Posted by If President Bola Tinubu’s government tries to abolish the Niger Delta Ministry, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide, has pledged to fight back with every last drop of blood.
The warning was issued by IYC during a press conference in Warri on Friday.
“This is not a threat but a statement that will become a reality should the reverse become the case,” Princewill Binebai, spokesman for the IYC, stated.
He suggested that the oil and gas producing nations return their corporate headquarters to the Niger Delta.
After being told by Binebai that “you cannot be drilling and exporting oil from our soil and paying royalty to other states,” the company decided to stop doing so.
Binebai claims that the inhabitants of the Niger Delta region, the Ijaw, have not been given a fair portion of the resources that are created from their villages despite contributing to the economic and political well-being of the country.
In 1992, at Arogbo in Ondo state, Prof. Dime, the pioneer President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), had suggested that “If Spiders Web Can Unite, They Can Tie Up A Lion,” and IYC would continue to prioritize the unity of the Ijaw nation because in unity lies our power. We must work together to build a stronger Ijaw nation.
Binebai stated, “we must sound it clearly that our continued guarantee of peace in Nigeria should be laced with justice, fairness, equity, and political inclusion,” emphasizing that the Ijaw people will continue to be peaceful and always accept one Nigeria.
It’s tragic to think that the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta have had to fight for nearly every benefit they’ve enjoyed. The Ijaw people have never received anything for free.
Now, the council will not stand for the Nigerian military invading Ijaw communities at any possible chance. The people of Ijaw should not be viewed as outsiders, but rather as valuable contributors to Nigeria’s future.
We will not allow this atrocity to be pushed under the rug, and the Council will not rest until justice is done for the brutal death of Peterside Alafuro, an Ijaw from Rivers State who was killed by a trigger-happy police officer in Rivers State.
Going forward, the Ijaw Youth Council will support allies of the Ijaw people within the Nigerian state, while standing firm against all those who seek to harm our homeland and our people.
When negotiating with key parties in Nigeria, we would prioritize our people’s development and progress. They will never be second fiddle to the Ijaws.
According to the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), “the bill for the establishment of our precious Nigeria Maritime University, (NMU) Okerenkoko in Delta State has suffered too much legislative hiccups; never have we seen anywhere in the world how a school of such will struggle so hard for survival; the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu must quickly in collaboration with the National Assembly see to the passage of the bill.”