The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has vowed not to join in what it called “the oppression of Niger Delta youths”, aimed at undoing their people and conning them out of the opportunities and natural advantage that accrue them.
IYC Worldwide, the champion of self-sufficiency of the peoples of the Niger Delta region made the vow while reacting to last week Thursday protest by ex-militants and youth from the 111 communities under OML 30, Delta State, who besieged the State Government House, Asaba, to protest the infringement and deliberate attempt by chairman of Ocean Marine, Captain Hosa Okunbo, to render thousands of the youths jobless by way of taking from them the pipeline surveillance jobs.
In a statement signed by the national legal adviser, IYC Worldwide, Mr. Igbeta Ayebakuro, a lawyer and IYC national spokesman, Mr. Daniel Dasimaka, made available by Journalists, warned that it will not fold its hands and watch while the interest of the people of the region and that of the hard-working youths and ex-agitators from the OML 30 communities in Delta state, is jeopardized by anyone.
According the IYC, the statement that came out of the council in the last two days, on the choice of some group of youths and former agitators from communities that fall within OML 30, who had embarked on a protest taking their plea to the Delta state government over their fears of being displaced and deprived of their legitimately guaranteed daily bread, by forces they consider to be using all means, including unlawful and brutal means, was not issued with an intent to support injustice against their own.
The statement further noted that “Though, as we earlier noted, Ocean Marine and its owner, Captain Hosa Okunbo, are also from Niger Delta and we do not believe they should be discriminated in any form, but we must state, unequivocally, that the initial information provided by Ocean Marine and its drivers was less than truthful and we are of the view that inadequate information was provided to mislead the council.”
“To this end, it is the opinion of the IYC that no genuine Niger Delta person or group should do anything to hurt the interest of the people of the region and in this instance, the hard-working youths and ex-agitators from the OML 30 communities in Delta state. This message is directed to Ocean Marine and its management to back off from using the current unwholesome and illegal methods they are employing to forcefully seize the pipeline security job from the current operators. We will not be used to validate oppression of our brothers.”, IYC concluded.