IJAW youths under the platform of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC has said the
opening of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State for academic
activities is the first condition for a roundtable discussion with the federal
government.
IYC president, Udengs Eradiri made the declaration at Effurun, Delta State
during the 2016 annual Major Isaac Boro anniversary celebration with the
theme, "The ideals of Adaka Boro and the renewed militancy in the Niger
Delta: The way forward."
Udengs in his speech, said: "People have started discussing. There was a
meeting in Abuja yesterday (Wednesday) but I told them that such meeting
would not work.
"If they want us to talk, they must first open the Maritime University and
start admitting students, then we would now sit and talk."
Speaking further, he said: "The same issues for which Adaka Boro and Ken
Sarowiwa were killed are the same issues the Avengers are raising.
"There are no Avengers anywhere. Settle these issues and the Avengers
would fizzle away."
In his remark, the lead speaker at the event, Tony Uranta said: "Isaac Boro
and Ken Sarowiwa died fighting for the emancipation of the Niger Delta, later
we had Asari Dokubo, Tompolo and others. "But because Tompolo was taken
out, new faces have come up.
"Government must reassure the people of the Niger Delta that it is not yet
ready to terminate the Amnesty Programme as there are still a lot of people
yet to go for training."
"If you don't engage these people, you are building up an army of discontent
and the government must restructure Nigeria to a true federalism."
"On her part, co-speaker and rights activist, Annkio Briggs while taking a
swipe on the federal government on the way and manner it is handling the
agitations of the region, said: "What the people of the Niger Delta region are
asking for is self determination.''
"This is different from self succession. We want to own our resources and
states should be allowed to explore their own resources while paying tax to
the federal government."
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