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Apex Sociocultural organization of the Ijaw nation, the Ijaw National Congress(INC), has rendered account of stewardship of its present national executive council (NEC).
The National Publicity Secretary of the group, Chief (Engr) Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha gave the stewardship account in Yenagoa on Saturday while speaking with newsmen on the achievements of the Prof. Benjamin Okaba’s led national executive council of the Pan-Ijaw body.
National Wire gathered that the INC has recently constituted an electoral committee for the conduct of polls to usher in new national executive council members later this year.
Oyakemeagbegha who described the Okaba-led national executive council as dogged and intellectual noted that the body was satisfied with its success story, saying that though more can be achieved.
He stressed that under the current leadership of the INC, for the first time, the United Nations has formally registered the Ijaw ethnic nationality in its unrepresented nations and peoples’ organization(UNPO), stating also that amongst other numerous successes of the present executive was ensuring that there was unity in the entire Ijaw nation, its zones and clans respectively.
He said: “Under this current INC leadership led by Prof. Benjamin Okaba as a people we now have a Pan-Ijaw map. And this map captures all Ijaw territories and communities within Nigeria.
“Remember that some Pro-Biafra groups, IPOB and others at a time were alleging that Ijaw was part of their Biafra territory, but the current INC leadership came up boldly and unequivocally to say no!, Ijaw is a distinct ethnic nationality of its own. And that we are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria. And so the new Ijaw map even captured some communities in Abia State as Ijaws.
“As an ethnic group we are now more united. We have created more awareness of who we are. Our brothers in the Central, Eastern and Western zones now have more awareness with greater amount of consciousness as Ijaw people, courtesy of the current exco of the INC”, he said.
The INC Spokesman also said apart from the existing Europe and the Americas’ diasporan membership and chapters of the body, the present national executive council has also created a chapter in Ghana which takes care of other West African countries.
Speaking on the recurring political impasse in Rivers State, Chief Oyakemeagbegha called for the amicable resolution of the crisis for development to thrive in the State.
He noted that any other Ijaw group which allegedly spoke for the Ijaws of Rivers State claiming to back the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike in the festering Rivers State political stalemate did so on their own and for their selfish interest, and not for the Ijaw nation, saying the claims of backing Wike rather than Governor Siminalayi Fubara by an Ijaw group never emanated from the INC.
He added: “In as much as we are concerned as the apex sociocultural organization of the Ijaw nation, Governor Fubara is our son. We want to join other well-meaning Nigerians across various ethnic and cultural groups to call for amicable resolution of the Rivers State political crises. We want peace in Rivers State.
“However, any other Ijaw group which claims to have spoken for the Ijaws of Rivers State has done so for their own selfish gains. As a body, the INC condemns in its entirety the crisis in Rivers State. It’s necessary that Governor Fubara be allowed to govern peacefully just like his predecessors from other ethnic groups did in the past”.
