A man who doesn’t know the reason why he is yet alive would never be able to harness the full potentials inherent in him.
Ijaw Youths Council is a civil rights organization in Nigeria, founded in 1998, which supports the interests of the Ijaw ethnic group of the Niger Delta.
I am sure this organisation was founded because Of the repressive government at the time because there would be no need for human or Civil right activism without the abuse of such rights.
Why are brothers now against brothers? Why are there factions and division? Where did we get it wrong. The founding year exco were able to allay fears of the people because politics was put side. Yes life is politics and it cannot be totally put aside even in the founding years politics had its place but never has it been this bad and obvious.
We never experienced it this bad because the Ijaws were seen as an affiliation to the then ruling party, when eventually party politics came. But with the emergence of strong opposition party which eventually became the ruling party everything went agog brothers turned against themselves, the once peaceful and United IYC became a den of thugs. I once opt to contest election in the IYC and I was asked “o boy you fit carry Gun?” When did the IYC become an organisation headed by gun carriers was what I asked and got no response.
How do we go back to our glory days with the realization that politics is the bane to the peace unity that has been enjoyed.
Because man is a political Animal, We cannot restrain IYC leaders from been political because that would mean asking them to be allien to their human nature. But indeed the IYC doesn’t need to go soft on government to get their desires granted and their interests protected. The founding fathers did not go boot licking of the Government of day to put IYC in this enviable height that it was before politics divided it.
This is no time to hold elections but a time to set a truth and reconciliation committee. It’s time for aggrieved parties to come together look in the eyes of one another state our griviances and see how we can proffer solution to our division.
Udengs Eradiri would not have had a legacy worth remembering even if he did successfully in other facets of his administration without proffering solution to the division that is now faced the IYC. In fact he would be remembered as that president under whose tenure the IYC fought against itself and divided itself.
Let all stake holders come together put away personal interest as difficult as it may be and pursue collective interest.
Let politics be kept aside for the interest of the many setbacks we would face for not keeping it aside.
Political Scientist and a concerned Ijaw Son. From the western zone.
