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…Say Niger Delta’s exclusion from N3.9 trillion road project unacceptable
By Omoniyi Salaudeen
The Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF), Lagos, has called for urgent restructuring and true fiscal federalism, warning that Nigeria’s continued neglect of Ijaw communities threatens the unity and stability of the federation.
In a statement signed by Chairman, Chief Bukazi Etete, and Secretary, Efiye Bribena, the Forum said Nigeria’s governance deficits, insecurity, and inequity have eroded public confidence and placed the country under increasing strain.
The elders traced Nigeria’s fractured nationhood to colonial amalgamation, the 1966 coups, the Biafran War, and decades of military rule. They argued that these events exposed structural weaknesses that were never addressed, leading to recurring crises including Niger Delta militancy, farmer-herder conflicts, and renewed secessionist agitations.
“The Ijaw are Nigeria’s fourth-largest ethnic nationality and indigenous owners of the land and waters that have powered the nation’s economy since oil was discovered at Oloibiri in 1956,” the Forum stated. “Seventy years on, our communities have been repaid with pollution, collapsed fisheries and farms, and life without water, power, schools, or hospitals.”
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The Forum cited Bille community in Rivers State, where leaking natural gas poses what it called a “ticking time bomb,” as evidence of state indifference.
On resource control, IEF said the current 13 percent derivation formula falls short of equity. “This is not a call for charity but equity: Nigeria cannot keep operating a unitary system in federal clothing,” it said, demanding a new derivation formula anchored on genuine federal principles.
The elders also condemned the exclusion of the entire Niger Delta from the N3.9 trillion federal road and infrastructure package approved by the Federal Executive Council on June 29, 2026. They described it as a continuation of “extracting from the periphery to develop the centre.
The Forum rejected what it termed “elite capture,” saying contracts awarded to a few Ijaw individuals cannot substitute for community-wide development, environmental remediation, and infrastructure.It listed eight demands, including a time-bound national dialogue on restructuring, immediate environmental clean-up starting with Bille, transparency on NDDC funds, revival of stalled seaport and road projects in Ijaw land, and comprehensive electoral and judicial reforms.”
Our patience has been stretched to breaking point,” the Forum said. “We ask only for a fair place in a Nigeria that works for all its peoples. The Federal Government and National Assembly must act before the fractures in our federation widen beyond repair.”
