PRESS RELEASE REPORT: IYC Western Zone Fires Back at Itsekiri Group, Defends Ijaw Legacy in Amnesty Programme
PRESS RELEASE REPORT
IYC Western Zone Fires Back at Itsekiri Group, Defends Ijaw Legacy in Amnesty Programme
A fresh wave of political tension is sweeping across the Niger Delta following a strongly worded press statement issued by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, rejecting what it described as “reckless ultimatums” and “historical distortion” allegedly propagated by a group identifying itself as the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality Ex-Agitators Forum.
In the statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama (Chairman), Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo Esq. (Secretary), and Comrade Tare Magbei (Information Officer), the IYC Western Zone did not mince words. The group firmly dismissed what it termed revisionist narratives concerning the origin and ownership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Established History Cannot Be Rewritten”
According to the IYC, the Presidential Amnesty Programme was birthed out of an Ijaw-led armed resistance that emerged in response to state repression, environmental degradation, and economic exclusion in the Niger Delta.
“The creeks where the conflict raged are Ijaw land,” the statement asserted. “The communities bombarded and reduced to rubble were Ijaw communities. The youths who laid down their arms in their thousands were overwhelmingly Ijaw.”
The Council maintained that the Amnesty Programme came into existence only after the Nigerian state recognized that force could not silence the agitation in the region. To attempt to recast that historical reality, they argued, is both misleading and provocative.
Warning Against Threats to Oil Production
The IYC further criticized what it described as irresponsible rhetoric involving threats to oil production and public order. Such language, the group noted, recalls a painful era of instability that once crippled the region’s economy and strained national security.
“Peace in the Niger Delta was secured through sacrifice and difficult choices,” the statement emphasized, stressing that the fragile stability currently enjoyed must not be jeopardized by ethnic brinkmanship or political maneuvering.
Vote of Confidence in Dr. Dennis Otuaro
In a significant political endorsement, the IYC Western Zone passed a vote of confidence on the current leadership of the Amnesty Programme under Dennis Otuaro.
The Council praised Dr. Otuaro’s stewardship, describing it as stable, administratively focused, and sensitive to the complex history of the Programme. According to the group, his tenure has ensured continuity, stakeholder engagement, and sustained commitment to peace-building efforts in the region.
They therefore urged Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to disregard what they called “political noisemakers driven by narrow interests,” and instead consider extending Dr. Otuaro’s tenure to consolidate ongoing reforms.
A Call for Truth and Responsibility
The tone of the statement reflects deeper undercurrents of ethnic sensitivity and historical contestation within the Niger Delta. Yet, the IYC Western Zone concluded by reaffirming its commitment to peace, national unity, and the defense of what it described as the rightful place of the Ijaw nation within the Amnesty structure.
“Distorting history is not advocacy. It is provocation,” the statement declared.
As conversations around the future direction of the Amnesty Programme intensify, one thing is clear: the legacy of the Niger Delta struggle remains a deeply emotive and politically consequential subject — one that continues to shape power dynamics, leadership considerations, and regional identity.
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