From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
The Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF), has urged the Federal Government to immediately restructure Nigeria, warning that continued injustice and marginalisation threaten national unity.
The forum said true federalism, resource control and devolution of powers remain the only lasting solutions to Nigeria’s worsening political and economic challenges.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Chief Bukazi Etete and Efiye Bribena, Chairman and Secretary respectively, the group said Nigeria was at a critical crossroads requiring courageous leadership and decisive action.
The forum blamed the country’s persistent instability on structural defects, weak institutions and decades of political imbalance.
It argued that repeated elections alone would not resolve Nigeria’s challenges without comprehensive constitutional and institutional reforms.
IEF said the Ijaw people had sacrificed immensely for Nigeria by providing the oil wealth sustaining the nation’s economy while remaining underdeveloped.
It alleged that oil-producing communities continue to suffer pollution, poor infrastructure, failing healthcare, inadequate schools and widespread poverty.
The forum described the Bille community in Rivers State as a “ticking time bomb”, alleging that persistent environmental degradation had been ignored by authorities.
“The time has come for sincere reflection, courageous leadership and decisive action to address the structural and political challenges threatening Nigeria’s peace, stability and progress,” IEF said.
IEF maintained that the current 13 per cent derivation formula falls short of genuine fiscal federalism and called for greater resource control by oil-producing communities.
It also criticised what it described as the exclusion of Ijaw communities from recent International Oil Companies’ divestment programmes.
The forum further rejected what it called elite patronage through contract awards, insisting that contracts cannot replace environmental justice and community development.
It also faulted the exclusion of the Niger Delta from the N3.9 trillion federal road infrastructure projects approved by the Federal Executive Council.
According to the forum, the decision reflects a long-standing pattern of extracting wealth from the region while neglecting its development needs.
IEF demanded a time-bound national dialogue on restructuring, immediate environmental remediation across the Niger Delta and a review of the derivation formula.
It also called for transparency in Niger Delta development funds, revival of abandoned infrastructure projects and comprehensive electoral and judicial reforms.
“Our patience has been stretched to breaking point. We ask only for a fair place in a Nigeria that works for all its peoples,” the statement said.
The forum urged the Federal Government, National Assembly and other stakeholders to address the country’s structural challenges before they deepen divisions across the federation.
