THE NEW FACE OF IYC

***We will Continue to preach the Gospel of Kaiama Declaration with Aggressive Mood and due process.

TRACKING____The new leadership of Ijaw Youth Council ably led by comrade Timothy Igbifa as once again reminded Ijaw youths Worldwide stakeholders, federal government and multi National companies operating within the Niger Delta region that Ijaw Youths will aggressively preach gospel of Kaiama deceleration that gave birth to the formation of IYC.

In his brief chat with TrackNews Online the president of council went further to educate the region what IYC really stand for and the statement of Kaiama Deceleration of 1998

“We, Ijaw youths drawn from over five hundred communities from over 40 clans that make up the Ijaw nation and representing 25 representative organisations met in Kaiama to deliberate on the best way to ensure the continuos survival of the indigenous people’s of the Ijaw ethnic nationality of the Niger Delta within the Nigerian state.

After exhaustive deliberations, the Conference observed:

a. That it was through British colonisation that the IJAW NATION was forcibly put under the Nigerian State

b. That but for the economic interests of the imperialists, the Ijaw ethnic nationality would have evolved as a distinct and separate sovereign nation, enjoying undiluted political, economic, social, and cultural AUTONOMY.

c. That the division of the Southern Protectorate into East and West in 1939 by the British marked the beginning of the balkanisation of a hitherto territorially contiguous and culturally homogeneous Ijaw people into political and administrative units, much to our disadvantage. This trend is continuing in the balkanisation of the Ijaws into six states-Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, mostly as minorities who suffer socio-political, economic, cultural and psychological deprivations.

d. That the quality of life of Ijaw people is deteriorating as a result of utter neglect, suppression and marginalisation visited on Ijaws by the alliance of the Nigerian state and transnational oil companies.

e. That the political crisis in Nigeria is mainly about the struggle for the control of oil mineral resources which account for over 80% of GDP, 95 %of national budget and 90% of foreign exchange earnings. From which, 65%, 75% and 70% respectively are derived from within the Ijaw nation. Despite these huge contributions, our reward from the Nigerian State remains avoidable deaths resulting from ecological devastation and military repression.

f. That the unabating damage done to our fragile natural environment and to the health of our people is due in the main to uncontrolled exploration and exploitation of crude oil and natural gas which has led to numerous oil spillages, uncontrolled gas flaring, the opening up of our forests to loggers, indiscriminate canalisation, flooding, land subsidence, coastal erosion, earth tremors etc. Oil and gas are exhaustible resources and the complete lack of concern for ecological rehabilitation, in the light of the Oloibiri experience, is a signal of impending doom for the peoples of Ijawland.

g. That the degradation of the environment of Ijawland by transnational oil companies and the Nigerian State arise mainly because Ijaw people have been robbed of their natural rights to ownership and control of their land and resources through the instrumentality of undemocratic Nigerian State legislations such as the Land Use Decree of 1978, the Petroleum Decrees of 1969 and 1991, the Lands (Title Vesting etc.) Decree No. 52 of 1993 (Osborne Land Decree), the National Inland Waterways Authority Decree No. 13 of 1997 etc.

h. That the principle of Derivation in Revenue Allocation has been consciously and systematically obliterated by successive regimes of the Nigerian state. We note the drastic reduction of the Derivation Principle from 100% (1953), 50% (1960), 45% (1970), 20% (1975) 2% (1982), 1.5% (1984) to 3% (1992 to date), and a rumored 13% in Abacha’s 1995 undemocratic and unimplemented Constitution.

i. That the violence in Ijawland and other parts of the Niger Delta area, sometimes manifesting in intra and inter ethnic conflicts are sponsored by the State and transnational oil companies to keep the communities of the Niger Delta area divided, weak and distracted from the causes of their problems.

j. That the recent revelations of the looting of national treasury by the Abacha junta is only a reflection of an existing and continuing trend of stealing by public office holders in the Nigerian state. We remember the over 12 billion dollars Gulf war windfall, which was looted by Babangida and his cohorts We note that over 70% of the billions of dollars being looted by military rulers and their civilian collaborators is derived from our ecologically devastated Ijawland.

Based on the foregoing, we, the youths of Ijawland, hereby make the following resolutions to be known as the Kaiama Declaration:

1. All land and natural resources (including mineral resources) within the Ijaw territory belong to Ijaw communities and are the basis of our survival.

2. We cease to recognise all undemocratic decrees that rob our peoples/communities of the right to ownership and control of our lives and resources, which were enacted without our participation and consent. These include the Land Use Decree and The Petroleum Decree etc.

3. We demand the immediate withdrawal from Ijawland of all military forces of occupation and repression by the Nigerian State. Any oil company that employs the services of the armed forces of the Nigerian State to “protect” its operations will be viewed as an enemy of the Ijaw people. Family members of military personnel stationed in Ijawland should appeal to their people to leave the Ijaw area alone.

4..Ijaw youths in all the communities in all Ijaw clans in the Niger Delta will take steps to implement these resolutions beginning from the 30th of December, 1998, as a step towards reclaiming the control of our lives. We, therefore, demand that all oil companies stop all exploration and exploitation activities in the Ijaw area. We are tired of gas flaring; oil spillages, blowouts and being labelled saboteurs and terrorists. It is a case of preparing the noose for our hanging. We reject this labelling. Hence, we advice all oil companies staff and contractors to withdraw from Ijaw territories by the 30th December, 1998 pending the resolution of the issue of resource ownership and control in the Ijaw area of the Niger Delta

5.. Ijaw youths and Peoples will promote the principle of peaceful coexistence between all Ijaw communities and with our immediate neighbours, despite the provocative and divisive actions of the Nigerian State, transnational oil companies and their contractors. We offer a hand of friendship and comradeship to our neighbors: the Itsekiri, Ilaje, Urhobo, Isoko, Edo, Ibibio, Ogoni, Ekpeye, Ikwerre etc. We affirm our commitment to joint struggle with the other ethnic nationalities in the Niger delta area for self-determination.

6. We express our solidarity with all peoples organisations and ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and elsewhere who are struggling for self-determination and justice. In particular we note the struggle of the Oodua peoples Congress (OPC), the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (Mosop), Egi Women’s Movement etc.

7. We extend our hand of solidarity to the Nigerian oil workers (NUPENG and PENGASSAN) and expect that they will see this struggle for freedom as a struggle for humanity

8. We reject the present transition to civil rule programme of the Abubakar regime, as it is not preceded by restructuring of the Nigerian federation. The way forward is a Sovereign National Conference of equally represented ethnic nationalities to discuss the nature of a democratic federation of Nigerian ethic nationalities. Conference noted the violence and killings that characterized the last local government elections in most parts of the Niger Delta. Conference pointed out that these electoral conflicts are a manifestation of the undemocratic and unjust nature of the military transition programme. Conference affirmed therefore, that the military are incapable of enthroning true democracy in Nigeria.

9.. We call on all Ijaws to remain true to their Ijawness and to work for the total liberation of our people. You have no other true home but that which is in Ijawland.

10. We agreed to remain within Nigeria but to demand and work for Self Government and resource control for the Ijaw people. Conference approved that the best way for Nigeria is a federation of ethnic nationalities. The federation should be run on the basis equality and social justice.

Finally, Ijaw youths resolve to set up the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to coordinate the struggle of Ijaw peoples for self-determination and justice..

**Amnesty: IYC president task Buhari on appointment of substantive Coordinator

The president of Ijaw youth Council Worldwide Comrade Timothy Igbifa has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a substantive Special Adviser to the President to help with the coordination of the Presidential Amnesty Program.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately replace the five-man probe panel into the alleged fraud in the Presidential Amnesty Programme with a substantive coordinator for the programme.

He further advise President Buhari to match the promises made during the June 12 national broadcast on the sustenance of the existing peace and stability in the region with the appointment of a substantive coordinator to improve and fulfil the dream of the present administration in the region.

According to him the appointment of a substantive coordinator will ensure the immediate commencement of the delayed vocational training for real beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme in preparation for emerging job opportunities.

Comrade Timothy who commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the amnesty programme, which he said has successfully maintained the peace and stability in the Niger Delta region advocated for its continuity to guarantee peace in the Niger Delta region.

*IYC President Back PMB Over Forensic Audit Of NDDC

In the issue of NDDC comrade Timothy Igbifa have declared his leadership support for the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

TrackNews Online had previously reported that amid the crisis rocking the NDDC, President Muhammadu Buhari, gave directives for better coordination among security and investigating agencies with the National Assembly to bring about sanity in the system.

Comrade Timothy said IYC under his leadership has thrown its weight behind the forensic audit of the Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

He said the forensic audit should be allowed to go on as it will reveal the identity of those responsible for the corruption in the commission.

In the last few months, there have several allegations of misappropriation of funds in the commission which led to a probe by the National Assembly.

*East-West road
Stop playing politics with East-West road Igbifa to FG

The president of council comrade Timothy Igbifa has accused the Federal Government of playing politics with its promise to complete the East-West road.

He said the project which remains the economic live wire of the people of the South-South region and the nation oil and gas industry must not be abandoned.

The IYC Boss urged the Federal Government to expedite action on completing the troubled road which according to him, has become a death trap, causing loss of lives and impacting negatively on economic activities in the region.

Comrade Timothy said IYC which represents the “resolutionary and revolutionary” movement of the Ijaw people must rise up and demand for rights of the people to have good roads, qualitative education, quality healthcare and sustainable means of livelihood.

He said “since our son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, left office as president in 2015, not one shovel of asphalt has been poured on the East-West road which remains the economic live wire of the Ijaw and people of the Niger Delta region. That road is not Goodluck Jonathan’s road, it is Ijaw people’s road. That is why some of us expected the Federal Government to take that project seriously.

“That goes to show that the Federal Government is playing politics with that road because they have not given the road the attention it needs.