31st January 2020
PRESS RELEASE
THE STATE OF THE IJAW NATION AND ITS DESTINY
Fellow Ijaws and the Global Community,
The Ijaw Foundation Board of Directors wishes the Ijaw Nation and all Ijaws a very blessed, peaceful, happy and prosperous New Year as we enter the New Year and a new decade. As we begin the New Year and new decade, cognizant of the terribly tragic experience we have had since becoming a constituent ethnic nationality and territory of the Nigeria Amalgamation about one hundred and five years ago and given the extremely perilous times we face now, it is imperative that we examine the State of the Ijaw Nation and articulate a vision for its destiny!
The Ijaws are aborigines of the territory they inhabit and they were created by Almighty God as a free, self-sustaining, independent and self-governing people governed by the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. They are naturally kind and accommodating to their neighbours. From the beginning, we, the Ijaws, have organized and governed ourselves in naturally sovereign kingdoms and City States; each of which is ruled by a King, called Pere, Ibenanaowei or Amanyanabo, and a Council of Elders and Chiefs who rise to leadership position by natural ascendancy. Prior to the forced amalgamation of the Ijaw Territory with neighbouring territories into present-day Nigeria, the Ijaw Kingdoms and City States signed various treaties with the adventurous British colonial government and Royal Niger Company as co-equal sovereign nations.
Tragically, since the inception of Nigeria, we, the Ijaw people, have suffered ruthless oppression and repression by means of our fragmentation, balkanization, disempowerment and subjugation as voiceless minorities in about eight states in Nigeria along with wanton environmental pollution and ecological devastation of our habitat resulting from the unbridled continuous exploitation of crude oil and natural gas in Ijawland without the benefits trickling down to us. The continuous destruction of our habitat and traditional means of subsistence by oil prospecting activities results in the progressive deterioration of the socio-economic conditions of our already utterly impoverished Ijaw people. Consequently, the survival of the Ijaw people is under serious threat especially in the face of episodic genocide committed against our people by the Nigerian State. We are therefore endangered species!
In response to our peaceful agitation for fairness, equity and self-determination, the Nigerian government has inflicted an ever-intensifying Genocidal Reign of Terror on our defenseless people. In the last three decades, members of the Nigerian Security Forces, acting at the behest of the Nigerian government, have wrongfully and needlessly murdered thousands of Ijaws, raided and burnt Ijaw towns and villages, cruelly tortured many of our people, imprisoned several Ijaw Rights Activists and raped numerous Ijaw women and children; in response to our legitimate demands for a halt to our oppression, the wanton destruction of our habitat and looting of our God-given wealth. Just last year (2019), the Nigerian military forces burnt down and completely destroyed the Ayama and Azagbene Communities in Bayelsa State and Kalaekuleama Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State as well as ransacked other Ijaw Communities in Edo State and Ondo State. As we speak, Agge Community in Bayelsa State was razed to the ground just a few days ago by a combined team of the Nigerian Army and Navy, in the pretext of chasing after criminals. Ijawland remains under occupation by the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Nigerian Armed Forces which perpetrate episodic genocide against our defenseless people. Additionally, several Ijaw people were killed in Rivers State during the last Nigeria’s presidential election in 2019 and the recent Bayelsa State governorship election held in November 2019. It is the most cruel irony of fate that our Ijaw people are being killed by Nigerian soldiers that are paid, clothed, fed, housed and armed with our Ijaw Oil Money; to enable the Nigerian government and the Oil Companies to plunder our resources and destroy our habitat. The fighter jets, warships, naval gunboats, grenades, artillery and bombs being unleashed on our hapless Ijaw people are bought with the Ijaw oil money! It is unacceptable that our God-given wealth has become our inexorable curse! Nigeria’s proven intent to exterminate us to commandeer our God-given wealth is an absolute contraindication for us to continue to be part of Nigeria!
We denounce and reject the Nigerian Inland Waterways Bill (Act) which robs our Ijaw communities of the ownership and control of their territorial waters and marine resources and vests same in the Federal Government of Nigeria in the same manner the obnoxious Land Use Decree of 1978 robs our Ijaw people of the ownership and control of their crude oil and natural gas resources and vests same in the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Furthermore, Nigeria is a failed State derived from a fraudulent contrivance of our erstwhile colonial masters by the instrumentality of the forced amalgamation of 1914; patently unable to provide the barest minimum level of political, social and economic security for its citizens. The Apparatus of Governance in Nigeria has been perpetually hijacked by an evil clique of avaricious opportunists that has subverted the sovereignty and will of the people and has perpetually disenfranchised the Nigerian citizenry by using the security forces to rig elections massively and brazenly to perpetuate itself in power. Elections are mere rituals and charades to hoodwink and placate the international community. The clique is lawless and unaccountable to the citizenry. These self-imposed rulers of Nigeria appropriate absolute power to themselves, loot the resources of the state, run the country as personal estate, murder political opponents wantonly to remain in power, and commit other atrocious violations of human rights including the universally affirmed rights of the citizens to freedom of speech, association and assembly. The sad state of affairs has worsened in geometric progression since the ruling Islamist Fulani Cabal hijacked and seized control of the Apparatus of the Nigerian Government along with the coercive military and paramilitary forces and instruments of the Nigerian State in May 2015 and has since executed a repressive, murderous and genocidal campaign to conquer and annihilate the indigenous peoples of Nigeria and commandeer their territories and natural resources! The evil Islamist Fulani Cabal has unleashed a REIGN OF TERROR AND INSECURITY on Nigeria whereby Nigerians are killed wantonly with impunity virtually on a daily basis. Nigeria is a sinking ship; it will be utterly foolish, irresponsible, suicidal and unforgiveable if we, the Ijaws, do not plan and act collectively with utmost urgency, sincerity and unwavering commitment to extricate ourselves from the sinking ship and thereby ensure our survival as a people! We therefore propose the establishment of an Ijaw National Security Framework to protect all Ijaws and Ijawland against the prevailing very serious and worsening Plague of Insecurity in Nigeria, particularly the invasion of Fulani herdsmen who now abode in our bushes and forests all across Nigeria in preparatory ambush. In this regard, we express our wholehearted support for the Security Framework named “Operation Amotekun” recently launched by the Yoruba Nation to protect her people against the Plague of Insecurity in Nigeria.
IJAW RENAISSANCE: RETURN TO OUR IJAW HERITAGE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Ijaw Nation has suffered immensely in the past few decades because of our near-wholesale rejection and abandonment of our legendary Ijaw Heritage of Righteousness! Ijaws have become immersed in Nigeria’s cauldron of corruption, decadence, lawlessness and ungodliness with resultant pervasiveness of abominable and self-destructive vices such as greed, avarice, looting of public funds, cultism, predatory sexual behavior, murderous violence, mayhem, kidnapping and piracy perpetrated by Ijaws against fellow Ijaws. Charity must of necessity begin at home!! Therefore, we, the Ijaws, must simultaneously remove the logs in our eyes as we rise up in righteous indignation to demand and obtain justice against our oppressors! We must put the Ijaw House in order by enthroning and reestablishing an enduring culture and heritage of brotherly love, truthfulness, honor, integrity and righteousness! We therefore call for IJAW RENAISSANCE with wholehearted return to our legendary Ijaw Heritage of Righteousness and Purity!! In this regard, we call on every Ijaw community to disavow and deter antisocial behavior with appropriate and effective sanctions as we did traditionally. Furthermore, and very importantly, we must implement a sanitizing regimen to disavow and deter corruption, looting of public funds and other vices amongst our Ijaw community leaders, local government chairmen and councilors, assemblymen and assemblywomen, members of the federal House of Representatives, senators, commissioners, federal ministers, governors and traditional rulers (Peres, Ibenanaoweis and Amanyanabos) to enthrone altruism, probity, transparency and accountability in public service throughout Ijawland. In this regard, we demand and insist that Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State must give full account of how Bayelsa State revenues were disbursed during his 8-year tenure as governor of the state. Furthermore, we urge the incoming David Lyon’s administration of Bayelsa State not to betray the sacred trust reposed on it by Bayelsans and all Ijaws by implementing a sanitizing regimen to disavow and deter corruption, looting of public funds and other vices amongst Bayelsa State, local government and local community public office holders! Very importantly, the incoming David Lyon’s administration of Bayelsa State must refrain from giving direct or indirect access to the Treasury of Bayelsa State to local and national political godfathers, influence peddlers or surrogates to loot or steal the resources and revenues of Bayelsa State meant for improving the welfare of the impoverished Bayelsans.
Of necessity and as a matter of utmost urgency, we, the Ijaws, must take responsibility and effective actions for the preservation and remediation of our Ijaw/Niger Delta Habitat upon which we depend totally for our sustenance and survival!
Brothers and sisters, Ijawland is our only habitat and we have no other homeland apart from Ijawland. We, the Ijaw Nation and people, are currently living in extremely perilous times, facing the extremely serious existential threats highlighted above. We only have two diametrically opposed choices: either to surrender and resign to fate and be systematically annihilated or rise up to protect ourselves and our God-bestowed natural habitat and thereby live in security, peace and prosperity as well as preserve our posterity as a unique people! The choice is very clear! Ijaw Self-determination is the only way we can rescue or save ourselves from the ruthless oppression, ecocide, plague of insecurity and episodic genocide we suffer in Nigeria. This is our vision for the destiny of the Ijaw Nation. Accordingly, we urge all Ijaw sons and daughters to answer the clarion call to work together in utmost solidarity, selflessness, sincerity, patriotism and commitment to implement and actualize THE IJAW AGENDA FOR SURVIVAL AND SELF-DETERMINATION. We therefore request that no Ijaw son or daughter sits on the sidelines. We urge all of us to attend Ijaw Foundation General Meetings, participate in the various Ijaw Foundation Committees, and contribute our quota to advance the Ijaw Agenda and fulfil the yearnings and aspirations of our Ijaw people for survival, security, peace, progress, prosperity and a glorious posterity!
We call on all champions and lovers of freedom and human dignity, indeed the entire world, particularly the United Nations, to join the Alliance for Freedom and stand with us against oppression, gross human rights abuses, unconscionable environmental pollution and ecological devastation. We only claim, demand and defend that which is rightly and justly ours. Our motivation is love, our passion is justice, and our goal is liberty and peace.
God bless the Ijaw Nation and all nations of the world so abundantly.
Signed, for and on behalf of the Ijaw Foundation Board of Directors, by:
Mr. Solomon Disekpobagha
Secretary of the Ijaw Foundation Board of Directors
Media contact:
Mr. Solomon Disekpobagha: Secretary of the Ijaw Foundation Board of Directors, Phone: (+44) 7376-108764; Email: Board-of-Directors@ijawfoundation.net.
549 LEFFERTS AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY 11225, USA
Website: www.ijawfoundation.net, Email: Board-of-Directors@ijawfoundation.net
Ijaw Foundation is a charitable nonprofit organization with Section 501 (c) (3) Tax Exempt Status granted by the United States Internal Revenue Service.
