The leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, have expressed displeasure over what they described as the “persistent marginalisation of the Ijaw political class, traditional institutions and the ongoing abandonment of Ijaw communities,” by the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led Edo State government.

The IYC, in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igrama, Barr. Ebi Olowolayemo and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone Chairman, Secretary and Information Officer, respectively, lamented that despite the “massive support Ijaw people gave to Okpebholo across the five Ijaw clans in the state,” not a single appointment has been given to the Ijaw-speaking people in the state.

The statement, which was made available to newsmen in Benin on Tuesday, said that the “conspicuous absence of Ijaw man or woman in the State Executive Council” gives credence to their claim.

The IYC, while stating that “we state this not out of bitterness or entitlement, but as a call for fairness, equity, and justice,” emphasised that “despite our enormous contributions to the state’s treasury through natural and human resources, Edo Ijaws remain conspicuously absent in the State Executive Council.”

The statement reads: “It is important to remind the governor that the Ijaw nation mobilised massive support across the five Ijaw clans in Edo State to ensure his victory at the polls.

“Our voice was loud, our mobilisation was firm, and our votes counted significantly toward the success of this administration.

“Regrettably, one year later, this government has not deemed it necessary to appoint a single individual from the Ijaw extraction, nor has it addressed the glaring infrastructure deficit in our communities and also left our traditional issues unattended to.”

The statement noted that “the Ijaw areas are the bedrock of the state’s oil wealth, the same wealth that qualifies Edo State as an oil-producing state and entitles it to the 13 per cent derivation fund. Yet, there is no visible reflection of this revenue in our communities.”

“We state this not out of bitterness or entitlement, but as a call for fairness, equity, and justice.”

The IYC, therefore, urged the governor to “have a rethink so it doesn’t take to another form of agitation in the state where we contribute.”

In other news, the Edo State government has said that the appointment of Permanent Secretaries (PS) in the state civil service will now be strictly based on merit and no longer on imposition.

Deputy Governor of the state, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, said this when he presided over an expanded breakfast meeting of the Head of Service with Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the New Festival Hall, Edo State Government House.

Idahosa explained that discontinuing the appointment of non-career PS, as well as merit-based appointments of PS, would facilitate smooth career progression and also boost the morale of civil servants. He further noted that the era of appointing non-career civil servants as PS is over. He stated that the Sen. Monday Okpebholo-led administration is committed to ensuring that the state civil service is run solely by professionals.

“There was a time when consultants were used as permanent secretaries in the state. Governor Monday Okpebholo changed this narrative, and many civil servants have been elevated to positions of permanent secretaries,” he stated. (The Guardian)

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