Ijaw leader asks south-south govs to reject FG’s monthly allocation

Peter Igbifa, president of the Ijaw Youth Council, has asked governors of the south-south region to reject the federal government’s monthly revenue allocation in protest.

In response to the government’s decision to cancel a meeting with south-south governors and traditional rulers last Tuesday, Igbifa said the ”insult” by the government on the region “is enough”.

A video of the youth leader speaking went viral on the internet on Sunday.

A day after the event was cancelled, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, apologised over the unsuccessful meeting.

Shehu said the meeting was not cancelled out of disrespect but because of an emergency security meeting called by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The youth leader said the government was playing politics with the south-south, adding that ministers from the region ought to have been present for the meeting.

Igbifa threatened that the youth of the region would ground the economy of the country “in a few days”.

“Make Buhari dey hear, we dey give them few days, we go rumble the economy of this country. Enough of the insult. I first know say this meeting no get head,” the youth leader said.

“Everything for Niger Delta na joke, everything for south-south na joke. All the appointees for south-south suppose don dey here. All the ministers from south-south where dem dey. Are they not supposed to be here.

“Dem dey play politics with south-south, if south-south no dey, dem no go appoint them? Make dem know #EndSARS na play. Make e happen for this south-south, e go be.

“The laugh wey we dey laugh for presidency na dey cause am. Some of una (governors) na product of struggle. Wetin una dey do? A whole governor of Delta state, when you dey match youths dey behind you but Gambari dey cancel your meeting. We cannot be taken for granted all the time. See east-west road dey rotten dey go, people dey die.

“Dem dey dash us money wey dem dey call 13 percent derivation, una dey take. E don reach after this meeting, make una reject all those offers, even allocation self, make una no collect

“We need to inconvenience ourselves to get results. Make una no collect anything from them again. Everything about Niger Delta na joke. We cannot be taken for granted all the time.

“See east-west Road, dey rotten dey go, people dey die every day.”