Resolutions Of The IYC Convention At Ofunama Community, Egbema Clan In Ovia South West Local Government Area Of Edo State

IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL (IYC)

WORLDWIDE

June 22, 2014

(net-sng.com) Thousands of Ijaw Youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide met from the 21st to the 22nd of June, 2014 at Ofunama Community, Egbema Clan in Ovia South West Local Government Area Edo State of Nigeria at a Convention which also doubles as a Constitutional Convention and the following decisions and resolutions were reached after exhaustive deliberations:

1. The reviewed Convention of the IYC was read clause by clause and amendments adopted as the IYC Constitution 2007 (As Amended).
2. Ijaw Youths observed that there have been clandestine moves by some disgruntled and power hungry Nigerian Politicians in collaboration with their foreign partners to truncate democracy in Nigeria. The Convention’s attention was specifically drawn to a report in a UK based paper ‘The Cable’ to the effect that Senator David Mark would take over as Acting President should President Jonathan under any circumstance is unable to continue as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ijaw Youths condemned this report and warned that any attempt to truncate the leadership of President Jonathan would spell doom and the end for the entity called Nigeria.
3. Ijaw Youths reinstate their support for the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and the call on him to contest the 2015 Presidential election as it is the right of the Niger Delta people to have a non-negotiable second term in office. That President Jonathan should go on and formally declare to contest for a second term in office in response to the call of the Niger Delta people and Nigerians in general.
4. The Convention condemned the flaring of gas at the heart of the Gelegele Community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State by Dubril Oil Company. It was observed that the continuous flaring of gas has caused so much damage to the Gelegele environment as the community is no longer habitable. The IYC Convention therefore call on the Federal, Edo State Governments and Dubril Oil Company to as a matter of urgency relocate the flare site from Gelegele Community and massively develop Gelegele Community or relocate and rebuild a new town for the Gelegele people. That if these demands are not addressed urgently, Ijaw Youths would be forced to take drastic steps to address the ongoing injustice against the Ijaw people of Gelegele Community. The Convention mandated the National Leadership of the IYC to bring this demand to the attention of President Jonathan through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta Affairs, Hon. Kingsley Kuku as a matter of urgency.
5. That the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should terminate the contract for the construction of the Ofunama Road in Ovia South West Local Government Area and re-award it to a competent contractor.
6. That the Federal and Edo State Government should urgently address the political marginalisation of the Ijaws of Edo State who are balkanised into three different local government areas and are oppressed in the politics of Edo State despite their population and the fact that Ijaw areas contribute substantially to making Edo State an oil producing state. As an interim measure, Ijaws of Edo State should be appointed into the Board of the Edo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (EDOSOPADEC), as Edo State Representative of the NDDC, as Commissioner into the Edo State Executive Council and other strategic positions at the state and federal level to give them a sense of belonging. However, Ijaw youths strongly believe that the solution to the political marginalisation of the Ijaws of Edo State lies in the creation of Toru-Ebe State wherein the Ijaws of Edo, Delta and Ondo States who are linguistically homogenous and geographically contiguous would be grouped into an homogenous Ijaw state to be known as TORU-EBE STATE.
7. Furthermore, the Convention also frowned at the deliberate political marginalisation of the Egbema people of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. It is totally unacceptable to Ijaw Youths for the Egbema Ijaws to be denied from occupying the positions of Chairman of Warri North, Commissioner Representing Warri North in the Delta State Exco, Member of the Delta State House of Assembly Representing Warri North or any political office of significance. Hence, the Convention demanded that the Delta State and federal governments should address the politically marginalisation of the Egbema people of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. The Convention also call on youths of Egbema to be peaceful in their quest for justice while sending a note of warning to the authorities that history all over the world teaches us that where peaceful change becomes impossible violent change becomes inevitable!
8. Ijaw Youths reinstate their demand for true federalism wherein the Niger Delta people would control their resources and pay tax to the central government and condemn the retrogressive conduct of some Northern delegates at the ongoing Confab in their opposition to the demand of the Niger Delta people.

Dated this 22nd day of June, 2014 at Ofunama Community, Egbema Clan,  Edo State and Signed for the Ijaw Youth Council, Worldwide:

Eric Omare

Spokesman