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  • Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri to engage governor on funding

    Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri to engage governor on funding

    Elders and leaders of Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities in Delta South Senatorial District have reviewed their development strategy, with plans to engage the Delta State Government on issues affecting their communities.

    The leaders, under the auspices of the Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri Leaders’ Forum (3Is), are seeking dialogue with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to address concerns relating to infrastructural development, funding of intervention agencies and inclusive governance.

    A source familiar with discussions at a meeting held in Warri on Tuesday, said the elders agreed on the need to interface with the governor on challenges facing the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), the spread of major infrastructure projects across the state and improved communication between the government and community elders outside active partisan politics.

    Read Also: Police invite Itsekiri chiefs over ‘killing’

    According to the source, the forum observed that since the current administration, there had been limited public information on DESOPADEC’s budgetary operations, and the commission appeared to be suffering from timely release of funds “despite the more than triple increase of the monthly derivation money from FAAC.” 

  • Ijaw in US honours Ogbuku as Champion of Economic Empowerment

    Ijaw in US honours Ogbuku as Champion of Economic Empowerment

    The Ijaw National Congress of the Americas (INC-A) has bestowed an award of excellence on the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, recognizing him as the Champion of Economic Empowerment.

    The INC-A presented the award to Ogbuku in Houston, Texas, USA, as part of its three-day second Ijaw Global Convention with a theme: “Effective Leadership in Ijaw Nation”.

     A former President Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, who received the award on behalf of Ogbuku, said the NDDC Boss was particularly honoured for his strides in entrepreneurship and local economic growth.

    Eradiri said the award was a testament to Ogbuku’s exceptional leadership style and his commitment to the deployment of the NDDC resources in actualising the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the region.

    He said the award would motivate Ogbuku to keep rolling out people-oriented projects and empowerment programmes designed to enhance the economy of the region and lift many people out of poverty.

    “The NDDC Managing Director will also seek opportunities to collaborate with international organisations including the Ijaws in diaspora to ensure the growth and development of the Niger Delta region”, he said.

    He said the Mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, used the occasion to proclaim June 5 every year as the Ijaw Convention Day.

    Read Also: NDDC funding improved massively under Tinubu, says Ogbuku

    He said the Mayor described the Ijaw people living in the US as “a vibrant and growing segment of the Nigerian-American diaspora, contributing significantly to business, education, energy, healthcare, culture, and civic life – particularly in the Greater Houston area.”

    Eradiri further said that the Ijaw Cultural Centre, Houston, was launched at the event, adding that when completed, the centre would act as a meeting point for all Ijaws in the diaspora and provide research materials to scholars on matters concerning the Ijaw people.

    He said, “The event also launched the Ijaw Cultural Centre in Houston, United States, to preserve the Ijaw heritage. It will be a meeting point for all Ijaws in the USA, and it will enhance research of international scholars on Ijaw matters.”

    “I will also appeal to Ogbuku to help in the development of the Ijaw cultural centre. The city of Houston also declared the 5th of July Ijaw Day, in which the mayor made the proclamation and issued a certificate to that effect.”

  • Urhobo, Ijaw coalition demands release of final Warri delineation report

    Urhobo, Ijaw coalition demands release of final Warri delineation report

    A group, Coalition for Urhobo/Ijaw Integrity and Justice (CUIIJ) has reiterated demand for the release of the final wards and units delineation report of Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission as ordered by the Supreme Court.

    In a statement on Wednesday, the CUIIJ expressed concern that interested parties were “abusing their proximity to power to frustrate the release of the final delineation report.”

    The statement was signed by CUIIJ President, Tega Marvelous, and Secretary, Godknows Ebimene.

    Calling on the Federal Government to “resist external and internal interference and allow justice to take its rightful place,” they called on the international community and human rights bodies “to watch closely and call out ethnic oppression disguised as political lobbying.”

    The group maintained that completing the delineation process was in the interest of “justice and equity” for all stakeholders.

    Read Also: 74 houses razed, several killed in Ijaw communities

    “The final judgment of the Supreme Court on the long-awaited Warri Federal Constituency delineation was clear. It was decisive. It was just. Yet, what we are witnessing today is a coordinated, shameless and desperate attempt by the Itsekiri ethnic group to upend this justice through manipulation, political pressure and falsehood.

    “They have run to international bodies, feeding them lies and fabrications of insecurity in the region, when in truth, it is they who continue to provoke conflict by refusing to accept peaceful outcomes,” parts of the statement read.

    They restated that the Urhobo and Ijaw people are neither “strangers,” nor “squatters” in Warri, but owners of the land, adding that no “twisted propaganda or political muscle can rewrite that truth.

    “For years, we have walked the path of peace. We have respected the courts. We have allowed legal processes to run their course, even while being provoked, harassed and marginalized. But this, this right here, this deliberate sabotage of a Supreme Court directive is the final insult to our patience.”

  • Move Ijaw to APC now, Eradiri tells Diri, Dickson

    Move Ijaw to APC now, Eradiri tells Diri, Dickson

    A former Labour Party governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, has called on the state governor, Douye Diri, and his predecessor, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, to integrate the Ijaw nation into the government at the centre.

    Eradiri, in a statement on Wednesday, told the two political leaders that there is no better time than now to move the Ijaw nation into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Describing the current period as the time of political realignment, Eradiri, who is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineering (NSE), said the Ijaw could experience political alienation if the leaders failed to adapt to the political reality.

    He specifically said Diri and Dickson should decisively join the APC to create the required opportunity for the Ijaw to play crucial roles in the corridors of power.

    Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, argued that taking such a political decision would attract more infrastructural and manpower development.

    He insisted that the Ijaw would gain nothing by being in opposition to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but would only be left to wallow in the political wilderness.

    He appealed to Diri and Dickson to forego personal interest, LS, and see the bigger picture, insisting that their joining the APC would be for the overall interest of the Ijaw nation.

    Eradiri, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa, reminded the two leaders that their past political fathers, living and dead, used to align with any government at the centre.

    Eradiri said, “The time for political realignment for the Ijaw Nation is now.

    The current political equation in Nigeria presently will alienate the Ijaw race if we don’t re-strategise immediately and take a decision to join the ruling party.

    “I am calling on Senator Seriake Dickson and Governor Douye Diri to join the APC now to guarantee the Ijaw Nation a place in decision-making at the centre.

    Read Also: Security: Diri lauds agencies, armed forces team for synergy

    “This is no longer the time for bravado. There is nothing or no point in being in opposition to President Tinubu’s government, as it will only alienate Ijaws politically.

    “Our fathers had always aligned with the centre, and Ijaws, no matter how bad, had always had some say in government. But today we have no voice in the APC-led federal government.

    “Dickson, being a former governor and now senator, and Douye Diri, a former senator and now governor, will give the Ijaws a voice at the national government if they heed this clarion call and move to the APC.

    “I, however, call on them to jettison every personal interest and other selfish sentiments and take this step, which I believe will be for the overall interest of the Ijaw nation.

    “Ijaws cannot be onlookers. Our resources sustain Nigeria, so we must be strategic to advance the development of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation”.

  • Ijaw, Urhobo give nod to INEC’s delineation, demand completion of process

    Ijaw, Urhobo give nod to INEC’s delineation, demand completion of process

    The Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State have given nod to the fieldwork on the fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units as ordered by the Supreme Court, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expedite action on the exercise before future elections.

    The people drawn from Okere-Urhobo, Agbarha-Warri, Isaba, Ogbe-Ijoh, Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms of Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Local Government Areas, gave their joint position on INEC’s fieldwork at a press conference in Warri, Wednesday.

    Represented by their leaders including Hon. Denbo-Denbofa Oweikpodor, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Hon. (Chief) Arthur Akpodubakaye, Joel Bisina, Comrade EmmanIgetei (for the Ijaws) and Chief John Erenvor, Chief Westham Adehor, Olorogun Victor Okumagba and Hon Mark Ikpuri, they also spoke on the recent threat to peace and security in the area following the arrest of a dismissed British Army Major, Micah Polo, along with some collaborators, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), arising from the delineation process.

    They commended INEC for obeying the Supreme Court order despite series of litigations against it to stop the exercise, charging it to complete the process before future electoral activities.

    “The Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the steps taken so far towards complying with the Supreme Court order on fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.

    “We note that, in a bid to frustrate the implementation of the Supreme Court order, the Itsekiri Ethnic nationality filed multiple suits in different Divisions of the Federal High Court of Nigeria. However, INEC has demonstrated its commitment and respect for the rule of law by taking necessary steps to comply with the Supreme Court order on the fresh delineation.

    “In this respect, we welcome the release of the report of the fieldwork on the fresh delineation by INEC. We further note that the report of the fieldwork by INEC confirms the obvious fact on the ground, which is that the Ijaws constitute the majority population in Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas, while the Urhobos constitute the majority population in Warri South Local Government Area. We commend INEC for standing by the truth and justice.

    “We therefore call on INEC to complete the process of the fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency and release its final decision without further delay.

    “It is the position of the Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri that there should not be any electoral activity, including registration of voters in the Warri Federal Constituency, without completion of the fresh delineation as ordered by the Supreme Court.

    “Our position is predicated on the ground that, without completion of the fresh delineation exercise, there are no existing electoral wards and polling units upon which any electoral activity can be predicated, including registration of voters.

    Opposing the call by the Itsekiri ethnic nationality that INEC use the voters’ register as basis to conduct the fresh exercise and urging the electoral umpire to “stick to law and guidelines,” they posited that “the primary consideration for the delineation of electoral wards and polling units is the population quota/number of inhabitants and other physical consideration of the areas concerned.

    Read Also: Ahead 2027 elections: INEC seek comprehensive review of electoral legal framework

    “Furthermore, it is our position that, based on the Supreme Court order on fresh delineation of wards and polling units, there is no longer any existing register of voters in the Warri Federal Constituency upon which any activity can be predicated. The field work carried out by INEC and other existing public records revealed the majority population status of the Ijaws and Urhobos in Warri North, Warri South West, and Warri South LGA,s respectively.”

    Noting that the Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri were targets of the uncovered plot by the Department of State Services and sister security agencies of a British Army officer, as well as a traditional ruler and his aides to instigate unrest in Warri, the people called on the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to ensure transparency in the investigation and prosecution of the suspects.

    Condemning a statement issued by some purported Pan Yoruba Groups, where they threatened the peace and security of the Niger Delta region as a result of the Supreme Court ordered delineation, the stated “we are aware that all these threats are the desperate actions of some Itsekiri leaders and should be ignored by the government.”

    Recalling the events that led to the fratricidal war in Warri from 1997 to 2003, the people warned against any attempt to “change the Ijaw and Urhobo majority status in Warri North, Warri South West and Warri South Local Government Areas, respectively as revealed by the INEC report,” just as it urged the Presidency not to be “blackmailed by the Itsekiris in their desperate attempt to truncate the Supreme Court ordered delineation. Any attempt to frustrate the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on the fresh delineation is a direct invitation to anarchy by whoever is involved.”

  • Protesters against Otuaro were hired by blackmailers, say Ijaw youths

    Protesters against Otuaro were hired by blackmailers, say Ijaw youths

    Youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youths Network (IYN) have described persons, who blocked the National Assembly, on Wednesday to protest against the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Boss, Dr. Dennis Otuaro as street urchins hired by desperate and corrupt persons from the region.

    The IYN appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore a faceless group, the Niger Delta Liberators and Ex-Agitators Forum (NDLEF), involved in peddling outright falsehood against Otuaro.

    The group commended the President for his sustained support for the PAP, its leadership, and the Niger Delta.

    The IYN said that those sponsoring the protest were angry with Otuaro because he refused to open the coffers of the Amnesty Office to them, in the same manner they swindled previous leaders of the programme through blackmail.

    The IYN in a statement issued by its President, Frank Ebikabi, and the Secretary, Federal Ebiaridor, condemned the demonstration and described it as a “staged and orchestrated” attempt to blackmail and distract the administrator from his ongoing reforms at the PAP.

    The group advised the President to look carefully and see the falsehood in the allegations of the NDLEF, stressing that they were willing tools in the hands of their sponsors.

    The IYN said: “We strongly condemn the protest in its entirety. Those behind this mischief, and criminal enterprise are those who have registered fake camps to steal funds belonging to the government, and they are not happy that Otuaro’s reforms at the PAP have prevented them from achieving their criminal intentions.

    “We call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to disregard the Niger Delta Liberators and Ex-Agitators Forum. If the President checks their activities properly, he would see how hollow their allegations sound.

    Read Also: Clark: Ijaw leader bows out

    “Otuaro will not succumb to cheap blackmail. Their lies fly in the face of cogent reforms being carried out by Otuaro. Nigerians are wise enough to see through the nefarious antics of these serial blackmailers whose lives are clearly visible to the discerning mind.

    “To convince the public about their sponsored protest on Wednesday, the NDLEF hired young urchins, bought them new shirts and trousers and slippers to make them appear neat during the protest”.

    The group insisted that Otuaro remained committed to transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of Niger Delta youths in the administration of the Programme.

    Dismissing the allegations of nepotism and financial mismanagement against the PAP leadership, the group said that “all contracts awarded followed due process in line with procurement laws.”

    The IYN said: “This protest is nothing more than an act of desperation by those who wish to derail the progress being made in the Amnesty Programme. Otuaro will not succumb to cheap blackmail.

    “We urge Niger Deltans to disregard the allegations. The administrator’s primary focus remains the fulfillment of the PAP’s mandate.

    “We reaffirm our support for Otuaro’s leadership, and no amount of propaganda would derail his transformative agenda for the Amnesty Programme.

    “We also call on stakeholders and beneficiaries of the PAP to remain steadfast because the programme, under Otuaro’s leadership, will continue to work towards sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta.”

  • Ijaw community protests chieftaincy stool rotation

    Ijaw community protests chieftaincy stool rotation

    Residents of Furupagha Ijaw Community in Odigbo Local Government of Ondo State have protested a supposed agreement to rotate Ibeodiowe of Ebijaw chieftaincy stool.

    They marched on the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, carrying placards. The protesters said the agreement was aimed at balkanising their land and sharing it with those they termed trespassers from Edo and Delta states.

    The proposed agreement, according to government sources, was to rotate the chieftaincy stool, to sustain peace in the area.

    A community leader, Pa Emmanuel Odushu, the Opu-Idushu of Furupagha-Ijaw/lbe-Okosuwei, who led the protest, said they rejected a proposed “Agreement between Ebijaw and Taribor for the rotation of Chieftaincy Stool of Ibeodiowe”.

    Read Also: Ijaw community protests rotation of chieftaincy stool

    He said: “There are three tribes of the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Ondo State, namely the Apoi, Arogbo both in Ese-Odo Local Government and Furupagha-Ijaw in Odigbo Local Government. Each of them has its defined territory and chieftaincies in line with their customary laws.

    “Furupagha-Ijaw territory is indivisible and is constituted by the Ebijaw Ward, inhabited by the aboriginal Ijaw and people from other parts of Nigeria, who have been living peacefully together as part of the Ondo Province, Ondo Division, Ifesowapo and now Odigbo Local Government.

  • Ijaw community protests rotation of chieftaincy stool

    Ijaw community protests rotation of chieftaincy stool

    Residents of Furupagha Ijaw community in Odigbo local government area of Ondo State have staged a peaceful protest against a supposed agreement to rotate the Ibeodiowe of Ebijaw chieftaincy stool.

    They protested to the Alagbaka Governor’s office with placards saying the agreement was aimed to balkanise their land and share it with those they termed trespassers from Edo and Delta states.

    The proposed agreement, according to government sources, was to rotate the chieftaincy stool to sustain peace in the area.

    A leader of the community, Pa Emmanuel Odushu, the Opu-Idushu of Furupagha-Ijaw/lbe-Okosuwei who led the protest, said they totally reject a proposed “Agreement Between Ebijaw and Taribor for the rotation of a Single Chieftaincy Stool of Ibeodiowe”.

    Read Alao: Clark faults Sekibo’s deference to Wike on Ijaw politics

    According to him: “There are three tribes of the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Ondo State namely: the Apoi, Arogbo both in Ese-Odo Local Government and Furupagha-Ijaw in Odigbo Local Government. Each of them has its own defined territory and chieftaincies in line with their respective customary laws.

    “Furupagha-Ijaw territory is indivisible and constituted by the Ebijaw Ward, inhabited by the aboriginal Ijaws and people from other parts of Nigeria who have been living peacefully together as part of the Ondo Province, Ondo Division, Ifesowapo and now Odigbo Local Government.

    “Chief Meus Tunde Ditou-Muje is the incumbent Oloja of Ebijaw and its environs including Taribor.

    “There is no existing chieftaincy in the Ebijaw Ward of Odigbo Local Government known as Ibe-Nanawei of Tubu-toru and government is advised not to create any such chieftaincy or divide the territory of Furupagha-Ijaw people of Ondo State which is contrary to the customary law and the Chiefs Law of Ondo State.

    “Government should not bring to our land those who have no respect for human life, law and territorial boundaries of states in the Niger Delta.

    “In the interest of peace, security and stability that no part of the land of our clients being an integral part of Ondo state is allowed by strangers from other states to take over by creating illegal chieftaincies.

    Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, who addressed the protesters promised that their demands would be tabled before his principal.

  • Ijaw group urges military to withdraw from Igbomotoru

    Ijaw group urges military to withdraw from Igbomotoru

    An Ijaw think-tank group, the Ijaw Integrity Group (IIG), has called on the Nigerian military to withdraw its troops from Igbomotoru Town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    Soldiers had invaded the community in search of suspected masterminds of the killers of four army officers and 13 soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State on March 14, 2024.

    The Chairman of the group, High Chief Walter Moneyman, made the call yesterday while reacting  to the news of the withdrawal of the soldiers from Okuama in Delta State, the epicentre of the gruesome murder of the military personnel reportedly on a peace mission to the community.

    Read Also: Tinubu’s intervention made 2024 Hajj possible, says NAHCON Chairman

    Moneyman commended the military for responding to the voice of reason to vacate Okuama which he stated had reduced the tension that hitherto pervaded the area.

    He asserted that the withdrawal of the soldiers from Okuama, the main theatre of the heinous crime against the nation should be replicated in Igbomotoru Town in Bayelsa State which shares no boundary with Okuama

    The IIG Chair noted that the people of Igbomotoru had borne a greater brunt of the unfortunate incident that occurred at Okuama with people living in fear of reprisals from the military under the guise of tracking down the fleeing suspects of the Okuama incident.

  • Ijaw group urges military to withdraw from Igbomotoru

    Ijaw group urges military to withdraw from Igbomotoru

    An Ijaw think-tank group, the Ijaw Integrity Group (IIG), has called on the military to withdraw its troops from Igbomotoru Town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    Soldiers had invaded the community in search of suspected masterminds of the killers of four army officers and 13 soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State in March 14, 2024.

    The Chairman of the group, High Chief Walter Moneyman, made the call while reacting  to the news of the withdrawal of the soldiers from Okuama in Delta State, the epicentre of the gruesome murder of the military personnel reportedly on a peace mission to the community.

    Moneyman commended the military for hearkening to the voice of reason to vacate Okuama which he stated had reduced the tension that hitherto pervaded the area.

    Read Also: Alleged marginalisation: Itsekiri, Ijaw, Ilaje graduates to cripple Chevron’s operations

    He asserted that the  withdrawal  of the soldiers from Okuama, the main theatre of the heinous crime against the nation should be replicated in Igbomotoru Town in Bayelsa State which shares no boundary with Okuama 

    The IIG Chair noted that the people  of Igbomotoru had borne a greater brunt of the unfortunate incident that occured at Okuama with people living in fear of reprisals from the military under the guise of tracking down the fleeing suspects of the Okuama incident.

    Moneyman noted that life had become a big torment for the people of Igbomotoru due to the presence of soldiers in the community, stressing that the withdrawal of the military from the community would return life to normal and create room for the children to go to school as they are not at ease seeing the gun-trotting soldiers around them.

    He advised the military to be professional with a human face in future operations in order to avoid collateral damage to innocent citizens.

    Moneyman urged the good people of Igbomotoru to be peaceful, law abiding and obey constituted authority in order to maintain peace in the community.