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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has hinted that he will consult widely before implementing the recommendations of the eight-man Reconciliation Committee of the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
Diri, who disclosed this over the weekend at the Bayelsa State Government House while receiving the committee’s report, expressed optimism that the committee’s recommendations would foster peace, progress, and stability, and reposition the Ijaw nation for greater relevance in Nigeria.
He lauded members of the committee for painstakingly putting the report together within the stipulated timeframe of one month.
Diri added that the committee delivered a report that speaks to the divisions and future possibilities of the Ijaw people, describing the INC as the highest institutional expression of the identity and historic aspirations of the people.
“We cannot stand aloof while such a vital institution drifts without direction. The Congress and the people rise or fall together.
“You were given a sacred mandate: to find reasons to stay together. You have discharged it with diligence and courage. You have given us not just a report, but a pathway back to trust and collective purpose.
“When I inaugurated this committee, I said the destiny of the Ijaw Nation was too precious to be left unattended. You heard that urgency. You responded to it.
“Given the high calibre, sterling pedigree and unimpeachable integrity of this committee, nothing less than excellence was expected. You have delivered a report that speaks to our divisions and to our future possibilities.”
Presenting the report, the chairman of the reconciliation committee, Dr. Mathew Seiyefa, said they interacted with all contestants in the INC elections, including members of the electoral committee, the INC executive, and also received memoranda from various zones of the INC and other critical stakeholders of the Ijaw nation.
Dr. Seiyefa, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, noted that
the expectation of the committee was that the INC would speak for the Ijaw nation, its people, and their causes.
According to him, the resurgent INC will be more consultative and inclusive, giving primacy to its role as a platform for advocacy, which will enable the body to gain greater traction and resonance in the lives of the people.
“A common trend, which permeated this interaction, was the overwhelming passion for not just the survival of the INC but its renewal and reinvigoration.
“There was a yearning for an INC that would rise to the challenges of the moment with respect to the cause of the Ijaw nation and its people. This sentiment was a key driver in the deliberations of the committee and has informed the recommendations that we have made.”
