By Ifeoluwa Odunayo
The Ijaw Youth Council has strongly opposed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, calling it unnecessary and politically motivated.
In a statement on Tuesday, IYC President, Dr Alaye Theophilus, argued that the crisis in Rivers did not warrant such extreme action.
He accused Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of orchestrating the turmoil to weaken Governor Siminalayi Fubara and maintain control over the state.
Theophilus further alleged that the recent attack on the Trans Niger oil pipeline in Ogoni was staged to create justification for the emergency.
While urging Ijaw youths to remain calm, he maintained that Governor Fubara had shown restraint while his opponents continued to provoke tensions.
Echoing the IYC’s stance, the President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Okaba, described the move as unconstitutional.
He accused Wike of fueling the crisis, citing his recent visit to Abalama with armed soldiers and gunboats as a show of force.
Okaba warned that if the unfair treatment persists, the Ijaw nation may be forced to reconsider its political alignment within Nigeria.
