The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has distanced itself from the planned protest themed #EndBadGovernance, which is slated to hold from August 1st to 10th, 2024 in Nigeria.
The apex body of Ijaw youths worldwide said it was “not duly consulted by the proposed protest organisers in the design of their demands.”
In a statement jointly issued by Comrade Nicholas Igarama,
Chairman, IYC Western Zone; Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, Esq, Secretary, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Information Officer, the Western Zone IYC, while admitting that “Nigeria is currently faced with diverse and severe economic hardship,” however said the planned protest “has so much unexplainable undertones and symptoms of a revolution, and bears so much risk.”
The IYC, Western Zone said the proposed protest lacks a unified and strategic leadership structure, adding “this ambiguity can lead to mismanagement of the protests, reducing their effectiveness and increasing the risk of unintended consequences.”
The IYC statement reads in part: “That demands that bothers on the development of the Niger Delta like the East-West Road, environmental remediation of the Niger Delta are not captured in the proposed protest.
“There is a need for all IOCs to relocate their headquarters to the Niger Delta region to boost the economic fortune of the Niger Delta region, this was not captured in the demands for the nationwide protest.
“That the intentional exclusion of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of the Niger Delta People from their onshore divestment initiative that is a major concern for the Niger Delta people is not also captured in the demands of nationwide protest.
“As a community, we treat with respect the counsel of the National Executive Council and prominent leaders of the Ijaw nation, and their calls for us to shun the protest is based on a deep understanding of the potential risks involved.
“While we recognize the importance of addressing bad governance at the national level, it is crucial that we also focus on local issues that directly impact the Ijaw nation. Our energies should be directed towards tackling challenges within our immediate environment,” the statement added.
The leadership of the IYC in western zone, called on the Federal Government “to discontinue the divestment of the onshore assets of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) until Ijaw sons and daughters are captured in the bidding and sales process.”
“The deliberate denial mete out on our people in the sale of assets domiciled in Ijaw will not be tolerated, and as promised, we will shutdown oil and gas exploration activities of the SPDC if our sons and daughters are not given room to be part of the divestment process,” the IYC said.
The IYC, Western Zone, therefore”advised all Ijaw youths to abstain from the proposed #EndBadGovernance protest owing to the aforementioned standpoints of Council.”