IYC Tackles Obaseki Over Alleged Deprivation, Underdevelopment of Ijaw in Edo

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths worldwide, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has decried the alleged continued political alienation, deprivation and underdevelopment of the Ijaw in Edo State.

While demanding actions to correct what they described as  ‘anomalies’, the IYC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Binebia Princewill, said it was shocking that successive Edo state governors have governed the state as though the Ijaw do not exist.

The statement highlighted that while the Ijaw are equal stakeholders in the state, the people are both culturally, politically, socially and economically viable and therefore deserve equal opportunities like other ethnic nationalities in the state

Among the demands of the IYC is that Obaseki should urgently give staff of office to the five traditional rulers in the Ijaw Kingdoms in the state before the governorship election.

“Let us sound this clear again and again that the Ijaw in Edo state are not living in a foreign land, they are living in their ancestral land and no one should try to falsify their history by trying to annex any part of their lands. Our people must be treated fairly in Edo state with dignity and honour going forward.

“Our people have suffered too much political deprivation, suppression, manipulation, oppression,  strangulation and alienation in their own land. Since the creation of Edo state till date, the level of development in the Ijaw areas have been nothing to write home about. The IYC will not allow this injustice to fester forever.

“ The continued subjugation of our people and kingdoms by not giving staff of office to Ijaw kings in Edo State is something that is capable of causing disharmony and chaos. We don’t know how we will continue to endure this calculated arrangement geared towards undermining the autonomy of the Ijaw in Edo state,” the group said.

The youth body equally called to the tovernor of to swiftly partner with relevant agencies for the commencement of the Udo-Ofunama road project to connect the rural Ijaw areas to the urban areas and see to the realisation of the Gelegele-Gbene Seaport.

It reiterated that the projects are very dear and key to the people of Edo, Niger Delta and Nigeria at large, saying that if completed the projects will add economic value to the polity.