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The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has protested the refusal of the Federal Government to appoint a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The youths blocked the Mbiama section of the ever-busy East-West Road and also shut down the NDDC office in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The protest was sequel to the expiration of the 30 days ultimatum the IYC gave the Federal Government to inaugurate a new NDDC board or risk a shut down of the region.
The blockade of the East-West Road halted traffic flow and caused panic among motorists and travellers even as workers at the Bayelsa office of the commission fled.
The protesters carried IYC flags and placards with various inscriptions like ‘FG should appoint substantive board for NDDC’, ‘We seek justice in NDDC now’,’Restructure Nigeria now’,’ IOCs should remit $1.6bn to NDDC’, among others.
They alleged that the presidency sponsored the abduction of the IYC President, Peter Igbifa, about 24 hours to the elapsing of the one-month notice to inaugurate the commission’s board.
Igbifa was reportedly kidnapped by a group of masked men on Tuesday along the Omagwa-Port Harcourt International Airport Road while heading to the airport to board a flight to Abuja to join other officials of the IYC for a meeting with government’s representatives to resolve issues ahead of the planned protest.
He gave the ultimatum on April 26 and followed it up with a seven-day warning on May 17 to all multinational oil companies operating in the region to evacuate and peacefully shut down their oil platforms before the expiration of the notice on May 26.
The Ijaw youth leader while issuing the warning had stated that it was important for oil workers to leave the region as Ijaw youths would not be able to guarantee their safety.
The protesters also warned that the next protest march on the non-appointment of a substantive NDDC board, the tenure of the commission’s sole administrator and other developmental challenges of the region, would be “a total mass action.”
Meanwhile, the IYC leadership in a communique issued on Wednesday after an emergency meeting, condemned the abduction of Igbifa and accused the Federal Government of sponsoring the incident.
The communique was signed by the Deputy President of IYC, Saviour Olali; spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe; treasurer, Timilaemi Ebifoubo; women leader, Tina Tubusi; financial secretary, Abiye Achepaka; director of mobilisation, Fubara Israel; assistant secretary, Otiene Amafina; Digitemie Pogonyo, speaker of IYC mobile parliament and chairmen of zones and chapters of the council.
It further stated: “Though the abduction of the IYC President, Deacon Timothy Igbifa, came to us as a shock and provocative, we have since discovered that the Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, sponsored and executed the abduction.
“First, he was invited along with other national executive members (of IYC) to Abuja for a robust engagement meeting with the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dixion Dikio (retd.). Then, he was abducted by men armed with standard “IWI Tavor rifles” or “the Uzi sub-machine gun”.
The IYC while declaring solidarity with the protesters called on the Federal Government to release him unconditionally, saying the council had abruptly withdrawn from the engagement between it and the PAP boss.
It added: “We are returning back to the region to have a robust engagement with key stakeholders including the clans, zones and chapters on the strategy and rules of engagement forthwith.
“These robust engagements will metamorphose into a national convention slated for Sunday 30th of May, 2019 where a clear-cut strategy will be initiated in line with the planned mass action.
“As a council, we will not betray the trust reposed in us as national leaders of the IYC. The national leaders of the council are resolute that despite the expiration of the 30 days ultimatum handed President Muhammadu Buhari at midnight on Tuesday, the Ijaw youths will not be cowed from insisting that a substantive board of NDDC be immediately constituted.”
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