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June 12: Ijaw tasks Tinubu on economic crisis, restructuring
The apex body of the Ijaw nation has also implored him to address the imbalance in the number of local government areas in Nigeria as part of efforts to restructure the country.
INC President, Prof Benjamin Okaba, in a message to celebrate 2024 Democracy’s Day, declared that June 12 is worth celebrating, considering the relative human rights and freedom Nigerians have been enjoying under civilian administrations and the need to consciously immortalize the Iconic democrat, Chief M.K.O Abiola, who gave up his life on July 7th, 1998, in active democratic struggle.
He noted that the return to democratic rule has at least allowed the citizens to choose political leaders and advance their rights.
On the current economic crisis, Okaba demanded that the current Federal Government take urgent steps to overcome the hardship facing Nigerians, insisting that the masses who are battling with various livelihood and life-threatening challenges such as insecurity, inflation, unemployment, and criminality are becoming increasingly hopeless and helpless with each passing day
For the Niger Delta region, the INC helmsman said the expectation of the people is for the Tinubu administration to provide solutions to their challenges.
He said, ‘’The oil and gas-rich Niger Delta region, which is a critical component of Nigeria’s economy, expects the current administration to, without any further delay, address the multifaceted challenges facing the region in terms of Infrastructure development, environmental remediation, economic empowerment, good governance and inclusive representation in decision-making processes.”
According to him, the Ijaw people, who are one of the four largest ethnic nationalities and major producers of oil and gas resources in the country, expect greater commitment from President Tinubu’s administration to deal with ‘’her peculiar and persistent problems and concerns of resource injustice, lack of political inclusion, and representation in key political positions and decision-making processes, and environmental degradation.’’
Okada stressed that the Ijaw quest for true federalism was rooted in their desire for greater autonomy, resource control, and self-determination that would enable them to manage their affairs more effectively and promote their overall well-being.
“We wish to express our satisfaction with President Tinubu’s stance on restructuring. While we appreciate the need for more efficient management of our local government councils, which are the third tier of government that is also closer to the people at the grassroots, we want to caution those seeking local government council autonomy to first and foremost tackle a more fundamental injustice created by the wide disparity in the number of local government areas per state (where Kano, for instance, has 44 and Bayelsa at the other extreme has only eight).
“Granting local government council autonomy without addressing this politico-demographic imbalance amounts to the perpetration of criminal injustice, in-equity, and disregard for the sensitivity of the people of the Niger Delta region who have fewer Local government areas despite producing the wealth of the nation,” he said.
