The Ijaw National Congress (INC) recently held an emergency meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where leaders and stakeholders gathered to discuss important issues affecting the Ijaw people. In a video that was shared by Channels Television, During the event, INC President Professor Benjamin Okaba warned against a secret meeting being planned with 350 Ijaw men.
According to Okaba, this meeting is a strategy to weaken the Ijaw Nation. He explained that powerful and influential individuals, including kings and leaders, are being selected to attend. He believes the goal is to influence and possibly bribe them into making decisions that do not benefit the Ijaw people. If these individuals agree to such deals, it could harm the entire Ijaw Nation.
Okaba strongly advised Ijaw people not to attend the meeting. He warned that any Ijaw person who participates will be seen as betraying their people. The INC’s National Executive Council may even remove such individuals from their positions and publicly declare them as enemies of the Ijaw Nation.
Here’s the link to the interview, it began 0.01 to 3.07 minutes into the video.
“If any Ijaw Man attends such a meeting, the National Executive Council of INC hesitate to deregister that person and publish his name as an enemy of the Ijaw Nation,” he warned.
His statement reflects a strong stance on protecting the interests of the Ijaw people. Other speakers at the event, like activist Ann-Kio Briggs, also emphasized the need for Ijaws to unite and actively participate in governance.