For a day with so much at stake, the atmosphere at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa was charged yet orderly, as delegates of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) gathered to elect a new President through a historic electronic voting process. Inside the conference hall, electoral officials carefully set up digital voting infrastructure, while journalists engaged…
“This is a struggle we must continue. If we cannot achieve it in our time, we will hand it over to our children. Our land and waters have nourished this nation and fuelled its economic activities, yet for too long we have borne the burden of environmental damage and social disadvantage.”
“The crisis was occasioned by a court injunction procured by one of the presidential candidates who wanted the process stopped. That injunction was served, and the INC, being a law-abiding institution, has agreed to comply with it.”
Reaffirming the long-standing position of the Ijaw people, the INC stressed that no part of Ijaw land or waterways has ever been, nor will ever be, part of the Biafra Republic. According to the Congress, such misrepresentation not only distorts historical and cultural realities but also risks creating unnecessary tension among ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta and beyond.
“Somebody had to take the decision (to leave the PDP) and I took it on behalf of the state. I took it in the best interest of the state. Some of you might not understand now but later it will be clear to all.”
“As a coastal state, Bayelsa lies below the sea level and consequently faces the risks associated with ocean rise. About 70 per cent of its land area is occupied by rivers and it borders the Atlantic Ocean on its three senatorial flanks.
“In my presentation during the panel session themed: “Multi-Level Governance of Coastal Cities and Regions,” I emphasised the primacy of collaborative governance among global, national and sub-national stakeholders in order to save communities threatened by ocean rise and coastal erosion in our region and in Bayelsa.”
“Let us go back to the days when we had no fences in our villages where we lived a communal life of freedom and justice. There are those who have sacrificed their lives for us so that we will have a homogeneous Ijaw state. One of those who fought for the creation of Bayelsa was Pa Clark.”
“Again, l restate that this is the time for dialogue because it is a lose-lose situation for people of Rivers State. l urge Mr. President and the National Assembly to waste no time in inaugurating a committee of eminent personalities that will immediately intervene and bring back peace and the constituted government of Rivers State back to office.”
President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba, has felicitated with Nigerians and the Federal Government on this year’s Democracy Day. In a press statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, the INC President said that Democracy Day is worth celebrating, considering the relative human rights and freedom Nigerians have been enjoying…
