Ijaw Mothers Union expresses concerns over alleged distorted ‘political structure’, consequences

A foremost female activist and President of Ijaw Mothers Union, Mrs. Doris Macdaniels, has expressed concern over the current impasse in Rivers State over the alleged distortion of the political structure of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, Africa Update reports.

She said: “It is now worrisome hearing the strong warnings and threats from the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, regarding his political structure and the insistence that it should not be tampered with. His words sent chills down our spines, especially coming from someone who was a Local Government Chairman in Obio/Akpo LGA, during the Niger Delta insurgency, and he witnessed all that transpired.”

Addressing newsmen in Rivers State on December 11th, Mrs. Macdaniels, opined that the thought that Wike would reportedly contemplate dragging the State back to the days when violence held sway, speaks volumes about the rapacious leaders people have celebrated.

Below is a copy of the speech read by Mrs. Macdaniels:

RIVERS STATE POLITICAL STRUCTURE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: A SIMPLIFIED OVERVIEW.
Ijaw Mothers’ Union was formed and created by a group of mothers across Ijaw nation. The idea was to create a community where mothers from Ijaw nations can share and voice their perspectives on political, social and economic issues.
Most notably in the year 2003-2009 was a very traumatic era for Ijaw mothers, due to the political upheaval that displaced our children from their communities. Thank God it’s all over.
Today we are here full of love and joy for everybody from Rivers State and people from other regions residing in Rivers state.
By the grace of God, we have forgiven ourselves and moved on.
It’s now worrisome hearing the strong warnings and threats from the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, regarding his political structure and the insistence that it should not be tampered with. His words sent chills down our spines, especially coming from someone who was a Local Government Chairman in Obio/Akpo LGA, during the Niger Delta insurgency, and he witnessed all that transpired.
The thought of the Minister potentially dragging the state back into the turmoil that once engulfed our oil production and affected the global oil market, speaks volumes about the rapacious leaders we, as a people, have celebrated.
Having experienced firsthand, crises of structural control during the Niger Delta insurgency, we are determined to preempt the Minister’s threats from escalating into a situation we would all regret. We do not want another round of bloodshed or the trauma of identifying the corpses of our sons at odd hours of the night.
The state is currently embroiled in heated arguments, with the Minister not relenting on his threats as his few beneficiaries appear to be working towards chaos come 2027. Therefore, we believe the time is right to speak out, make our stance known, and call for help from the authorities responsible to nip this brewing crisis in the bud, because we don’t want anybody to take us back to the dark days for personal ambition.
As mothers, we are calling upon the mother of our nation, our First Lady, distinguished Senator Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, to take a special interest in the ongoing situation in Rivers State. We plead with her to investigate and uncover the truth, rather than accept the lies that have been perpetuated through political cover-ups.
The situation has become too severe for security agencies to ignore what is fermenting right before their watch. They are aware of what has happened and the consequences that follows.
For years, our children in Rivers State have been out of schools and denied gainful employment opportunities. Civil servants have not been promoted for years, and Rivers people have struggled to access medical care in vain due to severely dilapidated hospital facilities and services.
Now that our sons are returning back to school and gradually gaining access to employment, the civil servants been promoted, the citizens and people residing in Rivers State are beginning to experience adequate medical care, and life is normalizing. Rivers State is not a battleground; it is a sensitive state in every respect. We do not want any group to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere on our streets anymore.
We all know that power is never given freely, therefore, Rivers people are curious to understand the capacity, legitimacy, and forces backing the minister Barr. Nyesom Wike, who believes he can forcefully change the existing structures in Rivers State without destroying our oil and gas facilities and plunging Nigerian economy into chaos.
Are Nigerians ready for another round of crisis in the Niger Delta and a total collapse of the economy at this moment? We are praying for and supporting the president to rectify the issues that previous governments have neglected is this the right time to formulate another round of mayhem in a relatively peaceful Niger Delta?
Can one politician, Barr. Nyesom Wike, lead us into another disaster?
Is there cynicism surrounding the Minister’s entire narrative?
Are there ulterior motives at play to strategically infuriate President Tinubu’s new hope agenda, and take the baton from the President, to contest 2027 election or another unknown agenda best known to the minister?
During the civil war, we witnessed the massive destruction of our primary resources. As a child, I saw the complete bombing of the Port Harcourt Refinery and the blowing up of oil pipelines, which reduced our production to below two hundred barrels a day. Those that believe that there is security to protect our massive oil and gas facilities, in the complicated creeks of the core Niger Delta terrain should reconsider, as the youths are more than capable of causing another catastrophe.

Historical Context of Rivers State Political Structure
Before the European invaders arrived, there were no formal structures; only indigenous clans were governed by “Alapu” (plural for “Alabo”). We had powerful kings and native foot soldiers whom we respected as our leaders. Many of our kings were exiled to Europe by the colonial powers due to their resistance to the greedy European merchants.
The first significant political and economic structural change occurred in 1884, leading to consequences that affected everyone in present-day Nigeria. The Royal African Company (RAC) received a charter from the British government to trade in Nigeria coastal areas, but King Frederick Koko of Nembe rejected their trade terms, leading to hostility between the RAC and the Brass people.
The Royal African Company (RAC) imposed levies on the Brass people, restricting their access to the coast for their livelihoods, with the development King Fredrick Koko convened a meeting with other chiefs, and they agreed to fight for their rights rather than die of hunger. This led to the infamous Akasa Raid, where the premises of the Royal African Company (RAC) were invaded, and hostages were taken. Some were released alive, while others were killed and eaten in a cannibalistic ritual.
The Royal African Company (RAC) retaliated by invading the small town with the Royal Navy, massacring the inhabitants, including women and children. The consequences of the colonial hostility to impose a new structure that denied the host community free trade were unacceptable to King Koko and his people. This led to the expansion of the Niger Delta protectorate and the eventual amalgamation of Nigeria.
This historical context illustrates how political structure agitation can go wrong, as seen with the Royal African Company (RAC), which ultimately lost its charter due to its despotic policies. The amalgamation of Nigeria was met with protests from the Niger Delta, and despite promises of development funds, these were never released.
The civil war further exemplified the disastrous consequences of political control struggles, leading to widespread destruction and loss of life in Igbo land. The Niger Delta insurgency, apart from the destruction of our oil facilities that plunged our oil production below two (2) million bpd. Another twist was the introduction of kidnapping as a means of protest, this originated when the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo detained Asari Dokubo and the Niger delta youths were livid and demanded the oil workers to leave Niger Delta region. Some workers left, and the ones that stayed behind became victims of Niger Delta youths kidnapping rampage, which has since become a lucrative enterprise with dire consequences.
Who knows what next will be introduced this time around.

Current Challenges and Future Outlook
The political struggles in Rivers State have left deep scars. The Ijaw people have firsthand experience of the consequences of political structural control. The insurgency was rooted in grievances over resource control and has led to a culture of violence and mistrust.
As we reflect on our history, we must ask: Are we as Nigerians ready for another round of destruction in the Brac (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River) coastal states, which produce 72% of the nation’s resources?
Is the government prepared for the potential destruction of oil and gas facilities for the sake of one man’s political ambitions? The consequences of ignoring these issues are enormous.
We seize this opportunity to call on our capable Governor, His Excellency Siminalaye Fubara to develop the skills and capabilities of the Rivers youths to dominate the oil and gas industry rather than being used as political thugs.
We also thank God for using Mr. President, Bola Tinubu to have appointed the Minister, Nyesom Wike, to a very engaging position to have divided his attention from Rivers State.
The Minister as the Mr. Project, did an amazing job in the infrastructure of Rivers state, please make him comfortable and give him the support to replicate his wonderful projects in FCT.
In conclusion, we want peace, justice, and a better future for Rivers State. We will not allow the mistakes of the past to repeat themselves. We stand united as mothers, ready to protect our children and our community from the rapacious politicians threatening our peace.

Thank you Mr. President.
Thank you all for your attention.
God bless Rivers State, God bless Nigeria.

MRS. DORIS MACDANIELS
PRESIDENT IJAW MOTHERS UNION