Prioritise Development Of Ijaw Areas Henceforth, IYC Spokesman Tells Edo Government

By Rejoice Egbaseimokumor

Spokesman of the highly revered Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill has informed the Government of Edo state to prioritise the development of Ijaw areas in the state henceforth. The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide can report.

Binebai Princewill noted that the Ijaw communities in Edo State and her people have suffered too much political manipulation and deprivation in the state, stressing that enough is enough.

The Spokesman particularly warned that the balkernized status of the Ijaw people in Edo State must not be used to determine their level of progress and development as the Ijaw areas are contributing a lot towards the economic viability of Edo state, adding that the Ijaw people of Egbema, Okomu, Olodiama, Forupagha and Gbaran Kingdoms have been politically active since the creation of Edo state and contributing a lot towards the continued growth and survival of the state.

Amb. Princewill made the remark on the 17th of March 2024 during a public lecture he delivered entitled ” Unity, a veritable tool for the development of Ijaw nation ” at the instance of the Olodiama Clan structure of the IYC empowerment programme organised by Comr. Sam Ebiwana, Chairman of the Olodiama Clan IYC, Edo State.

While speaking on the need for a united Ijaw nation, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Spokesman asserted that going forward, any Governor in Edo State that fails to develop the Ijaw areas will be seen and treated as enemy of the Ijaw people, adding that the Ijaw people are equal stakeholders in Edo State.

Princewill had called on the Edo State Government to fix the Gelegele Seaport, Udo-Ofunama road project and other key projects in the Ijaw areas.

The lecture reads in part below:

“The Ijaw nation should have faith in the fact that human beings are the wagons of history. History moves or gets paralyzed by human choices and as George Bush would say history has a visible direction set by liberty. It is the people of a generation who ask and sometimes answer the question of that generation. Any group of people born into a society at the same time, or who live in a society without worrying about the problems and aspirations of their society, is not only guilty of docility but are also inconsequential.

“The Ijaw farmland requires a very strong spiritual underpinning to be constantly watered collectively with the dew of educational, cultural, political, economic, and historical purity for the triumph of our golden hopes. The success of Ijaw nation, depends on accord just as the concord of various instruments produces a delightful symphony. In Nigeria, political power is greater wealth than crude oil. A territory in need of liberation does not need a tower of babel. I conclude this lecture with a call on Ijaws to continue to give the needed moral, economic and intellectual support to the Ijaw Youth Council at all levels in confronting our darkest challenges.

“We must not fail as a people to preserve, promote, protect and sustain our rich cultural heritage in Ijaw nation, our culture is our identity and our pride. In this, we must all contribute our quota.

“The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) will continue to work closely with all Zones, Chapters and Clan structures in ensuring that the ideals behind the Kaiama Declaration is achieved. In Edo, we must fight to ensure that development comes to our Kingdoms and not this selective and oppressive arrangements from successive State Governors, our people cannot continue to be seen and treated as second class fiddles. Any Governor that does not prioritise the development of the Ijaw areas in Edo State will be seen henceforth as enemy of the Ijaw people.

“The Ijaws are equal stakeholders in Edo State hence we must consciously push for presentation of staff of office to our highly revered monarchs in Edo State, this is long overdue and a great insult to the Ijaws by successive Edo State Governors.

“Finally, the issue of the Udo-Ofunama road, Gelegele Seaport and other important projects in our Ijaw areas in Edo State will be aggressively looked into. ” Binebai Princewill added.