The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has asserted that the manner in which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sidelined their nationality in the constitution of the present federal government executive council is unacceptable.
According to the Congress, the Ijaw nation, which has the dominant population in five coastal states of Nigeria and contributes disproportionately to the country’s revenue, has no representation in the entire executive council except for only one ministerial position.
The Congress stated unequivocally that the only way to let sleeping dogs lie is for the federal government to be fair, equitable, and just to the Ijaw people, who are the real owners of the marine economy.
In a statement at the end of its meeting in Warri, the President of the Congress, Prof. Benjamin O. Okaba, stated that the Ijaws were constrained by the exigencies of the recent federal political developments, especially in terms of appointments, which he said are skewed in favour of one ethnic nationality.
The president, however, noted that the Ijaw people live in and occupy no less than 65% of Nigeria’s coastal lands, yet they have no representation in government ministries charged with the development of the region and the homeland economy.
“These ministries include but are not limited to the Ministries of Marine and Blue Economy and its parastatals, Transportation and its agencies, etc. We do not and shall not accept this practice of exploitation and underrepresentation.”
The statement, therefore, demanded the inclusion of Ijaw people in the federal government, particularly the executive branch, insisting that they be adequately represented in policy formulation, planning, and implementation of development projects and programs in Nigeria’s marine economy and associated ministries, parastatals, and agencies.
The group also demanded, without equivocation, that an Ijaw person be appointed as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
According to Prof. Okaba, no Ijaw person has occupied that office since the establishment of the organisation in 1955.
“We demand representation on every board or parastatal related to the marine economy in Nigeria. We insist that the government should not exploit the resources of our land, seafront, and territory without representatives appointed from among our people who own the territory.
“We demand immediate actions be taken and corrections made on the issues raised above.
“We insist that the acceptance of amnesty by our people, which has drastically reduced the multifaceted and multidimensional agitations, some of which occasionally injure the national economy, should not be seen as an instrument of subjugating and cowing the Ijaw people.
“We state unequivocally that the only way to let sleeping dogs lie is for the Federal Government to be fair, equitable, and just to the Ijaw people, who are the real owners of the marine economy,” the statement added.
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