Yenagoa—Goodluck Jonathan, former Nigerian President, has called on Ijaw leaders to shun divisiveness and work together for the collective interest of the Ijaw people, Punch Newspaper reports.
The former president gave the charge when national executives of the Ijaw National Congress, INC, led by Professor Benjamin Okaba in company of the Central Zone executives of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
According to Jonathan, the relevance of the Ijaw ethnic nationality is being threatened, because they don’t exist in one location, except Bayelsa which is the only homogeneous Ijaw State.
He maintained that well positioned Ijaws should make sacrifices for the people and place the interest of the people above theirs.
Jonathan stressed that the INC and IYC have a duty in uniting Ijaws especially the political class.
His words, “But the key point about us is the unity of the Ijaw people. And that is key. We are not too many in terms of physical number. We are widely spread, not concentrated in a geographical area, so our relevance is threatened along many states.
“Apart from Bayelsa State where we have a majority or almost the whole population, others are spread thinly (in other states). And a people like this need to be united to make impact.
“The collective interest of Ijaw should take precedence and people must sacrifice because of the interest of Ijaw land.”
While congratulating the national executive for a successful election and inauguration, Jonathan also thanked them for the visit and encouraged them to seek his involvement in any issue.
Responding, Professor Okaba thanked the former president for supporting Governor Douye Diri to ensure a hitch-free election of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.
While reeling out the achievements of the INC under him, Professor Okaba revealed that the INC is working towards hosting an all-Ijaw summit to appraise the Ijaw question and future in the Nigerian State.
