Niger Delta: IYC’s Evolvement From Violent Agitations To Peaceful Engagement

Umbrella body of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) worldwide, has not left anyone in doubt about the rising quest to change the narratives of the Niger Delta struggle, from the years of violent and bloody agitations to the peaceful and intellectual engagement being experienced in recent times.

The IYC, established in 1998 as civil rights organisation for the third largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, had witnessed arm struggles and loss of numerous youths to violent agitations over the years.

While many attributed the new search for sustained peaceful image status to the 8th Council of the IYC, led by Deacon Timothy Igbifa and the national spokesman, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe, others agreed that the resolution of the stakeholders from the nine states of the region, particularly the state governors, on peace and calculated intellectual engagement of the Nigerian state, may largely have influenced the flow of thoughts of the once agitated youths.

Checks showed that asides from the epileptic efforts of the security and intervention agencies, at assuaging the agitated youths with empowerment and training programmes, the youths have also taken upon themselves the effort to train themselves on ICT and other human capital development endeavour.

One of such training is the recent commencement of the second batch of the free ICT skill acquisition training programme, initiated by the national spokesman of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe tagged, “Project 301 ICT serving Ijaw youths”. 

According to the initiator, Comrade Ekerefe, “It is to use the ICT training and empowerment scheme to sustain the needed peace in the region.”

He said “You cannot talk about agitation these days, because the world is a global village. While we are doing the normal agitation, while our boys are on the front line, we should also have an army of young vibrant city compliant youth that can also propagate the message about the contentious issues affecting the region and Ijaw nation.”

Both the Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented at the event by the former speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. Tonye Isenah and the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd), represented by Alaowei Opukeme Jonah, agreed to the noticeable paradigm shift, insisting that the IYC is evolving into a stronger voice for Ijaw nation through capacity building.

Governor Diri commended the new initiative and described the programme as a replica of the present administration efforts, at ensuring a peaceful and crime free society in the state, with the building of bridges and youths empowerment and training.