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Tag: Mr. Eric Omare

  • Dickson moves to reconcile warring IYC factions

    Dickson moves to reconcile warring IYC factions

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, Thursday, commenced a process of resolving the crisis rocking the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide and reconciling warring factions in the council.

    The umbrella body of Ijaw youths has been battling a succession crisis with two factions laying claims to the leadership of the council.

    The former President of IYC, formally handed over the mantle of leadership to Mr. Eric Omare after he emerged victorious in a convention attended by Ijaw youths in Burutu, Delta State.

    But some Ijaw elders opposed to Omare spearheaded a parallel convention in Okirika, Rivers State and elected Mr. Oweilaemi Pereotubo as the president.

    Dickson was reportedly worried about the development in IYC following Wednesday’s violent clash of the two factions at an event in Warri Delta State to mark the birthday of former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpuompolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

    The governor, Thursday, inaugurated a nine-man committee led by Chief Joshua Fumudoh to reconcile the parties involved in the controversies.

    Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the governor said, that the assemblage of Ijaw eggheads was to urgently address the issues unsettling the council.

    Dickson said he took a principled position of not supporting any of the faction adding that his concern was to arrest the situation and amicably resolve the disagreements.

    He charged the committee members to identify the root causes of the crisis; liaise with all stakeholders with a view to understanding the background of the crisis and proffer solutions and recommendations.

    The governor also asked them to provide a platform for mediation; make recommendation on how forestall future occurrence and make suggestions that would help leaders in handling the IYC and other leadership institutions moving forward.

    In his response, Fumudoh, lauded the effort of the governor to halt the crisis and promote peace among members of IYC.

    He said the committee would work tirelessly to carry out the charges given them within the stipulated time.

    Other members of the committee are Prof. Dagogo Fubara (Vice-Chairman) Amb. Godknows Igali (Secretary), E. I. E. Etteh, His Highness Nimi Adoki, Mrs. Rafi Suowari, High Chief F. J. Williams and Austin Dressy Dressman, Commissioner of Culture and Ijaw National Affairs.

     

  • Court dismisses suit seeking to sack IYC boss, Spokesman

    Court dismisses suit seeking to sack IYC boss, Spokesman

    The Sagbama State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has dismissed a suit seeking to unseat the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide and the council’s Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare.

    The suit, which was filed by Mr. Elvis Donkemezuo, the council’s Mobilisation Officer, Wisdom Ikuli; National Secretary, Bristol Emmanuel, Mike Edonkumor and Felicia Ngere, asked the court to stop Eradiri and Omare from parading themselves as IYC president and spokesman.

    But the defendants through their lawyer, Nelson Nwanogho, filed an application asking the court to dismiss the suit for violating the principle of estoppel of res judicata.

    Nwanogho argued that the actions of the plaintiffs were against a subsisting judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, which on November 15, 2015 gave an order restraining the plaintiffs and other IYC stakeholders from removing the defendants.

    He prayed the court to dismiss the suit relying on res judicata since it was similar in content and motive to the matter which informed the 2015 judgement.

    In his ruling at the weekend, the presiding Judge, EG. Umukoro, said the 2015 judgment which interpreted the tenure of the IYC president was binding on all members of the council including the plaintiffs.

    The judge argued that since such judgement existed, it would continue to subsist and estop the plaintiffs and members of the council from challenging the tenure of the president and spokesman till their term’s expiration in March 2017.

    He said: “The party relying on res judicata must prove that the subject matter, the case and issues are the same. The capacity in which the first and second suits were instituted is the same and the contention that the parties are the same have merit.

    “Without any doubt whatsoever, the present suit is premised on the fact of purporting to remove the first and second defendants in a meeting of IYC contrary to the judgement of a Yenagoa High Court.

    “The decision of Yenagoa court has not been appealed and as such continues to subsist and binding. The parties are estopped from questioning the tenure of the first and second defendants”.

    The judge derided the plaintiffs describing their suit as abusive and offensive in all respect “in so far that the first judgment continues to subsist”.

    He said the society should at all times discourage prolongation of litigation adding that it was wrong for parties in a concluded judgement to bring a similar matter before a court of equal jurisdiction.

    The judgement has put to rest the temporary leadership crisis that rocked the council and affirmed Eradiri and Omare as indisputable president and spokesman of the IYC.

  • NCDMB appointment: Ijaw youths commend Buhari

    NCDMB appointment: Ijaw youths commend Buhari

    The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide and some members of Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing an oil and gas expert, Mr. Simbi Wabote, as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

    Wabote, who hails from Brass Local Government Area, was among the newly appointed heads of agencies announced by the Federal Government on Monday.

    The IYC in a statement signed by its Spokesman on Tuesday, Mr. Eric Omare, described Wabote as a world-class engineer with several years of practice in the oil and gas industry, especially in the Niger Delta region.

    While congratulating Wabote, Omare urged him to use his experience in promoting community content in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

    He said: “The IYC expects Eng. Wabote to address the key question of community content within the context of the local content management which has been a source of concern to oil and gas-bearing communities of the Niger Delta region.

    “Presently local content is been used as a subterfuge by companies owned by Nigerians from other parts of the country to take jobs that ought to be for indigenes of oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta region.

    “This is oppressive and totally unacceptable. The IYC insists on community content within the local content in the oil and gas industry and we charge Eng. Wabote to handle this issue as one of his key assignments as Executive Secretary of the NCDMB.”

    Omare said the concept of local content was designed to address the marginalisation of the people from the region adding that community content should be the primary target of the board.

    He said: “The whole concept of local content was designed to partly address the marginalization of the people of the Niger Delta in the oil and gas industry; hence community content must occupy a pride of place in the affairs of the local content board.

    “We express our willingness to collaborate with Eng. Wabote to actualize his mandate in the local content board.”

    Also, some members of the APC, who had been clamouring for federal appointments, thanked Buhari for remembering the state.

    The APC loyalists in various social media platforms extolled the qualities of Wabote describing the appointment as a round peg in a round hole.

    They further praised the state APC leader and former Governor Timipre Sylva for making the appointment of Wabote possible.

    The joyful APC members appealed to the President to give the state more appointments.
  • Avengers: Ijaw youths accuse military of violating ceasefire 

    Avengers: Ijaw youths accuse military of violating ceasefire 

    Lament military invasion of Gbaramatu communities

    The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, yesterday, accused the military of violating a ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

    The IYC in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said it was wrong for the military to invade some communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, at a time the government was planning to hold discussions with the Niger Delta region.

    Omare said the sudden presence of the military in the communities had raised doubts over the sincerity of the government to initiate peace in the region through dialogue.

    “The Federal Government cannot in one breath declare ceasefire and at the same time forcefully invade Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State allegedly looking for militants”, he said.

    He said in the early hours of Wednesday, the military stormed Tebujor community, a clan in Gbaramatu shooting sporadically into the air.

    He said the military operatives apprehended six youths from the community over allegations of pipeline vandalism.

    He identified the arrested youths as Eddy Ikpidi, Tekena Uka, Dboy Oboko, Jamaica Oboko, Coasta Kelly Tortor and Atani Yawuru.

    But Omare said: “While we do not support sabotage of oil facilities considering the negative effects on our environment, the IYC seriously frowns and condemns the continuous invasion and harassments of Ijaw communities and innocent people by the military under the guise of looking for pipeline vandals.

    “The military has no reason to embark on continuous invasion of Ijaw communities and arrest our people in the name of looking for Avengers or pipeline vandals. Our communities and people are peaceful and law abiding people.

    “The continuous invasion of Ijaw communities is a demonstration of lack of sincerity on the part of the federal government to genuinely dialogue with the people of the Niger Delta region to address the renewed militancy and issues affecting the region”.

    He noted that no meaningful dialogue could take place without sincerity of purpose and confidence in the process by the people of the region.

    “Events of the last few days are fast eroding our confidence. We call on the military to carry out deep intelligence gathering and stop the unlawful arrest and invasion of Ijaw communities. The arrested youths of Tebujor community, Gbaramatu Clan, Delta State should be released”, he said.