2015:Ijaw students dare Jonathan’s opponents

President Goodluck Jonathan

Ijaw students in the nation’s institutions of higher learning have vowed to mobilise against persons or groups trying to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from running in 2015.

They said the President had the inalienable right to contest for a second term in office, saying those against it, particularly members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, were short-sighted, unfair and selfish.

Rising from an emergency meeting on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the students, under the aegis of the National Union of Izon-Ebe Students, said they would resist unguarded statements against the President.

According to them, President Jonathan’s detractors were only advocating their personal and regional interests and not speaking for Nigerians.

 The students, in a two-page resolution after the meeting, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, urged the critics to allow Jonathan to concentrate on governance to enable him to move the country to the next level.

They lauded Jonathan for constituting a national dialogue committee, stressing that it was a sign of somebody who meant well for the country.

The students, in the resolution signed by their National President, Mr. Awipi Lawson, and National Secretary, George Will, said the dialogue was a step towards resolving the perceived problems facing the country.

They advised all ethnic nationalities to see the proposed dialogue as an opportunity to forge a common front for the survival and development of the country.

They appealed to the advisory committee, inaugurated by the President, to welcome both “critics and enthusiasts” of the dialogue.

They stated, “It is an opportunity for Ijaw nation to review the terms and conditions of living together with the other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

“This is important because Ijaw people can no longer tolerate the over-dependence on our God-given resources without equal  contributions from other parts of the country.

“People should stop vilifying the President. What he has done by accepting the call for a national dialogue should be commended by all.”

The students also hailed the Federal Government in its efforts to review the federal revenue allocation.

They, however, advocated an upward review of derivation principle of the Niger Delta region from its present 13 per cent to enable the region to cushion the effects of environmental degradation.