Our Boycott of ‘Endbadgovernance’ Protest Justified By Hoisted Russian Flag, Says IYC

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa 

The umbrella body of the Ijaw youths worldwide, Ijaws Youth Council (IYC), has said its boycott of the hunger protest has been justified by the hoisted Russian flag by some of the protesters. 

It however restated its demands to the federal government, which included quick completion of the East-West road and the the urgent relocation of the headquarters of International and National Oil companies to the Niger Delta region 

At a press briefing in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the IYC, which reviewed the recent endbadgovernance and hunger protest and their earlier demands, said though the council did not take part in the protest for some reasons, their earlier demands still stood.

A statement by IYC President, Jonathan Lokpobiri and its spokesman, Benabia Princewill, stated that their non-involvement in the nationwide protest has been justified by the raising of Russian flag, showing clearly the inordinate ambition of individual to disintegrate the country

The statement read: “While the IYC is empathetic to the plights of Nigerians at this critical point in time, we make bold to say that Council perceived dark sinister motives behind the protest as the IYC is not agitating for the disintegration of this country,  neither a change  of  Government through  the back door and other very questionable and strange demands away from the Ijaw struggle for resource control and self determination that is a threat to Nigeria’s democracy. This was why we were not surprised when people purportedly raised the Russian flag during the protest. 

“In line with our earlier position as a Council that we shall be coming up with our Post-Protest review and demands from the Ijaw Youth Council before the federal government of Nigeria, after due consultations, we have come up with the following demands for the federal government to take urgent action.

“It is our call before the federal government that the East West Road should be given a serious attention by the ministry and agencies involved as we are not comfortable with the snail pace the road is taking, there shall be no excuses on the speedy fixing of the entire East West Road, particularly the Niger Delta axis of the road. 

“While the IYC lauds President Bola Tinubu for initiating the Coastal Road, it is our demand that coastal Road should also start from Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Rivers. It is our fear that if this is not done, the road might only cover the South West without getting to the South South that is producing the resources for the project.”