The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide has vowed to resist with its last drop of blood any attempts by the President Bola Tinubu led government to scrap the Niger Delta Ministry.
IYC handed down the threat at a press briefing held in Warri on Friday.
IYC Spokesman, Princewill Binebai said, “This is not a threat but a statement that will become a reality should the reverse become the case”.
He urged multinational oil companies to prepare to relocate their headquarters back to the Niger Delta region where the oil and gas are produced.
“You cannot be drilling and exporting oil from our soil and paying royalty to other states,” Binebai said.
According to Binebai, “Council is well aware that the Ijaw people in the Niger Delta region, despite contributing towards the economic and political well-being of the country, the Ijaw people have not truly been given their fair share in the resources that are produced from their communities.
“IYC will continue to prioritise the unity of Ijaw nation for in unity lies our strength, hence Prof. Dime, pioneer President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC ) had posited in 1992 at Arogbo in Ondo state that “If Spiders Web Can Unite, They Can Tie Up A Lion ” . The unity of Ijaw is important and our march for a better Ijaw nation.”
While noting that the Ijaw people will continue to be peaceful as well as always embrace one Nigeria, Binebai said,”we must sound it clearly that our continued guarantee of peace in Nigeria should be laced with justice, fairness, equity and political inclusion.
“It is very sad to note that almost everything that has come to the Niger Delta, particularly to the Ijaw people, are all products of agitation and struggle. Nothing has ever been given to the Ijaw people freely.
“Henceforth, council will not tolerate and accept the incessant Invasion of Ijaw communities at every slightest opportunity by the Nigerian military. The Ijaw people should not be treated as strangers in this country, people must learn to respect them as critical stakeholders in this country.
“Council will not rest until justice is done for the gruesome murder of Peterside Alafuro, an Ijaw from Rivers state that was murdered by a trigger happy police officer in Rivers State, we are calling for justice, we will not allow this evil to be swept under the carpet.
“Going forward, the Ijaw Youth Council will embrace friends of the Ijaw people in the Nigerian state and will also resist foes of our region and the Ijaw people in particular.
“Our development and progress will be at the front burner as we engage with critical stakeholders in Nigeria to negotiate a better deal for our people. Never will the Ijaws take the back seat.
“The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) is stating that the bill for the establishment of our precious Nigeria Maritime University, (NMU) Okerenkoko in Delta State has suffered too much legislative hiccups, never have we seen anywhere in the world how a school of such will struggle so hard for survival, the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu must quickly in collaboration with the National Assembly see to the passage of the bill.”