The two major goals of agitations by the Ijaw ethnic nationality are to gain political emancipation and resource control.
These has been the agenda of the Ijaw since the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) was founded in 1998, Mr Eric Omare has declared.
He disclosed these during the official handover ceremony to 7th National Executive Council, NEC, by the immediate past President of IYC, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, held in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Omare, a factional leader, vowed that under his leadership, the IYC would pursue self-determination started by their revolutionary leader, late Major Isaac Adaka Boro.
He also said administration’s is also to bring all the Ijaw people in the country under one political structure. Omare dissociated the Ijaw nation from the Biafra agitation, saying the struggle for self-esteem in at I on predated that of the Biafra.
According to him, like Major Boro who declared the Niger Delta Republic on February 23, 1966 and gallantly battled the Federal forces for 12 days.
Omare averred that his administration would vigorously pursue self-determination and resource control through dialogue.
“The IYC was founded in 1998 to pursue two agenda – self determination and resource control. The main focus of my administration is to actualize self-determination for the Ijaw nation.
“Self-determination may mean many things to different people. But to us the Ijaw people, self-actualisation means having a political space where we will have total control of our resources and we will be able to govern ourselves.
“We do not want a situation, as it is now, where the Ijaw people are balkanized in six different states.
“In Ondo State, the Ijaw people are the minority while in actual fact we are the main stay of that state.
“In Edo state, the Ijaw people are not just minorities, but they are treated as third class citizens in that state. In Delta State, especially in Warri we are treated as local citizens; we can vote but we cannot be voted for, we can only fight for a House of Assembly member but we cannot produce the chairman or a councilor.
“In Bayelsa state, even with the resources they have, it is still the same thing. Similar problem exists in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states,” Omare said.
Speaking further on his modus operandi, Omare said the Ijaw would no longer go cap in hand to bargain crumbs from the Federal Government
“We are not going to be looking for petty things and be crying to the federal and state governments to come and give us jobs because once we have a political structure that is under our control, we can build 50 maritime universities.
“We do not need to meet the Federal Government to build a maritime university for us. This is going to be the direction of my leadership,” Omare boasted.
Omare also promised to lead IYC to build bridges across other ethnic divides in the country, saying consultations would soon begin in earnest.
“We will engage the Ibos, the middle belt, the Hausa people, the Yoruba people and we will discuss whether we are going to live together as country or not.
“Let me also make this clear that the IYC is a grassroots pressure group. It is not a government organization, “ he noted.