IYC Berates Northern Youths over Protest against Pipeline  Contract Renewal

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has  berated the Northern Youth Advocacy Group and Arewa Youth Forum for allegedly staging protests against the pipeline surveillance contract in the Niger Delta region.

IYC noted that it was strange and insulting to see northern youths, from another region without oil, staging protest against a pipeline surveillance contract in the Niger Delta and deciding who should take the contract or not.

Addressing newsmen in Warri yesterday, the spokesman of IYC, Comrade Binebai Yerin Princewill, warned the northern youths to steer clear of issues affecting the Niger Delta, noting that they don’t experience what the people of the region are going through in the process of oil exploitation.

“As Ijaw people and Niger Deltans whose lands the oil and gas flows from, we find it strange and insulting to see Northern youths that are from a region without oil staging protest against a pipeline surveillance contract in Niger Delta and in the process deciding on who to give and not to give with a lot of provocative remarks against our region and our respected leader.

“The he Northern Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative and Arewa Youth Forum must know their boundary in this country, they should keep clear from activities of the Niger Delta, particularly to the Ijaw people. We will not be tolerating this all the time. .

IYC  has never protested against any Northerner not to be given contract in his place or region. We have had too many of these kind of misguided protests against our people from the Northern youths.  

We can still recall vividly how Northern Youths in 2022 protested against this contract not to be given to Niger Deltans,” he said.

IYC Spokesman said the ijaw youths will never allow anyone or group of persons, particularly in this present administration and beyond, to shortchange any Ijaw man or woman and warned that any attempt of such will be resisted by any means necessary.

“Guiding pipeline in our communities for the Federal Government of Nigeria is not even something that we are supposed to fight and struggle to get, it should be our right and Northern youths do not have the right to even talk about it.  The agitation now is that soon we will be fighting to have control over the resources in our lands,” he said.

The group urged the Northern Elders Forum to call their children to order, adding: “We do not know how long we will be tolerating this all the time, even the patient dog has a limit to his patience, a word they say is enough for the wise.

“To us as Ijaw youths, while we will continue to preach peace and one Nigeria, we cannot seat idle and watch people trying to act as if they are more important than others. The Niger Delta and the Ijaw people must be treated with special care. We cannot play second fiddle to anyone in this country,” he added