Niger Delta leaders urge Tinubu to stay neutral in resolving Rivers crisis

Leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to handle the Rivers State political issues without bias.

This call comes after the Presidency’s perceived posture on the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The leaders emphasized the need for President Tinubu to put aside biases and ensure fairness in addressing the region’s issues, particularly in Rivers State.

They warned against selective justice, stressing that all parties involved should be treated equally and without prejudice.
They made the call during the Congress for Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities, which brought together stakeholders, leaders, and representatives from various ethnic groups in the Niger Delta.

The programme, attended by representatives of various Ijaw and Niger Delta groups, including the Ijaw National Congress, Ijaw Youth Council, and Movement for the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationalities, reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for justice, equality, and self-determination.

The call, they said, was necessitated by recent comments by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and Special Adviser to the President on Media Bayo Onanuga, suggesting that the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was to be blamed for the political crisis in the state.

The Congress with a focus on Inter-Ethnic Cooperation and Harmony in the Niger Delta also called for the suspension of the Federal Capital Territory, Minister, Nyesom Wike over the political crisis in Rivers State as well as his derogatory statements about the Ijaw nation.

In a keynote address, the President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, Professor Benjamin Okaba, called on the president should beware of the consequences of favouritism on the peace and stability of the nation.

He said: “We have been degraded, exploited, dehumanized severally, it goes beyond individual statements, this fight is not about Ijaw and Ikwerre, it is a class struggle where the bourgeoisie wants to acquire power at all costs.”

Okaba also warned that strategic actions would be taken decisively to ensure that the Ijaw nation is given its dignity as the fourth-largest ethnic nationality in the country.

While appreciating all the leaders of the various ethnic nationalities present at the event, Okaba also urged the Niger Delta people to support their leaders.

Also speaking, Pioneer President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide, Dr Felix Tuodolo emphasized the need to have an Ijaw agenda to address marginalization and resource control.

“We have been so quiet in the Ijaw nation. This really is a clarion call for Ijaw people to take back their place in the scheme of things, we need to get an Ijaw agenda and also a Niger Delta agenda”

Tuodolo urged President Tinubu to put away all biases in handling the Rivers State political issues between Nyesom Wike and the suspended Governor Fubara.

Also, the Spokesperson of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Comrade Berefa Bedford noted that the suspension of the elected governor of Rivers could lead to a volatile political situation, threatening peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups.

Bedford urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate action to resolve the crisis and ensure stability in the region.

President of the Urhobo Progress Union, Comrade Blessed Ughere, stated that the Niger Delta region is an integral part of the country that has played a crucial role in the development of the nation hence they should be respected and treated fairly like every other ethnic group in the country.

Also, the Convener of the Congress for Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities, Comrade Hendrick Opukeme said the essence of the Congress was to proclaim an unwavering commitment to the struggle for the rights and dignity of the Ijaw people.

While issuing a communique at the conclusion of a one-day Ijaw National Sensitization Programme, the groups described the State of Emergency declaration as a clear violation of democratic principles and good governance.

They argued that similar security breaches in other parts of Nigeria had not warranted such a declaration.

The groups demanded an immediate reversal of the decision and a return to democratic rule in Rivers State.