With barely ten days to go on the one-month ultimatum issued by the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, to the federal government to inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the youth group says there is no going back on its threat to shut down activities at the Commission.
Recall that the ultimatum was declared by the President of IYC, Worldwide, Comrade Peter Igbifa on April 25, after an expanded Executive and Stakeholders’ Congress of the IYC at Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking at the annual Isaac Boro Day celebration in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Sunday, the IYC President Igbifa, described the ultimatum as, “a strong decision that cannot be reversed.”
Igbifa said: “This ultimatum of one month issued to the federal government to either constitute the board or have us shut down the entire region is a decision that sees no compromise. It’s more like the 12 Days Revolution of Late Isaac Boro, it is a strong decision that cannot be reversed.
“It is either the federal government inaugurate the board so that the commission will fulfill it purpose in the region or we stop activities of the region. We want a situation where the government stays very sensitive to the problems of the region.
“We have taken a commitment not to betray the cause that Boro died for, while we live, we should be the reason why people should have hope in leadership and this particular one is a front burner of our commitment.”
He called on Ijaw youths to reevaluate their lives, stay focused and committed to things that unite them, and eschew things that divide the people, noting that the annual Boro Day celebration is a wake-up call and an opportunity for sober reflection for leaders of the region.
The IYC President said the Late Isaac Boro will always be remembered for dedicating his youthfulness to fighting for the liberation of his people, adding that he lived and bequeathed a life worthy of emulation.
Vanguard News Nigeria