Speaking during a low-key event marking the eighth anniversary of his installation as the Ologbotsere (Prime Minister) of Warri Kingdom, Chief Emami said some Ijaw and Urhobo monarchs within Warri Federal Constituency have been wrongly attaching “Warri Kingdom” to their titles.
He recalled that historical records show that the Ijaws and Urhobos had previously sought to separate themselves from the Warri Kingdom, stressing that the traditional identity of the Warri Kingdom belongs solely to the Itsekiri people.
Emami said his installation on October 20, 2017, by the 20th Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, and the earlier coronation of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, on the same date in 2016, were divinely ordained events reflecting ancestral harmony.
He explained that the celebration was kept modest in honour of his late uncle, Mr. Samson Orighoye Emami, the late Chairman of the Otiri/Emami family.
The Ologbotsere recounted how his father, Chief Akonu Emami, was made a chief in 1979, the same year the 38th Oba of Benin, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I, ascended the throne.
Reaffirming his commitment to Itsekiri interests, Emami said, “Nobody can stop me from speaking for the Itsekiri people. Whatever belongs to Itsekiri must be given to them. God placed Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Urhobo together, but no tribe should take what belongs to another.”
He also prayed for President Bola Tinubu and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, saying both leaders would bring development to their respective levels of government.
“Even though I didn’t work for Sheriff’s emergence, I worked for President Tinubu’s victory. Whatever the Itsekiri people desire from both the federal and state governments, our ancestors will make it happen,” he said.
Spokesman of Ologbotsere Descendants Worldwide, Mr. Alex Eyengho, also reiterated Emami’s call for unity in Warri Kingdom, while dignitaries such as Chief Mike Odeli, Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli, and Hon. Orighomisan Omatsuli attended the ceremony.
