The issue of Gelegele and the Ijaws in present-day Edo State is often misunderstood.
Historically, the Ijaw people did not migrate into Edo State after the state was created.
Rather, the creation of modern states and boundaries divided already existing Ijaw communities, leaving some within what is now Edo State.
Here's the historical explanation in simple terms:
The Ijaw people are one of the oldest indigenous groups in the Niger Delta, occupying territories stretching across present-day Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Ondo, Akwa Ibom and parts of Edo State.
Long before Nigeria was divided into regions and states, Ijaw communities already existed around the Benin River, Gelegele, and adjoining riverine areas.
During colonial administration, these areas were administered together under different provinces without regard to ethnic boundaries.
When the Mid-Western Region was created in 1963, and later Bendel State in 1976, Ijaw communities in the Benin River axis became part of those administrative units.
In 1991, Bendel State was split into Edo and Delta States. As a result, some Ijaw communities that had always been there found themselves within Edo State, while others became part of Delta State.
Therefore, it is inaccurate to suggest that Ijaws "came to settle" in Edo State after its creation.
What happened is that state boundaries were drawn across existing Ijaw territories.
In other words, Edo State came to include some Ijaw communities; the Ijaw people did not move into Edo State because of the state's creation.
Gelegele and other riverine communities existed before the present political boundaries, and their presence is rooted in centuries of history, not recent migration.
Administrative boundaries may change, but they do not erase the historical identity and indigenous status of the people who have lived in those areas for generations..
Mainwhile, I am from Edo State maternally, Akoko-Edo precisely...
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