INC: Matching From Crisis To Stability As Professor Okaba Takes Charge

Written By Dennis Alemu

In the social hierarchy, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) is the highest decision-making body in matters concerning the Ijaw nation. Formed as a non-partisan, socio-cultural organization in 1991, the INC has a statutory mandate to articulate the position of the Ijaw people on issues that relate to their wellbeing and survival.

The founders of the INC also conceived it as a social vanguard to defend the rights of the Ijaw people and champion their interest vis-a-vis other ethnic nationalities and groups in the ethnically pluralistic and polyglot Nigerian state. Therefore, it had a broad remit to protect the corporate and collective interest of all people of the Ijaw extraction aboriginally spread across six littoral states, namely, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa-Ibom.

Furthermore, the INC is invested with the obligation to speak for the people, defend their identity, as well as protect and preserve the rich Ijaw cultural heritage. As at when the organization was formed, there was no such socially visible organization with which the Ijaws could be identified and constructively engaged.

With the Chief Joshua Fumudoh as its first President, and with the likes of Chief Victor Ekiye, and present Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, as pioneer National Executive Council (NEC) members, the INC was a huge success in addressing burning national issues in the country. It is noteworthy that successive National Executive Coucils of the INC also did remarkably well for the Ijaw nation.

Nevertheless, for a period spanning two years counting from the abortive June 29, 2019 election, the INC had been without an elected National Executive Council to steer its affairs, until as recent as May, 18, 2021, when the Professor Benjamin Okaba-led NEC assumed office.

Not a few believe that the leadership crisis which had bedeviled the INC may not be unconnected with interference from the political class, whose dictatorial influence has watered down the fervency of both the INC and its Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) counterpart in recent times. Thus, the leadership journey of the pan-Ijaw socio-cultural organization had been punctuated by one hiccups or another, noticeably after the election of Barrister Boma Obuoforibo as INC President, which threw up a lot of misgivings and in-fighting from divided interests.

The disrupted election of 2019 was seen by many as the climax of events in the factionalized INC and the underlying interest from the quarters of government to install a preferred candidate at all cost, with the result that the INC was literally littered with a litany of litigations. Thus, the INC was left drifting like a rudderless ship in a rough sea, at a time its voice was needed most in the troubled geopolitical space of Nigerian federation.

This was the ugly situation on the ground until on Tuesday, 16th March 2021, when the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE) inaugurated an Electoral Committee for the purpose of organizing a convention, to elect members of the National Executive Council of the INC. The Electoral Committee was chaired by HRH Alabo Prof. Dagogo Fubara; while the Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo served as Secretary.

The Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, who himself is a sound product of the Ijaw struggle, deserve accolades for exhibiting leadership, as he left no stone unturned, to ensure that a National Executive Council was elected in order to reposition the INC to continue with its mandate. Through his efforts, the Reconciliation Committee was set up to foster reconciliation among the aggrieved parties.

The committee was headed by retired Justice F. Tabai, which ensured that all the litigations in court arising from the leadership question in the INC were withdrawn in the interest of the Ijaw nation, thus clearing the path of all legal hurdles to the conduct a hitch-free election.

The Prof. Fubara-led Electoral Committee did not disappoint the Ijaw nation, even as it opted for electronic voting, counting and collation of votes. At the historic INC Election held at the Ijaw House on Friday, 30th April 2021, Professor Benjamin Okaba emerged winner with a total of 162 votes, beating three other contenders, including the former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Dr. Chris Ekiyor, who polled 92 votes.

Tamuno O. Tamuno, Alabo Nengi James and High Chief J. Williams emerged as Vice Presidents representing the three zones of East, Central and West respectively; while Mr. Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha was returned as National Publicity Secretary.

Speaking after being declared winner, Prof. Okaba commended the Ijaw people, especially the delegates and the Electoral Committee for conducting a hitch-free election. Okaba, who is a professor of sociology at the Federal University, Otuoke, also applauded the professional conduct of the personnel of the security agencies for providing adequate security during the election. He pointed out that the INC under his leadership would address the insecurity challenge as a first charge because its socio-economic implications for the Ijaw people.

During his formal inauguration a fortnight later, Prof. Benjamin Okaba rolled out a 10-point agenda for the Federal Government to address immediately, and expectedly, restructuring, fiscal federalism and resource control topped the list.

Speaking at the inauguration as chief host, Governor Douye Diri tasked the newly inaugurated INC National Executive Council to stand by the Ijaw nation at all times. “I believe very strongly that the Ijaw nation is going to be heard. You will stand by the Ijaw people when they are down; you will stand by the Ijaw people when they are up. We are a people blessed with so much resources, both human and material.

“Our resources have been expropriated and that must be reversed. You have the command of the Ijaw nation to steer the Ijaw nation to safety”, Governor Diri charged them.

Also speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro, said, “We have implicit confidence in your capacity to pursue those fundamental concerns of the Ijaw people in the front burner of national discourse.”

It is widely thought that with Prof. Benjamin Okaba and his team now firmly on the steering of the Ijaw National Congress, there is a visage of hope, that the Ijaw agenda would once again take centre stage in giving voice to the position of the Ijaw people on key national issues. It is also strongly believed that the INC has been repositioned as the symbol of survival and existence of the Ijaw race to overcome every threat on its path.