Ijaw youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, says recent calls for the redeployment of the Minister of State for Petroleum, oil, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri is unpatriotic and misplaced.
National spokesman of the IYC, Binebai Yerin Princewill, while reacting to the issue, said the redeployment call did not receive the blessings of the 9th leadership of the foremost ijaw youth body.
A faction of IYC made up of Some executive members led by Maobuye Nangi Obu, Secretary-General; Comrade Miracle Iyaye, National Women Leader; Tamunotonye David Altraide, National Legal Adviser and Comrade Abiye Bob-Manuel, National Deputy Director of Mobilization had in a statement made available to our correspondent recently, attributed the lingering fuel crisis in the country to Lokpobiri's incompetence.
They noted that since he emerged as the minister in charge of that ministry there had been unresolved issues from his office threatening the country's economy, adding that Lokpobiri's continuous stay in the office was making life difficult for Niger Delta people and the country.
But Princewill urged President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians, especially people of the Niger Delta to ignore his colleagues, saying the Minister is not only competent but has been doing a good job since he was appointed last year.
The IYC spokesman stated that the council was established to protect the interest and well-being of ijaw people at all times and not to attack and antagonize ijaw leaders as those behind the redeployment call have done, adding that Lokpobiri is one of the finest leaders from the Ijaw nation.
He maintained that it is unreasonable for any ijaw person to call for Lokpobiri's redeployment, knowing fully that he is the only representative of ijaw people out of the 45 ministers in Tinubu's cabinet.
"We need to be mindful as no ethnic based youth group in Nigeria has ever come up to ridicule their own ministers or prominent sons in government before the public. This caution has become very important to avoid future blunders among ijaw youths. Our leaders need to be corrected, and if erring, they would be corrected indoors as other ethnic groups are doing", he said.
The IYC mouthpiece said they would continue to speak and defend the ijaw nation and her people and enjoined members of the council to always build bridges of unity and peace rather than become agents of destabilization and distraction.
He further added that with Lokpobiri, the IYC is a step closer to its agitation for resource control, and calling for his redeployment is antithetical to its struggle.
