The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has urged Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to prioritise the development of Ijaw communities as the state celebrates 33 years since its creation. The IYC emphasised the contributions of the Ijaw people to Delta’s growth, yet lamented the lack of basic amenities and infrastructure in their riverine communities.

In a statement signed on Saturday by the Spokesman, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill, the IYC praised the governor for appointing two commissioners in Burutu Local Government and establishing the Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development. However, they called for the Directorate to be made a statutory body with legislative backing, similar to the Warri/Uvwie and Delta State Capital Territory agencies.
The IYC warned against the politicization of Ijaw development, insisting on equitable political appointments and resource distribution to benefit the Ijaw people in Delta State.
Read the full statement below:
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide
Press Statement
31/08/2024
Delta At 33; IYC Tells Governor Oborevwori Expectations Of The Ijaws In Delta
…Says IYC won’t accept further politicisation of Ijaw development
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has intimated His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, on the expectations of the Ijaw people as the state marks its 33 years of existence.
The Ijaws as a dominant ethnic group in Delta State have contributed towards the growth and development of the state politically, culturally, and economically in a big way, but ironically, they are still bleeding badly after 33 years of the creation of Delta, developmentally speaking.
For us as a council, the 33 years of the creation of the state did not transform the Ijaw landscape. We lack almost all the basic social amenities in Ijaw Riverine communities. Life has been cruel and painful to most people living in the Riverine communities. Going forward, the Ijaws will not accept any further politicisation of Ijaw development in Delta State.
While the IYC is commending the Governor for appointing two commissioners in Burutu Local Government Council for the first time by creating the Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development, it is our call that the new Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development should be made a statutory Directorate. Your Excellency should send a bill to the Delta State House of Assembly as an Executive Bill like the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency and Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency. We want to the Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development to have a legislative backing like the aforementioned agencies.
Council is optimistic that your Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori will provide enough funds for the Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development to function properly as the Riverine area is a peculiar area yearning for proper developmental attention.
It is imperative to remind His Excellency that the Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu, is yet to have any completed structure in the permanent site. It will be a thing of joy to see Governor Sheriff Oborevwori distinguishing himself from others by paying more serious attention towards the growth and development of the institution. The Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu is the only state owned tertiary institution in the Ijaw area of the state. Hence, it needs to be properly funded for the Ijaws to have a sense of belonging in the scheme of things.
The Ijaws in Delta need massive infrastructure development. We need roads that will be linking various Ijaw communities across Delta State.
The Ogulagha/Odimodi road project must not be delayed as these communities are major economic and political backbones in Delta State.
Your Excellency, Bomadi community is accessible by road, it is a huge commercial hub and it hosts a huge population of Deltans. The community needs a degree awarding higher institution. The Ijaws must not be seen as only important during elections and deprived from benefitting after elections.
It is our strong suplication that the current administration headed by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, must ensure that political appointments and economic distribution of resources are done to equally benefit Ijaws in the various Local Government Councils areas in the state
Finally, the Ayakoromo bridge, Bomadi/Ohoro projects, must not be delayed for too long. They are projects that were ignored by previous administrations. These projects are very dear to the Ijaw people in Delta State.
Signed
Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill
Spokesman Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide.
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