“At this critical juncture, we find ourselves distracted by private and sectional ambitions that threaten to dull our edge and weaken our collective force. Let us be clear: we cannot afford this. History will not forgive us if, at the hour of need, we allowed personal interest to eclipse the cause of our people.
“It is for this reason that we are inaugurating this reconciliation committee. It is entrusted to individuals of impeccable standing and demonstrable achievement.”
With these words, the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri challenged Ijaw leaders on the need to ensure that the Ijaw National Congress, INC, is not balkanised, as he set up a committee for the purpose of affirming the integrity of the apex Ijaw group.
Saying that history would not forgive them if they allowed personal interests to overshadow the cause of the Ijaw people, Diri said on Tuesday in Government House, Yenagoa, while inaugurating an eight-member INC Reconciliation Committee to resolve the protracted discord within the body that the INC must remain one united family.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, informed that the panel has two members from each of the zones of the INC while two others are to man the secretariat.
Diri, who is commonly called the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation, noted that the singular but weighty mandate of the committee was to reconcile the disputing individuals and interests within the INC, and restore the organisation to its founding ethos of unity and purpose.
The Bayelsa governor also charged the committee to come up with recommendations and guidelines that would strengthen and propel the ethnic group’s cause.
The governor described the recent inauguration of the INC national executive council outside its headquarters, after a disputed election, as an aberration as such ceremonies had always been held at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
He equally appealed to stakeholders and INC members to cooperate with the committee, noting that it was not a moment for winners or losers but a moment for reconciliation, restoration, and renewal. He said the committee had one month to carry out the assignment.
His words: “The baton of responsibility is in our hands. We must run our race with discipline, with focus, and with a firm commitment to the greater good.
“I acknowledge that disagreement is a feature of all human endeavour. It is not the disagreement that diminishes us, but our failure to manage it honourably. We must, therefore, seek out and hold fast to the greater reasons that bind us together. The ties of kinship, of shared history, and of common destiny are far stronger than the issues that divide us.
“A few decades ago, l was privileged to be among our great leaders entrusted with the mandate to birth the Ijaw National Congress. Our purpose was clear: to forge a platform that would unite our people, give voice to our collective aspirations, and advance the cause of a just and egalitarian society.
“That vision was never parochial. It was borne out of a conviction that the Ijaw nation must stand strong, speak with one voice, and take its rightful place in shaping the future of Nigeria.
Responding, chairman of the committee, a former Director-General, Department of State Services, Dr. Matthew Seiyefa, who is from the central zone, said it was unfortunate that the INC was at an inflection point but that it however presented an opportunity for introspection.
He said: “After we have successfully traversed this sorry path, the new INC will be more consultative with a view to harvesting the rich reservoir of resources in terms of experiences, knowledge and perspectives available within the Ijaw nation.”
Seiyefa assured that the outcome and utility of the committee would have significant implications for the future of the INC and, by extension, the Ijaw nation.
Other members of the committee include one-time Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Brodrick Bozimo (western zone), former INC President, Chief Joshua Fumudoh (western zone), National Chairman, Pan Niger Delta Forum, Dr. Boladei Igali (central zone), Amayanabo of Kala-Ogoloma, Rivers State, King Goddy Idaminabo (eastern zone), and one-time deputy governor of Rivers State, Alabo Gabriel Toby (eastern zone).
Dr. Kingsley Kuku, a former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, will serve as secretary while a former Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs in Bayelsa State and currently Special Adviser on Ijaw Affairs, Chief Patrick Erasmus, will also be in the secretariat.
