Ijaws Call for FCT Minister’s Suspension Over Denigration

. To hold rallies in Bayelsa, Rivers  

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Ijaw ethnic nationality have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of necessity, suspend the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his spurious denigration of the entire Ijaw ethnic group and the insult on late Pa E.K. Clark.

Ijaw ethnic nationality, who gathered at Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi local government area of Delta State, yesterday, made the call at a one-day Ijaw National Sensitisation Rally tagged “Stand Up for Ijaw Nation and Pa E.K. Clark.

The Congress for Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities (CONDEN), who convened the programme in collaboration with the Ijaws of the Western Zone, noted that it had become necessary for Ijaw to proclaim their unwavering commitment to the struggle for their rights and dignity.

The President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, speaking at the rally noted that the Ijaw nation had remained silent for too long, stressing the denigration and insult on the entire Ijaw nation and late Pa  Clark by the FCT minister was disrespectful and sacrilegious.

“We have remained silent for too long, it’s time for Ijaw to act and the time is now, it’s time to redeem our image as Ijaw people.” 

“When you told an Ijaw man that you are lazy, a reasonable Ijaw man will not fight you at that instance.

“Wike, who sent thunder against the entire Ijaw people is being inflicted by his own thunder that backfired on him, and we’re going to replicate this rally in Bayelsa and Rivers States. After then, the real action will be taken and we’ll not go into any battle with anybody because we know the processes to achieve our goal,” he said. 

The pioneer President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Dr Felix Tuodolo, who is famous for the Kaiama Declaration in 1998,  berated the FCT minister as very poor in mathematics and history for categorising the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria as a minority of the minorities in the Niger Delta.

“Wike is very poor in mathematics and history for calling Ijaw as a minority of the minorities in the Niger Delta, as against figures of the last population censuses.

“This rally is a clarion call on Ijaw to take back our position in the scheme of things. It’s time for us to produce one Ijaw agenda because we’re politically marginalized. After that, INC can also mobilize for the whole of Niger Delta to have an agenda.

“This is not a fight between Ijaw and another ethnic group because we live peacefully with the Ikwerres except that one man”, Tuodolo said.

Others, who spoke at the rally include Hilda Dokubo, the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western and Eastern Zones, Meibutus and youth bodies of other ethnic nationalities such as Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Isoko Ethnic Nationality and Ndokwa Ethnic Nationality.

However, in the paper presented by the CONDEN, signed by Hendrick Opukeme, the Ijaw ethnic nationality called on President Tinubu to suspend the FCT minister for denigrating the Ijaw ethnic group and being the brain behind the crisis in Rivers State.

 “We converge on this sacred land to proclaim our unwavering commitment to the struggle for the rights and dignity of our people. For too long we have been silent, exploited and neglected. Our resources have been plundered, our environment desecrated and our future mortgaged but we say, enough is enough.

“Nyesom Wike’s comments about Ijaw people being a minor minority in the Niger Delta are not only inaccurate but also deeply offensive. The Ijaw nation is documented as the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria. In Rivers State, Ijaw are the majority with ten local governments compared to Wike’s Ikwerre with only two local governments.

“We call on Mr President to suspend Wike as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, otherwise what Mr President has done is selective justice,” he added.