Odahiekwu Ogunde
Ijaw elders and leaders from the Bayelsa State Central Zone have advocated an end to factions in the two umbrella groups of the Ijaw – the Ijaw Youth Council and the Ijaw National Congress.
The elders under the auspices of Ijaw Elders Consultative Forum pledged to unify Ijaws to in synergy to overcome the unique development challenges faced by the predominantly coastal dwellers.
Chairman of the group, Chief T.K. Ogoriba, who spoke to newsmen yesterday in Yenagoa noted that the disunity among Ijaw youths and elders had often retarded the progress of the ethnic nationality in the quest for improved living for the Ijaw.
He said that the elders were already working on mobilising stakeholders to have an acceptable and rancour-free elections into the IYC, noting that they would afterwards do the same to the INC to revive the body from its current unexpected state.
Ogoriba, who traced the history of the struggle for identity and recognition for the Ijaw ethnic nationality to the formative years of INC and IYC, noted that the pioneering efforts of the founding fathers were finally yielding fruits.
He explained that the emergence of Senator Douye Diri, a pioneer National Organizing Secretary of INC in January 1995, as Bayelsa State Governor, was a well deserved reward for the Ijaw struggle.
He stated, “We have come a long way from advocacy for a place for the Ijaws with the Bayelsa Forum, INC and other youth organizations, culminating in the creation of Bayelsa State.
“And today, we have one of us, who was in the struggle for creation of Bayelsa State as governor with executive powers and we have no doubt about his ability to turn things around.
“He knows what the problems are and has the capacity to solve them so he needs no further prodding to be on the positive side of history.
“This is the time we want all and sundry to come together in solidarity and support this new administration and give it the benefit of the doubt and already the first steps are encouraging.
“At the 2020 Isaac Boro Day memorial, the governor announced that the welfare of surviving contemporaries of Isaac Boro had been resuscitated and that raised their morale and hope of the people on the new government.”
Ogoriba said that Diri further stated that it was time for all Ijaws to come together to resuscitate the INC to work in synergy with the IYC to bring about stability in the Ijaw land.
The Ijaw leader however observed that the COVID-19 pandemic had dealt a blow on the administration’s plan to hit the ground running and made it extremely difficult to embark on development projects.
He noted that the global lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic had adversely affected the oil prices leading to a nosedive of oil revenue accruable to the Bayelsa government.
Ogoriba noted that in view of increased wage bill and dwindling revenue accruable to the state, the state government was experiencing hard times and appealed to the people to be patient with the Diri administration.
He noted that the elders were encouraged by the call by Diri on Ijaws to shun divisive tendencies and show love towards one another to achieve Ijaw cohesion. Ends…