Breaking: Elvis withdraws as IYC President, Preaches Peace and Unity

YENAGOA: THE factional President of the Ijaw Youths council (IYC) Worldwide, Comrade Elvis Donkemezuo, has towed the path of peace by withdrawing himself as President of the council to allow the Udengs Eradiri led administration to peacefully transit power.

According to him, his decision was born out of respect for peace and the sanctity of human life. He said "I feel hurt to see my friends and comrades being attacked because of the maniacal zeal for power displayed by a man whose only interest in power is to enlarge his private estate riding on the backs of Ijaw people".

Elvis gave a very lengthy and emotional speech while stating his decision, read his speech below:

" The destruction of any people, society or nation seldom happens from outside it, but often facilitated from within by its own elements. For a long time, the Ijaws have suffered balkanization, exploitation,  exclusion, marginalisation,  despoilation and sociocultural,political, economic and environmental degradation despite the vast resources Woyingi has bestowed upon us freely and richly. It was the attempt to stop the aforementioned ills that galvanised Ijaws from all walks of life over the years to create organisations like the Ijaws National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Council (IYC). 

Given the youthful vigor of the IYC, a lot was expected of us in the pursuit of what I have termed the Ijaw dream. It was the promise of joining fellow patriotic and selfless Ijaws of my age bracket to pursue this dream of bettering the lot of my people everywhere that inspired my decision to join the Movement known as IYC. I was inspired by the courageous example of the pioneers of the Council like Elder K.T Ogoriba,  Dr. Felix Otuodelo, late Oronto Douglas, Patterson Ogon, and many more space would not allow me to capture.

Like some of our illusrious forebearers in the Ijaw struggle, I have always believed thay there is no historical precedent where an unorganized army has ever won any battle, let alone winning the war.  I believe that we must get along if we are to form the common front required to win the battles and the war on which our continuous existence and development depends. Yet, our getting along must be built on a foundation of truth, justice, equity and mutual respect for one another. It was the sort of collaboration I speak of that gave birth to the famous and revered Kaiama Declaration that has served as my guide book in this struggle. I doubt if it would have been possible to achieve that feat if people like Udengs Eradiri and his ilks were at the forefront at that time. Thank God they were not. 

The foregoing notwithstanding, like the late Col. Okoro I believe that we do not have to go along to get along. If we do not condemn those who are doing the wrong things because it is popular, we are going along to get along and will not win the battles and the war. If we compromise our conscience for the sake of the benefits obtained or expected, we are going along to get along and this is antithetical to winning the war. If we support people, programmes and policies that inherently pose a threat to our very existence as a people because of our parochial interest, we are going along to get along, thus placing the right set of circumstances to lose the battles and the war. I agree with Okoro "This will be tragic.  Let us, as a people, make conscious efforts to rid ourselves of this going-along-to-get-along syndrome.  It epitomizes selfishness, greed and graft, the tripartite evils that provide structures upon which disunity thrives to effectively impede all aspects of a people’s collective development." This has been the major problem of the IYC in the past few years. This was what I hoped to change when I answered the clarion call to lead Council. This was why I ran for the post of President of IYC.

The Ijaw body I intend to lead is a group of productive, visionary and purpose-driven young people consisting of minds who excel or work to excel in their given vocation and be bold enough to speak and standby the truth no matter whose ox is gored not the Brigands that attacked the silverbird radio Station, just as they have constantly terrorised residents of Yenagoa and other towns in Bayelsa State during Boro Days to rob law abiding traders.

As rightly pointed out, our ancestors who settled in the Ijaw territories predate Nigeria’s emergence as a British colony by, at least, a decade. Between then and now, we have been fortunate to have pioneers and martyrs like King Jaja, King William Koko, Chief Dappa-Biriye, Major Isaac Adaka Boro. These illustrious Ijaw sons opposed the colonialists and neocolonialists with an uncompromising vigour. Given their status, Kings Jaja of Opobo and William Koko of Nembe could have easily been compromised by the British. Instead, their response to Britain’s illegitimate monopoly on palm oil trade was an unmitigated opposition. The price they paid for their valorous resistance, just like the price Boro paid for his efforts to ensure that we are free, acknowledged and respected, should be a constant reminder for us to eschew selfishness, greed and graft. These are my models in this struggle for the emancipation of the Ijaws. 

Against the backdrop of the above and mindful of the shameful attack on the Silverbird Radio Station and my comrades in Yenagoa in June and after due consultation with my family, friends, associates, comrades and many like-minds,  I have come to the painful decision to relinquish my post as President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide.  My decision to withdraw is born out of my personal ideals and my respect for peace and the sanctity of human life. I feel hurt to see my friends and comrades being attacked because of the maniacal zeal for power displayed by a man whose only interest in power is to enlarge his private estate riding on the backs of Ijaw people.

This is a painful decision not because it is a personal loss to me and all those who believe in me, but because I am mindful of Plato's evergreen words about what happens when good men leave the centre stage to bad men.

I leave this today surrendering to posterity to be the judge.

In closing, I want to thank all my comrades who have stood by me all through this aborted  journey to create a better Ijaw Youth Council. Please do not despair in your dream, hopes and zeal to build a better Ijaw nation that is above the greed, selfishness and graft that has characterised Council in the past few years.

I shall remain a progressive Ijaw youth working with like-minds to better our motherland irrespective of the efforts by a few greedy people to drag Ijaw name in the mud". 

Thanks, Engr Elvis Donkemezuo. He added.