Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has urged the Ijaws and the Ijaw National Congress (INC) to sustain the agitation for the creation of additional states.
Mr Diri made the call on Friday at the 2026 INC National Convention held at Ijaw House in Yenagoa.
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He appealed to his kin not to relent in the demand for two additional states out of the three earlier proposed by the ethnic group.
The governor also said he had no preferred candidate among the five contestants for the INC presidency.
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Mr Diri reiterated his advocacy for true fiscal federalism, describing Nigeria’s current structure as “unitary federalism”.
He argued that states, including Bayelsa, would develop faster if they controlled all their resources and paid taxes to the federal government.
“We have tried. Today we have one state, Bayelsa. The INC, under Chief Joshua Fumudoh, requested three states: Oil Rivers, Bayelsa, and Toru-Ibe.
“This means we still have two additional states to pursue as the Ijaw nation and the INC. So, it is not yet Uhuru. This is a struggle we must continue and, if we cannot achieve it in our time, we will hand it over to our children.
“Our land and waters have nourished this nation and fuelled its economy, yet we have endured environmental damage and social disadvantage.
“Economic inequities, environmental degradation and infrastructural neglect remain pressing challenges requiring both local and national resolve.
“The challenges are formidable, but our sons and daughters possess the resilience and indomitable spirit to overcome them,” he said.
Mr Diri urged contestants in Saturday’s election to place the collective interest of the Ijaw nation above personal ambitions.
He commended the outgoing INC President, Benjamin Okaba, and his executive for their leadership and collaboration with the government.
The governor noted their efforts toward securing formal admission of the Ijaw nation into the United Nations’ Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation.
He charged the incoming leadership to revive Ijaw cultural values and language while pursuing the dreams of the founding fathers.
Outgoing president’s remarks
In his address, Mr Okaba, a professor, called for stronger global engagement in the Ijaw struggle, saying the ethnic nationality remained Nigeria’s economic backbone.
He urged a shift from protest-driven advocacy to strategic international engagement and described the convention as a milestone for leadership renewal.
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Mr Okaba said that despite contributing significantly to Nigeria’s oil economy, the Ijaw nation still faced environmental degradation and infrastructure neglect.
He announced new initiatives, including a Territorial Mapping Project to digitally document Ijaw ancestral lands for environmental monitoring and resource negotiations.
Mr Okaba added that the INC had registered 15 affiliate groups to strengthen unity and amplify the Ijaw voice nationally and globally.
(NAN)
