Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

Nigeria has not been fair to Ijaw nation, says Clark

By Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
04 January 2018   |   4:22 am
Elder statesman and foremost Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said that Nigeria and the Federal Government have not been fair to the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

Edwin Kiagbodo Clark

Lauds Dickson for infrastructure development in Bayelsa
Elder statesman and foremost Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said that Nigeria and the Federal Government have not been fair to the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information under General Yakubu Gowon’s administration, lamented that the time had come for the Federal Government to address the issue of the long years of neglect to which the Ijaw have been subjected.

A statement by Fidelis Soriwei, Special Adviser, Media Relations to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, said Clark made the assertion while hosting the governor who led a delegation of Bayelsa government officials and Ijaw leaders to his (Clark’s) country home yesterday.

He enjoined the Federal Government to have the right attitude to address the Ijaw factor in the Nigerian Federation this year.

He said: “This new year will touch the heart of the Federal Government that the Ijaw people have been neglected for too long. Something has to be done for us and we want actual appreciation.”

Clark also commended Dickson for efficient delivery of the dividends of democracy in Bayelsa State, specifically for the construction of the 40 year-old Sagbama-Ekeremor Road, which he described as a marvel.

He stressed that he believed in the governor’s promise to take the critical road, which had got to Aleibiri in December 2017 to Ekeremor by the end of the year.

He also commended the Dickson’s Administration for its achievements in the education sector with the introduction of free quality primary and secondary school education in the state.

Speaking, Dickson said that he led the delegation to Kiagbodo on a Christmas and New Year visit to Clark and other top Ijaw leaders in the country.

He added that the visit was also partly motivated by the need to consult Ijaw leaders on issues of urgent importance to the Ijaw nation.

He also called for more unity in all the segments of the Ijaw movements, especially the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).

“We will consult on other issues of urgent importance both at the level of the Ijaw and the larger Nigerian nation. Our leader is there to encourage us and to support us,” he added.

0 Comments