IJAW POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CRISIS: PATHWAY TOWARDS THE RESOLUTION OF AN URGENT INTERNAL IMPERATIVE

With the inauguration of the democratic dispensation in May 1999, so much was hoped for by Ijaws in general and Bayelsans in particular that needed attention will be paid to the dire socio-economic condition of Bayelsa state. In addition, there was high expectation that the elected representatives irrespective of political affiliation in the various houses of assembly and national assembly will vigorously pursue an agenda that will address the iniquities suffered by Ijaw within the Nigerian federation. It did not take long for any objective observer to notice that our trust in the "elected" leadership may have been grossly misplaced. In concert with their colleagues in the national assembly our Ijaw representatives legislated to steal from the national patrimony via the outrageous salaries and allowances they apportioned to themselves. With Bayelsa State, rumors of the governor's purchase of properties in England and the United States became rife. We also heard of private discussions of how some Bayelsa State house of assembly members' boast of having "made it." Coupled with other very unpleasant sundry happenings, it was only a question of time, before the present ignominious War of Thieves currently being waged in Bayelsa State reaches this crescendo.

In light of the alleged malfeasance and depravity in official conduct by some of our political leaders, we are forced to ask these soulful questions - do these individuals have any conscience? How can they ignore the long-suffering masses in Ijawland? Have the uncountable number of our people who were murdered, maimed, and raped; with those whose properties destroyed in the campaign to address the injustices of the Nigerian state all being in vain? It is certainly curious that from the bowels of our land, we would have persons who will actively continue to perpetuate our collective misery. Other than the executive and legislative leaderships of Bayelsa State government, another exemplar of this extreme form of misrepresentation is that of Senator David Brigidi, who by all credible and reliable accounts has stated bluntly that his mission at the Senate is to enrich himself. From all his actions, the Ijaw struggle for political and economic emancipation is of little interest to him. 

It is important that as we ponder upon our misfortune of representation, we should understand how the present actors came on the scene. It is no secret that most of these actors owe their allegiance to forces outside Ijawland, particularly the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy. One of the critical challenges facing Ijawland today is in resolving the categorical internal imperative for an accountable, transparent, and responsive political leadership. A leadership whose powers' derives solely from within the peoples it claims to represent. The claim is often made that a people or community deserves the kind of leadership it gets. We haste to say that this cannot be applied to our situation currently, for the simple reason that from colonial times till recently, dictators have always selected rulers for our communities, who inevitably worked against our collective interest. However, if after the next election cycle we still have the current type of representation, we all have ourselves to blame. It is important that given the present freer political space, we must re-energize our various organizations to ensure that in the next election cycle, only persons who have gained acceptance from within Ijawland ascend to positions of trust and leadership.

Given the fact that Bayelsa State is the only homogeneous Ijaw State in Nigeria, and coupled with the current crisis of governance in the state, it is only natural that it must form the nucleus of any effort at dealing with our internal imperative. We hereby suggest the following as agenda of action for all progressive groups in Ijawland: 

1. Support the efforts to take Governor D.S.P Alamieyeseigha before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal to defend the charges of corruption being leveled against him. 

2. Similarly, the embattled Speaker of the state house of assembly Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri must also be made to defend himself against charges of corruption before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal. 

3. If these men and other personalities in this unfolding saga are found guilty they must be made to face the wrath of the law and refund their stolen wealth to the people of Bayelsa State. 

4. Curtail the perquisites of office being enjoyed by elected and appointed public servants. 

5. We call on the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) and the Ijaw National Congress (INC) as a matter of urgency to organize fora or town hall meetings in which all Ijaw elected public servants MUST come to account for their stewardship of the last two years. On this note, the IYC Mobile Parliament would be a good vehicle in accomplishing this objective. This brings to mind the recent rebuke of Senator Fred Brume by the peoples of Delta State and in particular the Delta Central Senatorial district that he represents. 

6. Organization of a conference of Ijaw communities and groups to develop a common political agenda and code of conduct for political office holders.

We believe that if these and other measures, are acted upon with the immediacy that the current situation demands, we as a people would have started the process of reclaiming our rights to have the type of leaders we deserve.

Signed

Francis Ebikefe Porbeni Director of Publicity, Ijaw National Congress, USA (INCUSA)

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Ijaw National Congress, USA 14737 Union Turnpike, Suite 131 Queens, New York City, NY 11367 Tel: 718/380-4636 or 817/416-4692 Fax: 817-485-7443 Email: INCUSA@aol.com 

IJAW ETHNIC NATIONALITY The Ijaws are a nation of more than twelve million people in the Niger Delta region. The Ijaws are the most populous indigenous inhabitants of the Niger Delta and constitute the fourth largest ethnicity within the borders of Nigeria.

Crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Oloibiri community of Ijawland in 1958. Since then, oil companies such as Shell (Anglo/Dutch), AGIP (Italian), Elf (French) and Chevron (American) have colluded with the military and successive governments of Nigeria to wage a war of economic exploitation and environmental degradation, as well as the institution of internal colonialism. Chevron in particular has been implicated in several acts of human rights abuse in the Niger Delta. Chevron's corporate policy of instigating violence against the Ijaws continues unabated.

IJAW NATIONAL CONGRESS USA The Ijaw National Congress is involved in the struggle to achieve structural change and free the people of the Niger Delta, particularly the Ijaws, from decades of environmental pollution, corporate violence, unjust socio-economic structure and political oppression.

The Ijaw National Congress USA (INCUSA) is a grassroots organization whose membership includes persons and socio-cultural groups of Ijaw descent and is currently resident in the United States of America. The rallying philosophy of INCUSA is clearly articulated and espoused in the organizational motto as being the pursuit of "Equality, Fairness and Justice". <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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