Ijaw youths have threatened to chase back their delegates at the ongoing national conference if they fail to ensure the adoption of resource control and true federalism as part of the resolutions of the ongoing national conference.
The youths, under the auspices of Ijaw Youth Congress Worldwide, warned that delegates who compromised on the region’s collective aspirations on resource control should remain in Abuja or make any other part of the country their permanent homes.
Spokesman for the group, Mr. Eric Omare, said after an emergency meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State that their searchlight had been beamed on the activities and contributions of each delegate at the conference.
The youths restated the rejection of the proposed recommendations of the conference Committee on Resource Control and Devolution of Power that the 13 per cent derivation to oil-producing states should be retained.
They particularly warned an unnamed Ijaw delegate against his recommendations that critical institutions created to develop the region such as the Niger Delta Development Commission and the Niger Delta Ministry be scrapped and replaced with 50 per cent derivation.
The youths said, “Our position is that we want 100 per cent resource control while we pay tax to the Federal Government. The committee came up to retain the present status quo. We reject that and call on delegates, especially those from the Niger Delta to insist during the general debate that we must control our resources.
“We have it on good authority that some of our delegates, especially one of them from Bayelsa State, went to the ridiculous extent of saying that they should scrap agencies such as the NDDC, the Niger Delta ministry and increase derivation to 50 per cent. That is not our position.
“Such a person is on his own. If they persist with that we will declare them persona non grata in the region and they will not return home. Our charge to delegates is to insist on resource control.”
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