Ijaw To Wike: We Have 40m People In Nigeria, We Are Not In Minority

The Ijaw National Congress, INC, has condemned the comment credited to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike to the effect that Ijaw people are in the minority in the country. The minister, is misinformed, the umbrella body of Ijaw worldwide said in a statement issued on Friday by Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha the group’s Publicity Secretary.

INC reacted to the recent comment by Wike, during a media chat in Abuja, the nation’s capital recently where he said the Ijaw are minority in the Niger Delta. The Minister was responding to the threat by some Ijaw groups to destabilize the Niger Delta if Governor Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers state is impeached.

The governor, an Ijaw is currently neck deep in a crisis with his predecessor, Wike and there has been suggestions that the governor could be removed from office by pro-Wike lawmakers in the state House of Assembly.

In its reaction to Wike’s claim that Ijaw are ‘minority of minority’ INC said the FCT Minister is not availed of facts, saying the Ijaw people are spread across seven states in the Niger Delta, including Rivers where it claimed they are in the majority. The population of Ijaw in the country, INC said is more than 40 million.

The group urged the minister to stop making comments capable of setting the Niger Delta on fire, insisting that Ijaw people are not ready to go to war with other ethic groups in the region, particularly the Ikwerre, where Wike hails from, adding that they are spread across eight local governments in the state.

The group also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the minister to order, so as not to cause a crisis in the region that could affect the country negatively, adding that the Ijaw people in the Niger Delta will continue to maintain peace despite the minister’s provocation.

”We will maintain peace and stability as we call on President Tinubu to caution him and redirect his focus to his ministerial duties,’ INC said.Punch

The state further reads, “The INC remains committed to preserving the harmony enjoyed by all in the Niger Delta region.

“We have taken note of the recent remarks made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

“Given his eight-year tenure as governor of Rivers we expected a more informed understanding of the state’s history.

“They are the largest ethnic group in Rivers with eight local government areas, and also not a minority in Delta.

“The Ijaw have consistently advocated for fairness and equity in the Niger Delta region and the South-South, and we will not be swayed by individual attempts to provoke us,” Oyakemeagbegha said.