficient politicians.

This year’s census, if it ever takes place, will, definitely, be a sham. This is my prophesy. A word of caution. If the 2023 census holds, our people should discard all pettiness and claim UKWUANI as their ethnic group. Because that is the officially recognized ethnic nationality for this part of Nigeria on the Register. Any contrary step will further diminish our population, and we will, thus, short-change ourselves.

We are NOT: Ibos, Kwale Ibos, Western Ibos, Delta Ibos– Ndokwa [strictly speaking], Ika Ibos, Anioma Ibos– Any other creations of some latter-day historians. Whenever I hear some of our people, including highly educated ones, proudly proclaim that our ethnic nationality is the SECOND largest [next to the Urhobos] in Delta State, I always laugh.

I laugh at the gross ignorance of such people, as I regard such utterances as mere market square declarations. The truth is in the Internet. Period. Verbum sat sapienti est – A word is enough for the wise.