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IYC wants justice for ethnic minorities

By Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
03 October 2017   |   1:03 am
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has stated that the only way to build national unity and a sense of nationhood is for the Federal Government to ensure that all parts of its federating units are treated equally.

Eric Omare

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has stated that the only way to build national unity and a sense of nationhood is for the Federal Government to ensure that all parts of its federating units are treated equally.The umbrella body of the Ijaw youths specifically urged the Federal Government to equally treat the people of the Niger Delta and minorities all over Nigeria.

A statement by IYC, signed by its President, Eric Omare, said it was unfortunate that at 57, there is no sense of nationalism among Nigerians; instead the allegiance of Nigerians is mostly to their ethnic origin instead of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said: “In the view of the IYC, the lack of nationalism is not because Nigerians from different parts of the country hate each other but the failure of successive governments in Nigeria to treat every part of the country equally and instil the sense of nationalism in Nigerians.

“For Nigeria to achieve national cohesion, the leadership at the centre must remove all policies of government that encourage nepotism and sectionalism. Nigerians should be given equal opportunities irrespective of their place of origin.

“The IYC strongly holds the view that the present system where certain part of the country has the mentality of ‘born to rule’, together with the unjust exploitation of the Niger Delta resources without commensurate benefit, cannot promote a sense of nationalism.”

The IYC, therefore, implored the Federal Government to remove all structural injustices so as to encourage a sense of nationalism.It equally called on the Nigerian government to quickly start the process of restructuring the country for every part to control their resources and develop at their own pace.

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