Ijaw National Congress president, Professor Benjamin Okaba, said recent remarks by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike disparaging the Ijaw ethnic group were the sayings of man influenced by alcohol.
Wike in the prelude to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by his ally President Bola Tinubu had claimed that the Ijaws are the minority group in Rivers, yet they make a lot of noise.
“The person you’re talking about (Wike) could say anything under the influence of alcohol and later debunk it; he is a very careless speaker,” Okaba stated said during an interview on Arise TV Wednesday.
“These are basic demographics that are well-known. Ijaws are not the fourth largest; they are one of the four largest.
“We are not minorities. In fact, we are the most populous and most indigenous ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta. That is a fact that is well known. Ijaws are in six states,” Okaba added.
The sociology professor further elaborated that the Ijaw people’s influence extends beyond land territories into Nigeria’s riverine areas.
Apart from Bayelsa State, he noted that the Ijaws have significant indigenous populations in Abia, Delta, Edo, Ondo, and Rivers states.
He pointed out that in Abia alone, there are 26 Ijaw communities, while in Rivers, Ijaws are indigenous to over ten local government areas.
Okaba accused Wike of deliberately distorting historical and demographic facts to serve his political interests.
