Francis Sadhere
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, has warned that any attempt by any person or group of persons to truncate the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, would spell doom for the country.
Rising from the IYC Convention at Ofunama Community, Egbema Clan In Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, the group in a press release signed by its Spokesperson, Barrister Eric Omare and made available to National Reformer, observed that there had been clandestine moves by some disgruntled and power hungry Nigerian politicians in collaboration with their foreign partners to truncate democracy in Nigeria.
He Ijaw group said; “The Convention’s attention was specifically drawn to a report in a UK based paper ‘The Cable’ to the effect that Senator David Mark would take over as Acting President should President Jonathan under any circumstance is unable to continue as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ijaw Youths condemned this report and warned that any attempt to truncate the leadership of President Jonathan would spell doom and the end for the entity called Nigeria.”
IYC reinstated their support for President Jonathan, calling on him to formerly declare his intentions to run for a second tenure.
“Ijaw Youths reinstate their support for the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and the call on him to contest the 2015 Presidential election as it is the right of the Niger Delta people to have a non-negotiable second term in office. That President Jonathan should go on and formally declare to contest for a second term in office in response to the call of the Niger Delta people and Nigerians in general,” the group said.
The Ijaw Youths reinstated their demand for true federalism wherein the Niger Delta people would control their resources and pay tax to the central government, condemning the retrogressive conduct of some Northern delegates at the ongoing Confab in their opposition to the demand of the Niger Delta people.
The IYC convention also resolved that the Federal Government and the Edo State Government should urgently address the political marginalization of the Ijaws of Edo State, who it says, were balkanized into three different local government areas and are oppressed in the politics of Edo State despite their population and the fact that Ijaw areas contribute substantially to making Edo State an oil producing state.
The group also frowned at the deliberate political marginalization of the Egbema people of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, saying that it was totally unacceptable to Ijaw Youths for the Egbema Ijaws to be denied from occupying the positions of Chairman of Warri North, Commissioner Representing Warri North in the Delta State Exco, member of the Delta State House of Assembly Representing Warri North or any political office of significance.
“Hence, the Convention demanded that the Delta State and federal governments should address the political marginalization of the Egbema people of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. The Convention also call on youths of Egbema to be peaceful in their quest for justice while sending a note of warning to the authorities that history all over the world teaches us that where peaceful change becomes impossible violent change becomes inevitable,” it further resolved.
The Ijaw youths stressed that to stop the marginalization of the Ijaws in both Edo and Delta States, the Federal Government should create a new state for the Ijaws.
“However, Ijaw youths strongly believe that the solution to the political marginalization of the Ijaws of Edo State lies in the creation of Toru-Ebe State wherein the Ijaws of Edo, Delta and Ondo States who are linguistically homogenous and geographically contiguous would be grouped into an homogenous Ijaw state to be known as TORU-EBE STATE,” the group said.
The Convention condemned the flaring of gas at the heart of the Gelegele Community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State by Dubril Oil Company, noting that continuous flaring of gas in the community had caused so much damage to the community.
It therefore, called on the Federal Government, Edo State Governments and Dubril Oil Company to as a matter of urgency relocate the flare site from the Community and massively develop the Community or relocate and rebuild a new town for the people.
The group said; “If these demands are not addressed urgently, Ijaw Youths would be forced to take drastic steps to address the ongoing injustice against the Ijaw people of Gelegele Community. The Convention mandated the National Leadership of the IYC to bring this demand to the attention of President Jonathan through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta Affairs, Hon. Kingsley Kuku as a matter of urgency.”
