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Crisis of leadership last week hit umbrella body of the Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), over agitations against President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to appoint a sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The national president and deputy president, Comrade Peter Igbifa and Comrade Savior Olali, respectively were reported to have campaigned for the removal of the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC and appointment of Mr. Effing Okon Akwa as sole administrator.
Other national executive members and zonal leadership of the Ijaw Youths Council however staged a mass protest against the appointment of a sole administrator and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase funding for the commission and implement the seven-point demand presented to his chief of staff at the stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The zonal and chapter chairmen after a meeting last week in Warri, Delta State, to review strategies for further agitation and protest to shut down activities at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, unanimously resolved and caused a vote of no-confidence to be passed on the national president and deputy president of the Ijaw Youth Council.
According to the forum of Zonal Chairmen and Chapter heads of the IYC, the decision was informed by a plethora of unethical, unpatriotic and self-centered actions which runs contrary to the founding principles and the core mandate and objectives of the Council.
Those at the meeting include Comrade Henry Oyobolo (chairman, Lagos chapter), Comrade Tobin James (chairman, Eastern Zone), Chief Frank Akiefa (chairman Western zone), Comrade Clever Osuma Inodu (chairman, Central zone) and Chief Diplomat Adam Ogomugo Marbo M (chairman, Abuja Chapter).
According to the communique issued at the end of the meeting, “The president and the deputy president took an oath to defend and protect Ijaw youths, but it has become evident that their silence in the midst of confronting challenges has become suspicious especially in the ongoing struggle for the appointment of a substantive board in the NDDC which suggest they are complicit in the illegality that has happened in the commission.
“This is coming at a time the entire Ijaw youths are opposed to a sole administrator and are agitating vehemently for the implementation of the NDDC act which gives powers to the president to appointing a substantive board that will give equal representation to the nine member states making up the commission, which will fast tract developmental needs of the region.
“We are aware from good authority the surreptitious meetings Peter Igbifa and his deputy, Savior Olali are having with the illegitimate occupant of the commission which violates their oath of office and in direct contradiction of our founding principles in defending the rights and expectations of the ijaw Nation.
“The president and deputy president has been working tirelessly to create deep disaffection and disunity in council since the duo’s emergence which has contributed to the lack of strategic direction and focus the council requires at this challenging times.
“The president and deputy have since assumption of office refused to call for an expanded exco meeting to take critical decisions on national issues, rather will take positions that advance their personal economic interest without recourse to the interest of ijaw Nation.
“The president and deputy president upon emergence have created a big crack amongst members of the National Executive Council thereby destroying the cohesion and unity of purpose in discharging their core mandate and obligations.
“Given the sensitive nature of the times and our very sacred objectives and after an exhaustive deliberation given the present legal vacuum in dealing with matters of this nature, we the elected representatives have invoked our powers through the doctrine of necessity to pass a vote of no confidence and have suspended Dcn. Peter Igbifa and his deputy, Saviour Olali for a period of two months to allow for an all stakeholders meeting to put the house in order.
“This decision is without any bias as it is in the general well-being and strength of council. To this extend all members of the public, government agencies as well as private business concerns are advised in their own interest not to deal with the above suspended officers within the period under review.
“Conclusively we the above forum endorse the decisions and action of the protest in the East west road as a preliminary step towards our call for the appointment of a full board for the Niger Delta Commission. This is the Ijaw position and anything further from it will be fully resisted,” they said.
Our correspondent however reports that efforts to get Dcn Peter Igbifa’s reaction on the matter failed.
