Reinstate Niger Delta Ministry Now, Address Rivers Crisis, IYC Tells Tinubu 

By Ndu Samuel 

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently reinstate the Niger Delta Ministry, stressing that the IYC will oppose the purported scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry. 

This was contained in a press statement issued on Tuesday in Warri on behalf of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),  by Amb.  Binebai Yerin Princewill, Spokesman Ijaw Youth Council, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspapers Worldwide.

The press conference had called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly intervene on the Rivers crises, stressing that the High Court Judgement regarding the stopping of Federal Government allocations to Rivers State is another issue capable of causing chaos and disharmony in the state. 

The statement reads in full below:

A Press Briefing of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Held on Tuesday 5th November 2024 Over The Purported Scrapping Of The Niger Delta Ministry And Other Burning Issues Affecting Nigeria As A Country 

Today, the Ijaw Youth Council is compelled to address the press after critically and carefully studying the pronouncement of His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President Federal Republic of Nigeria on the purported scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry, a decision that was taken during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting recently in Abuja.

The IYC as critical stakeholder in the Niger Delta, is seriously opposed to the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry. The decision and action of Mr. President and the Federal Executive Council to dissolve the Ministry of Niger Delta is a devastating blow to the region and its people. The move reeks of neo-colonialism and internal colonialism. It is a perpetuation of the exploitation and marginalisation of the Niger Delta, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for self-determination and resource control. The Ijaw Youth Council stands in solidarity with the people of the Niger Delta to challenge this oppressive and subjugating decision. 

While peace is key and important for the development of any society, Government must be seen addressing the developmental needs of her people and not making moves to further deepen old wounds to undo the people. We are sounding this very clearly that there is no good intentions behind the purported scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry. From the very beginning, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had wanted to scrap the Ministry. As a council, we are not going to accept this now and not even in the future. We have never seen anywhere in the world where a people that sustain the entire country with the wealth in their land will be subjected to such unbridled Sisyphusian pain and misery. 

Nigerian economy will almost be nothing without oil and gas that come from the Niger Delta. Till date, despite these natural resources that have made Nigeria an economically viable nation, the Niger Delta remains the most abused, violated,  economically raped, underdeveloped and neglected region season after season, government after government.

A situation where  the Niger Delta is moving from a paltry 13% to a mere 3% as contained in the  PIA for oil bearing communities while a whooping 10% for frontier basins is also another political wickedness meted out on our people. 

The Niger Delta as a neglected and underdeveloped region, by all positive moral standards, has the right and privilege to be blessed with numerous possible agencies and commissions to carter for our development. Conscious of the fact that our oil money is minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year and  decade by decade being used to fund several agencies, states and commissions in Nigeria. No sacrifice is too big for the Government to do for the Niger Delta people.

The essence of Government ought to be collation of what the masses truly want and not what few privileged individuals want against the general population. This act of imposing decisions on the masses without their consent must stop as it is a recipe for chaos. 

The Niger Delta region cannot only be making sacrifices for Nigeria without the country reciprocating positively.  It is a region that is economically milked to bleeding point, environmentally despoiled, subalternised and politically subjugated.  The renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is gradually and systematically unfolding as a punitive mission against the Niger Delta and Ijaw people. 

The Ijaw Youth Council demands for the urgent reinstatement of the Niger Delta Ministry. It is very appalling to note that while we have the Northwest Development Commission, Northeast, south east, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the entire Federal Executive Council (FEC) only decided to tamper with the Ministry of Niger Delta, under the guise of changing the nomenclature to Federal Ministry of Regional Development to accommodate and oversee all regional commissions. Where is the South- South Development Commission? Since the Federal Ministry of Regional Development headed by Abubakar Momoh as minister is now a general Ministry, where is our Niger Delta Ministry or its replacement, the now Federal Ministry of Regional Development cannot be seen as a replacement of the Niger Delta Ministry.

In addition, The Ijaw Youth Council is not pleased with the Federal High Court Judgement regarding the stopping of Federal Government allocations to Rivers State. What crime did the people of river state commit? The judiciary is the last hope of the common man. With high courts passing such judgement to dislocate the daily existence of River State, where lies the hope of the oppressed people? The judgement lacks a human face and it is highly undemocratic and capable of causing chaos in Rivers State. 

The IYC will not tolerate any move from any quarter meant to undo the people of Rivers State, particularly to dislocate the Government  of Rivers State led by His Excellency, Siminalaye Fubara. He has done nothing wrong to warrant all these politically motivated attacks. Dislocation acts cause people to suffer problems of identity, denunciation, subalternation, segregation, proportional abandonment and degradation.

River State has been turned into a gladiatorial combat for the entertainment of high profile political leaders and the rest of the country. This is a very serious dark comedy that shows lack of love and respect for human dignity, lack of  respect  for  constituted  authority and salvation. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government of Nigeria cannot claim to be ignorant of what is happening in Rivers State.   

It will do Nigeria a lot of good if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swing into action by addressing these issues urgently and dispassionately before the Ijaw nation makes move to protect herself in the Nigerian State. 

Signed. 

Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill, Spokesman Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide.

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