We Have Never Had Anything On A Platter Of Gold: Okaba.

 

The National  President of Ijaw National Congress, Benjam  Okaba has regreted  that the Niger Delta Region has never  had anything on a platter of gold in Nigeria disclosing that all that the region has got have been out of fighting and agitation.

To that effect, he has warned that the Ijaws may  exit Nigeria out of frustration if they continue to struggle before getting anything.

Speaking in Yenagoa  on Thursday at the 56th celebration of the death of late Ijaw hero, Isaac Adaka Boro,  he also warned  that the governorship of Siminalayi Fubara in Rivers State' should not be tampered with.

Okaba said  "We fought to have a state. We fought to have interventionist agencies. Nobody has given us anything on a platter of gold. So the struggle continues; the INC has the core mandate of uniting the Ijaw people. It also has the mandate of advancing the identity of an Ijaw man."

"It's the INC duty to defend the Ijaw cause. An injury to an Ijaw man is an injury to all of us. That is why we are so focused and committed in the Rivers cause.

"The Fubara - Dagogo governorship can never be tampered with. We are unrepentant in our struggle to make sure that twenty  four years of political slavery is a thing of the past.

"Fubara has become governor and he will remain governor. Anybody that wants to touch Fubara is touching the Ijaw nation.

Okaba defended the solidarity visit of Ijaw leaders to Fubara, saying "when some people criticise us that INC led a protest march in Port Harcourt, I don't have any apology for anybody.

"The matter was a serious one and it needed serious action. In advancing the Ijaw cause, we have also thought of what to do to go beyond rhetorics in advancing the programme of Ijaw people together to speak with one common voice.

Okaba   displayed  a map  he called the map of the Niger Delta region indicating that  the location of all Ijaw communities pointing out that his INC leadership has launched what he described as Ijaw Nation app to make communication easy among Ijaw people.

Speaking earlier,  Nimibofa Ayawei, Secretary to the State Government of Bayelsa State who represented Governor Douye Diri, said the "act of laying wreaths should not be merely annual ritual but rather should  be a profound renewal of confidentiality and commitment to  the state and the Ijaw Nation".