The leadership of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) led by its President, Prof Benjamin Okaba, on Friday, mobilised Ijaw people for a solidarity march for the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in Port Harcourt as the face-off between the governor and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, got messier with about nine members of the State Executive Council resigning from office as at the last count.
They converged at the popular UTC junction around Mile One and walked to the Government House gate, near the state secretariat complex, Port Harcourt, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards and banners with various inscriptions expressing support for Fubara and anger against Wike.
Speaking at the rally in front of Government House, Okaba alleged that President Bola Tinubu was giving tacit support to Wike, otherwise his minister would not have the audacity to instigate impeachment moves against Fubara. He said the Ijaw people would resist any effort to sack Fubara, stressing that the governor had not committed any offence to warrant impeachment.
Okaba said, “The purpose of this rally is to call on President Tinubu to advise his Minister to take his knees off the shoulders of the Governor of Rivers State. In fact, we are touch by the fact that after his own (president’s) intervention; after the intervention of Governors of PDP, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers led by Sergeant Awuse, his (Wike’s) own father, Elders of Rivers State, democrats all over Nigeria, Wike is still hell bent on cutting short the tenure of Fubara.
“We are here to resist any attempt to scuttle the tenure.
We are here as Ijaw people to say, yes, Wike has won a lot of battles, but this is a war against Ijaw people. Let him go to the history of Ijaw nation; Ijaw nation has never been conquered from precolonial times, let them go into the archives. And we shall never be conquered. “Wike has declared a war against Ijaw people, and we are ready for him. You can call it any name, we are not bothered.
The Ijaw National Congress has the moral responsibility to defend any Ijaw man. For us, this is an insult on the entire Ijaw nation. Let me give you a little background.
Ijaw people fought for, died for the creation of Rivers State. Our men, Dappa Biriye and many others fought for the creation of Rivers State. Isaac Adaka Boro was an Ijaw man and he fought for the creation of Rivers State.
“But for 24 years, (from 1999), we are pushed out of Government House (Port Harcourt). And today, by the divine will of God, an Ijaw son was elected as the governor of Rivers State.
Then one man, one single man says that because that governor refuse to play ball and go by his (Wike’s) selfish desires, that he (Fubara) must leave.”
The Ijaw leader continued: “As far as we are concerned, the governor has not done anything wrong to warrant any form of impeachment. Rivers people voted massively for him, and Rivers people across ethnic lines- Ijaw, Ikwerre, Etchie, Ogoni- are supportive of him.
“What is wrong in a governor asking questions when the internal revenue of his state is dwindling from N15billion to N10billion?
And he says why should we at this time have only N6billion? What is wrong about a governor asking questions?
What is wrong for a governor asking questions or paying gratuities and pensions that were left unpaid for about eight years?
What is wrong in a governor saying, ‘I’m paying the arrears of my people?”
“What is wrong in a governor saying development should not be concentrated in one place? Rivers State belongs to everybody. We must spread development to the Upland and the Riverine.
What is wrong in doing that? Have you ever seen a state where in a cabinet of 17 persons, 16 of these persons were imposed by one person?
What type of government is that? To the point that even the Chief of Staff, even the man cooking in the kitchen, the governor was not part of the appointment process?” Okaba said Ijaw people were ready for the FCT minister, adding that
“Where we are now, if it amounts to killing all of us, we are ready to die.
Ijaw nation is ready to die for Ijaw cause. “We want to tell Tinubu again, call your Minister to order.
This monumental embarrassment Wike has caused the nation, and this act of dragging the hand of development in Rivers State back, is condemnable. Call your Minister to order.”
While warning of dire consequences if Fubara was sacked, the INC President cautioned that the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organisation would not be able to guarantee peace and safety oil installations in the Niger Delta if President Tinubu failed to restrain the former Rivers governor from making the state ungovernable and chaotic in the days ahead.