Ijaw youth to FG: Stop playing politics with East-West road

YENAGOA – AN aspirant in the forthcoming Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide election, Bright Igrubia, Monday accused the Federal Government of playing politics with its promise to complete the East-West road. He said the project which remains the economic live wire of the people of the South-South region and the nation oil and gas industry must not be abandoned.
The former leader of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYC) who is contesting for the position of National Spokesman of IYC, urged the Federal Government to expedite action on completing the troubled road which according to him, has become a death trap, causing loss of lives and impacting negatively on economic activities in the region. Igrubia in an interview shortly after his campaign council, Peace House, visited the IYC Elders Forum in Yenagoa, said IYC which represents the “resolutionary and revolutionary” movement of the Ijaw people must rise up and demand for rights of the people to have good roads, qualitative education, quality healthcare and sustainable means of livelihood.
He said “since our son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, left office as president in 2015, not one shovel of asphalt has been poured on the East-West road which remains the economic live wire of the Ijaw and people of the Niger Delta region.
That road is not Goodluck Jonathan’s road, it is Ijaw people’s road. That is why some of us expected the Federal Government to take that project seriously. “While we all travelled from our various communities to Sagbama for the IYC convention, we all saw how deplorable that road is now.
We all felt how the task of driving on that road was like. “That goes to show that the Federal Government is playing politics with that road because they have not given the road the attention it needs.
“So if the Federal Government have the Ijaw people at heart, I urge them to expedite action on the completion of that road.” While addressing the IYC Elders Forum, the Director-General of the PEACE HOUSE, Comrade Timi Afamukoro, said that as the IYC worldwide prepares to conduct elections for its national officers, the best candidate for the position of Notional Spokesman, exclusively reserved for the IYC Central Zone, is Bright Influence Igrubia.
According to him, the mandate of the Spokesman of IYC is to promote and help preserve the culture and identity of the Ijaw people, and “going by his track record, you would agree with me that Igrubia has always shown that he possesses strong will and character to speak for and defend the culture, identity and struggle of the Ijaw people. “In Nigeria today, we are faced with issues of insecurity, underdevelopment, unemployment, banditry and environmental degradation. And other regions have started taking their destinies into their hands.
They have started planning how to defend and fend for themselves, and we the Ijaw people must start to act now. And to do that, we need vibrant and cultured leaders like Igrubia who will give us a strong voice in the national politics of Nigeria.” Speaking through its chairman, Elder Mike Wenibowei, the IYC Elders Forum gave Igrubia their blessings and advised him to consult widely as he goes about his campaigns. He said: “We all know you.
You are not a newcomer in the IYC struggle. In the past, you have proven yourself to be a devoted and intelligent Ijaw son and leader. We do not have any doubt in you but you must remember that election is not a do or die affair because power comes only from God. Ensure your campaign is issue-based and make sure you consult widely.”

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