By John Ogele
In an open letter to Barrister Akpobibowei S. Smooth, popularly known as the "Paddle of Niger Delta," Enekorogha Godbless, a concerned Ijaw son from Ayakoromo community, addresses the issue raised in Smooth’s song 'Ijaw No Be Minority.' Godbless commends Smooth’s dedication to the liberation and unity of the Ijaw Nation, and also critiques the narrative that the Ijaw are a minority. He argues that, despite the Ijaw being the majority in population, the Ijaw have subsequently become a "minority in action" due to internal divisions and the acceptance of various federal government development programs. These programs, which were marketed as initiatives for the region’s progress, have instead been designed to divide and mute the Ijaw voice, leaving the people without real development, and weakening their collective strength.
Godbless calls on the Ijaw people to reunite and reclaim their strength, emphasizing that the current state of disunity has led to the Ijaw voice being significantly weakened, both politically and socially. He criticizes the political entanglements and fragmentation within the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the Ijaw Nation Congress (INC), which have diverted attention from the people’s true interests. He also highlights the failure of development programs like the NDDC, Amnesty Program, and TANTITA, which, despite their names, have failed to deliver on their promises. Godbless urges the Ijaw people to remember their history of unity and resistance and calls for a renewed collective effort to stand together as one force for change
The Letter:
IJAW MAJORITY IN POPULATION; MINORITY IN ACTION: AN OPEN LETTER TO BARRISTER AKPOBIBOWEI S. SMOOTH
Dear Sir,
I trust this letter finds you in good health and spirits. First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude for your unwavering commitment, dedication, and selfless support towards the liberation and emancipation of the Niger Delta. Indeed, you have proven to be a true son of the Ijaw Nation, a leader, and a musical liberator of the Niger Delta. I have been following your works, particularly your songs, as well as your posts across various social media platforms. As a strong admirer of both you and the Ijaw nation, I find it fitting to write this open letter to you.
I recently listened to your powerful song titled 'Ijaw No Be Minority'. As I absorbed the lyrics, I could not help but shed tears. These tears were not just from an emotional place, but from a deep understanding of who we (Ijaws) are . However it is indeed laughable to hear anyone group of individuals referring to the Ijaw Nation as a minority, both within the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole, when considering the sheer size of our population and the significant role we have played in liberating not only ourselves but also our neighboring nations from oppression, marginalization, and intimidation. The Ijaw people are without a doubt, the major ethnic group in the Niger Delta. This is why, during the creation of states in Nigeria, the three major power blocs deliberately split our people into various states.
However, while we may be a major ethnic group in terms of population, we have, unfortunately, become a minority in action. This is largely due to our failure to stand united and act as one in defending our the Ijaw Nation. When I listened to your song urging the Ijaws to rise up, stand for their rights, and defend their name, I asked myself: Who will take the lead or be in the vanguard of this fight? Who will be at the forefront of defending the Ijaw people? Unfortunately, I could find no one willing to do so.
The reality is not that we lack capable leaders to defend the Ijaw Nation; rather, it is that we have failed to unite behind any one of them. If anyone dares to take a stand, we, as Ijaws, are often the first to fight them instead of supporting them.
In times past, when the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) or the Ijaw Nation Congress (INC) spoke out against the government’s injustices, their voices were heard. The government trembled at the sight of our unity. But now, we are divided, and it seems that we have lost that once-strong voice of resistance. Where did we go wrong? How did we allow ourselves to be so fractured?
HOW WE BECAME A MINORITY IN ACTION
Sir, our decline into a minority, despite our population, can largely be attributed to our acceptance of development programs instituted by the federal government. These programs were marketed to us as development initiatives, but in reality, they were designed to weaken our unity and silence our collective voice. It is a known fact that economic control is often a precursor to control over all other aspects of life. Since we accepted these federal programs, our voices have been stifled, and internal strife has escalated within our communities.
Take, for example, the various programs that were supposedly created to develop the Niger Delta. In truth, these institutions have done no little development for us except breed division, acrimony, chaos and animosity. We now fights amongst ourselves over who controls these institutions, without questioning the fundamental issue: What actual development have these institutions brought to our people?
Let’s briefly examine the so-called “development” institutions that have been established over the years:
1. Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB) - Established in 1961.
2. Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) - Established in 1976.
3. Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) - Established in 1992.
4. Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) - Established in 2000.
5. Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) - Established in 2008.
6. Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) - Initiated in 2009.
7. Oil Pipeline Surveillance Contract (TANTITA) - Recently introduced.
All these institutions bear the name development, despite their grandiose names and promises, the impact of these programs has been negligible. Lets analyze the benefits, or rather the lack thereof, from these initiatives:
1. The NDDC has been reduced to little more than a streetlight installation program with no real infrastructure development in our communities. With NDDC yet we lack access to motorable roads, Schools or health Care facilities.
2. The Amnesty Program has become a farce (Joke), with youths using it as collateral to secure loans, under the false hope that the federal government will reimburse them. However, the government often delays payments, leaving many youths in financial hardship. Also many leaders within the Ijaw communities, including the Ijaw Amnesty General, have failed to pay stipend to their fellow Ijaw youths for years and they claim to be an advocate for freedom.
3. TANTITA, while benefiting the Nigerian state, has stifled and jettisoned local industrial and initiatives in the Niger Delta, leaving our people further impoverished.
Despite the existence of these so-called developmental bodies, our communities remain without basic amenities. There are no roads, no healthcare facilities, no schools worth mentioning, just a handful of streetlights to show for all the resources that have flowed into these programs.
Recently, the Ijaw Youths threatened to shut down oil facilities as a form of protest, but the government was unmoved. The reason for this indifference is simple: the federal government knows that it has divided us so effectively that we are no longer capable of standing united, thus the name Minority comes. Because if pipelines are sabotaged, it will be Ijaws who will be blamed, and Ijaws who will be called to defend the nation's interests. This is the sad state of affairs.
Additionally, the increasing political entanglements of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the INC with politicians have only further weakened our voice. It is disheartening to see the name Asawana being reduced to an ATM for by youth to cash out funds from politicians for their egoistic interest over the well being of the Ijaws Nation. The recent issues affecting the Ijaw Nation should have been met with a strong, unified response, but the National president of the IYC was nowhere to be found when we needed leadership the most.
THE NEED FOR UNITY
Sir, as you rightly know, the youth are the defenders of any nation. But how can we defend our nation when our youth leadership is so disjointed and uninspiring? How can we expect to rise up for the Ijaw cause when those in positions of leadership are more concerned with their personal gain than the collective good?
The Ijaws no longer see themselves as one people. In the past, a Nembe man, an Ogbia man, a Bonny man, and even Ijaws in states like Delta, Edo, Ondo, and others would proudly call themselves Ijaw. Today, this sense of unity is lost. Ogbias will say they are not Ijaws, Epie man won't see himself as an Ijaw man, Nembe said they are a different tribe, I met a friend, Tamuno Preye from Bonny, Rivers State while Serving as corp members in Kwara State, I asked him if he is an Ijaw he said no, despite bearing the name Tamuno. We no longer come together to protect our interests or assert our rights. We fight among ourselves over matters that do nothing but fragment our strength.
IN MEMORIAM: OUR TRUE LEADERS
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the true leaders who fought selflessly and fearlessly for the Ijaw Nation. These were men who placed the collective interests of our people above their personal desires. Their names will forever resonate in the hearts of every true Ijaw person:
1. Adieu Chief Harold Dappa Biriye
2. Farewell Major Isaac Adaka Boro
3. Rest on Chief E. K. Clark
We will forever remember them for their unwavering commitment to the Ijaw cause.
CONCLUSIVELY SIR,
I appeal to you as a son of the Ijaw Nation, to continue being a beacon of hope and unity for our people. It is only through collective effort, through a united stand, that we can once again rise to our rightful place as a strong and proud people. Let us work together to heal the divisions within our ranks and rekindle the spirit of resistance and unity that once defined us.
We must reclaim our identity and our strength. We must stop seeing ourselves as fragments and start seeing ourselves as a united force. The Ijaw Nation cannot afford to be a minority in action any longer.
Yours sincerely,
Enekorogha Godbless
Concerned Ijaw Son,
Writes from Ayakoromo community.
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