By Oluwayemi Davidson, Warri
A Niger Delta sociopolitical group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI) on Sunday declared that the Ijaws are not against secession from Nigeria.
Making the declaration in a statement issued by its President, Comrade Austin Ozobo and made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State, IPDI faulted a media commentary alleged to have been made by the newly inaugurated Ijaw National Council (INC) President, Prof. Okaba.
“We want to state unequivocally that such reports are from the pit of hell and should be disregarded”, IPDI stated.
According to IPDI, “the report cannot be verified and the reporters of such unfounded, barbaric and misleading information failed to substantiate evidence in their reports”.
It maintained that “the INC president, Prof. Okaba only warned secessionists not to include Ijaw lands in any part of the country to be part of their maps and secession plans and never said Ijaw nation was against secession”.
The IPDI statement read in part, “I was there live at the inauguration ceremony of the 8th INC-W president, none of such report was contained in the inaugural address of Mr. President”
Ozobo insisted that “Ijaw nation only called for the actualization of a federal system of government that could be trusted, and further demanded for restructuring of the country as such consistently being on the top list of their demands whenever they met as leaders of thought and critical stakeholders as regards the continued injustice meted on the Ijaw people living in a lopsided country”.