Isaac Ombe,Yenagoa.
Like the Afenifere of the Yoruba and the IPOB of the Igbo, the Ijaw ethnic group, through its umbrella body, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, occupying the oil and gas-rich Niger Delta region, has also rekindled its agitation for self-determination and control of their God-given natural resources.
Although the ethnic group’s agitation for self-determination has been age-long, but for whatever reasons best known to them, it has been seemingly low-key for quite some time now unlike the IPOB and Afenifere that have recently taken theirs to the mountain top.
To let Nigerians know that their recent seemingly silence in the midst of agitations by other ethnic groups for self-determination shouldn’t be taken-for-granted, the Ijaw, through their umbrella body, the INC, organised a one-day summit, tagged, “All Ijaw Summit”, where they gathered at the magnificent Ijaw House in Yenagoa, the melting pot of an Ijaw nation, on Saturday 4th of December, to reel out what they described as the shabby treatment of the ethnic group that has contributed a lot to the development of Nigeria but has nothing to show for it in terms of development of the oil degraded environment for years.
The atmosphere was charged and expectant, as the gathering of who is who in the Ijaw nation was ready to engrave their protests in the annals of history and to let the yet unborn children in the oil-rich but degraded land and water area know that on this day, landmark decisions were taken against what they described as oppressive and slavish tendencies against the producers of oil revenue for Nigeria.
They came in their numbers. However, the absence of former president Goodluck Jonatan, and most senators of the state’s extraction almost turned the euphoria of the important and historic summit to ashes. But the presence of one House of Representatives member, Honourable Fredrick Agbedi a grassroots politician and senatorial hopeful, gave some flicker of hope that he represented the National Assembly members of the state’s caucus.
The summit, which was attended by other prominent Ijaw leaders, including Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, where several papers were presented on a way forward, however, came up with a strong-worded communique to herald their next stand on the Nigerian nation.
Resource persons spoke on various topics, including Reform in Ijaw Polity, the need for self-retrospection by Engr. Charlie Ambiowei; Self-Determination, its imperatives for Ijaw Nation, Yesterday, Tomorrow and Today by Ann Kio Briggs; Redefining the Nigerian state no Ijaw People by J Williams.
The guest speaker, Sofiri Job Peterside, spoke on the topic: “The Nigerian state and the Ijaw nation” while Veronica Bamuza Mutu, a one-time Legal Adviser to the INC, also presented a paper.
With the theme: “The Nigerian state and the Ijaw question”, the summit resolved that it shall employ all peaceful, diplomatic, non-violent and other tools of civil disobedience to pursue and actualise” their right to self-determination, as a distinct people of common historical and cultural affinity and geographical contiguity.
The communique, which was read at the end of the summit by the President of the INC, Prof. Ogele Benjamin Okaba, vowed that the Ijaw people shall stop at nothing until self-determination is achieved.
It further noted that the Ijaw people’s quest for political unification has been age-long, as this has been central in all the demands by the Ijaw forebears to the pre-independent constitutional conferences, stressing that “the Ijaw ethnic nationality can no longer bear the grave injustices, impunity, flagrant nepotism, marginalisation, neglect, oppression and enslavement by the Nigeria state.
While the ethnic group vowed to control their God-given natural resources, the communique added that “the right to self-determination, access and control of our resources is not only inalienable but backed by several international laws.”
Frowning at what they described as forced inclusion into the Nigerian state by the colonial masters, which was opposed in vain by their forefathers, the communique further pointed out that the Ijaw nation was conscripted into an amalgamated Nigeria in 1914 by the British colonialists through treachery and deception when the British reneged on their obligation of “protection”, the basis for which treaties were signed.
“All protestations by our forebears, including King Jaja of Opobo and King Koko of Nembe to challenge the British were met with stern reprobation and assault.
“The crude effect of this deliberate traitorous and perfidious act of the British, over time, culminated in the Balkanisation of the Ijaw into voiceless minorities and today, the Ijaw people are relegated to second fiddle roles, and in some cases, appear to exist without notice.”
Re-echoing their years of occupying the Niger Delta region, the summit noted that the aboriginal Ijaw have been the oldest indigenous settlers in the Niger Delta area with deep republican characteristics that abhor oppression, repression and suppression. The Ijaw were independent people, free from any hegemony before the advent of the British colonialists. These are evidenced by scientific and archaeological validity
The communique further decried that the Ijaw occupy the most difficult coastal areas of the country that is blessed with resources to feed the Nigerian nation but remains “backward and poor” 62 years after the Henry Willinks Commission report so describe it.
“We are not only poorer but are beggars of what rightly and naturally belong to us,” they said and lamented that the government of the federation has poorly and unsatisfactorily managed the inherent ethnic diversities, resulting in not only hues and cries over marginalisation but also ignited several separatist tendencies among some major ethnic nationalities.
Attributing the Balkanisation of the ethnic group as a major challenge to its formidable force, the summit said duplicitous Balkanisation of the Ijaw has led “to our cultural identity problems, as our language is lost to the predatory effects of acculturation and assimilation.
“The Balkanisation of the Ijaw Nation has also created a contracted and inadequate political space for Ijaw who, though is the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria, continually suffers the pangs of discrimination, marginalisation and suppression.
“The Nigerian federation has been an aberration, as it does not conform to all known precepts of federalism, which emphasises the division of powers between the central government and the constituent units on a coordinate and independent basis,” the communique observed.
It further noted with disgust that “despite the copious provisions in Chapter 2, Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) on the Directive Principles of State Policies, the Federal Government has flagrantly reneged on the equitable application of the federal character principle to the chagrin of the Ijaw nation.
The summit, which was chaired by Justice F. F. Tabai, JSC (rtd), also noted with disgust the creation of only 23 homogenous local government areas for the entire Ijaw ethnic nation out of 774 local government areas that are funded from proceeds of oil and gas, which the Ijaw nation accounts for about 70%. It noted that it is criminal, insensitive and perfidious, adding that the creation of local government areas in Nigeria was used as an instrument of exploitation and oppression of the Ijaw people whose resources are used to sustain them.
The Ijaw also expressed unequivocal dismay at the refusal of the government to accede to the Ijaw ethnic nationality’s request for a paltry 10% of the profit of the oil and gas proceeds to host communities, and the haste by the ruling hegemony to sign the bill into law with a paltry allocation of 3% of operational cost.
The development, the summit added, “does not only further the institutionalisation of impunity and insensitivity but leaves the Ijaw nation haplessly to reflect on our continued relevance to the Nigeria state as a people.
“The only visible reward to the Ijaw nation for feeding and sustaining an ungrateful Nigerian hegemonic class have been consistent degradation, despoliation and destruction of our environment, fauna and flora, with no remediation strategy. We live with the hazardous effects of gas flaring and the now pervasive challenge of soot, suffering unmitigated health hazards, which have continued to send our people to early death.
The summit also observed that the national security architecture is skewed towards only protection of the oil and gas assets in Ijaw land as against the peoples’ right to defend and protect their naturally endowed resources.
“Whereas this is against all known international laws of the inherent right to ownership of natural resources by indigenous peoples, this has resulted in several cases of conflicts and insecurity in Ijaw land,” the communique added.
Other notable personalities present at the summit included Senator Chief Dr. Edwin K. Clark, Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Ijaw National Congress (represented by Amb. Dr. Godknows Boladei Igal, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, former Minister of Police Affairs, among many others.
The traditional rulers led by HRM King Alfred Diete Spiff, Amayanabo of Twon Brass and Chairman Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, political leaders, captains of industry and youths were also present.