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Boro Day: IYC Wants May 16 Declared Public Holiday, Other Honours

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...sends powerful message to Ijaw nation, N’Delta Govs

…speaks on Rivers politics, Warri delineation

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By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on the Federal Government to declare May 16 of every year public holiday as a way of honouring Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, who, according to the apex body of Ijaw youth, “fought and died for the indivisibility of Nigeria as a nation.”

The IYC also suggested that the Port Harcourt International Airport and other Federal Government institutions either in Abuja or any other city outside the Niger Delta be named after Boro as a way of “immortalising him for his struggles not to go in vain.”

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During a press conference in Warri to mark the 57th celebration of the late the hero with the theme, ‘Maj Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, Celebrating the Legacy, Rekindling the Struggle,‘ IYC spokesman, Amb. Princewill Yerin Binebai, lamented that despite Boro’s sacrifices during the civil war, he remains the unsung champions of the Nigerian civil war.

Binebai said: “In 1966, Boro established the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, an armed group primarily composed of members of the Ijaw ethnic group, and proclaimed the Niger Delta Republic on the 23rd of February 1966. This declaration led to a conflict with federal forces, lasting twelve days before Boro and his associates were apprehended and charged with treason. They were later granted amnesty by the federal government under General Yakubu Gowon in May 1967, shortly before the Nigerian Civil War.

READ ALSO: IYC Condemns Delta Poly Final Year Student Killing, Tasks Police On Impartial Investigation

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“However, Boro, after being released from prison by the Federal Government of Nigeria, was one of the unsung champions of the Nigerian civil war; he fought and died for the indivisibility of Nigeria as a nation. He died while fighting and defending our dear nation from disintegration.

“Considering the sacrifices of Boro, it is our call on the Federal Government of Nigeria that it is now time for the Federal Government of Nigeria to honour Boro as a young man who laid down his life for the nation at the age of 29 years. The Federal Government should do well by declaring May 16th every year as a public holiday to honour the late Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro.

“The IYC is suggesting that the Port Harcourt International Airport be named after Boro, Federal Government Institutions either in Abuja be named after him, it could be major roads within and outside the Niger Delta or other critical facilities in order to immortalise him for his struggles not to go in vain.”

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The IYC spokesman, while commending the Bayelsa State Government for the efforts put in place to immortalise Boro, urged Rivers State Government to follow suit, stressing that “Rivers State was also created to compensate the late Ijaw hero, late Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro.”

READ ALSO: IYC: Opudu, Otuaro To Lead Dignitaries At 57th Boro Day Celebration In Western Zone

– Message to the Ijaw Nation –

Binebai, who appealed to Ijaw people to be united regardless of the state they fall under, urged them to support political office holders from the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

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He appealed: “Dear sons and daughters of Ijaw nation, as we deeply reflect on what Boro fought and died for, let us always protect ourselves as Ijaw people in the Nigerian State; till date, we are still struggling to have a sense of belonging in the Nigerian State as major stakeholders that we should be.

“We are one united big family. What binds us together is greater than what can divide us. Our strength lies in our unity.”

He continued: “Let us give support to our leaders holding positions in the Government; we must learn from others. Hardly have we seen youths from other ethnic groups attacking their leaders holding positions in the Government publicly despite their inefficiencies.

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“We must not paint a picture that our people occupying political offices are not doing well when, in the real sense, they are the best in the current Tinubu-led government.”

READ ALSO: IYC Commends INEC For Delineation Of Warri Fed. Constituency, Warns Saboteurs To Steer Clear

On Warri Federal Constituency delineation controversy, the IYC spokesman called on INEC to “quickly work with the stakeholders in Warri Federal Constituency with a view to quickly implementing their draft report on the wards’ delineation.

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“INEC must know that we are no longer going back to the previous fraudulent and illegal arrangement in Warri Federal Constituency.

“The DSS and the federal government must bring to justice the criminal elements who try to smuggle arms into Delta State to cause trouble.

“The federal government and its security agencies must not continue to remain silent on this life-threatening matter.”

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Speaking on Rivers and its politics, the IYC spokesman appealed to Tinubu to “reconsider and review the suspension of the Rivers State Governor with a view to lifting the suspension before the six months for Fubara to return back to the Government House.”

He commended President Bola Tinubu for signing the Nigeria Maritime University, (NMU) Okerenkoko, Delta State, Bill into law, and other good works he has done in the Niger Delta and to Ijaw sons and Delta.

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PHOTOS: Esama Of Benin Commissions BRC Ultramodern Lounge, Promises A Phase Lift

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The Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, has promised to give a phase lift to the Benin Recreation Club (BRC) in the next 12 months.

Chief Igbinedion made the promise in Benin on Saturday when he officially visited the BRC to commission a newly remodeled ultramodern ‘Chief Go.O. Igbinedion Bustop Lounge.’

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The Esama, who expressed dissatisfaction on how he met the ancient recreation club, said: “This place needs a drastic improvement. I would, therefore, like the committee to see me, and I promise 12 months from now, this place will wear a new look.”

READ ALSO: BRC President Commended For Transformational Initiatives, As Legacy Projects Are Commissioned

Chief Igbinedion, however, thanked current and past executives of the club for a job well done, and for sustaining the BRC, saying “many organisations or associations as this have gone into extinction but you have put in your best to keep this going.”

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The octogenarian, who thanked the leadership and the board of trustees for the honour done on him through the naming of a lounge, also vowed not to neglect the leadership especially knowing well that he has been a founding member of the BRC.

In his remarks, Special Guest of Honour and Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, while describing the BRC as the best place to relax after a stressful day, urged members of the public who are yet to join the BRC to do so.

READ ALSO: Benin Recreation Club President Commends Club For Performance At Inter-club Tournament

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Earlier in his welcome speech, president of the BRC, Courage Osamuyi said the lounge was named after Chief Igbinedion in recognition of his great support for the club and his contribution to humanity.

Justice Daniel Okungbowa, Chief Judge of Edo State

The BRC president, who declared that the presence of the Esama in the BRC signifies a new dawn, said “what we are having today is just the beginning. As he has stepped into this place, greater things will start to happen.”

Osamuyi, while noting that the Esama “has been a founding member of the club over the years,” thanked Chief Igbinedion for his good work and for honouring them with his presence.

Osamuyi Courage, President of The BRC

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Peter Obi Condemns Tinubu’s Saint Lucia Trip

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Labour Party leader and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s planned trip to Saint Lucia, describing it as poorly timed and lacking in sensitivity, especially amid Nigeria’s deepening economic and security challenges.

Tinubu is expected to leave Nigeria on Saturday for Saint Lucia and is also scheduled to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Brazil.

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In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Obi expressed dismay over the president’s travel, questioning the state of governance in the country.

Obi argued that Tinubu’s trip highlights a pattern of misplaced priorities by the administration, particularly at a time when citizens are grappling with widespread hunger and insecurity.

READ ALSO:Strike: NLC To Shutdown FCT After Tinubu’s Project Inaugurations Labour

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“What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock about poor governance delivery and apparent channelling of energy into politics and satisfaction of the elites, while the masses in our midst are languishing in want,” Obi stated.

He lamented the toll of rising insecurity across Nigeria, pointing out the country’s deteriorating safety situation.

In the past two years, Nigeria has lost more people to all sorts of criminality than a country that is officially at war.

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“Without any twilight, Nigeria ranks among the most insecure places in the world. Nigerians are hungrier, and most people do not know where their next meal will come from,” he wrote.

READ ALSO:Wike Defends ₦39bn ICC Renovation, Renaming Edifice After Tinubu

Obi said he was stunned when he learned of the President’s travel plans, especially following what he described as a recent holiday in Lagos.

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With such a gory picture of one’s country, you can imagine my bewilderment when I saw a news release from the Presidency announcing that President Bola Tinubu is departing Nigeria today for a visit to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean,” he said.

Quoting Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, Obi noted that the visit comprises both official and personal segments.

According to the Prime Minister’s announcement, ‘two of these days, June 30 and July 1, will be dedicated to an official visit, with the remainder of the trip set aside as a personal vacation,” he said.

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Obi noted that he initially found the report hard to believe.

READ ALSO:How Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi Can Learn From Tinubu’s School Of Politics

I told the person who drew my attention to the Caribbean story that it cannot be true and that the President is just coming back from a holiday in Lagos.

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“I didn’t want to believe that anybody in the position of authority, more so the President… would contemplate a leisure trip at this time,” Obi said.

He condemned Tinubu’s failure to visit disaster-stricken areas like Minna in Niger State, where over 200 people reportedly died and hundreds remain missing due to flooding.

This is a President going for leisure when he couldn’t visit Minna, Niger State where over two hundred lives were lost and over 700 persons still missing in a flood natural disaster,” he said.

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READ ALSO:PHOTOS: President Tinubu Receives Queen Mary Of Denmark At State House

Obi also took issue with Tinubu’s recent trip to Benue State, claiming it was politically motivated rather than compassionate.

The other state in crisis where over two hundred lives were murdered, the President yielded to public pressure and visited Makurdi… for what turned out to be a political jamboree than condolence as public holiday was declared and children made to line up to receive the President who couldn’t even reach the village, the scene of the brutal attack,” he said.

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Drawing comparisons between Nigeria and Saint Lucia, Obi questioned the logic of prioritising a visit to the Caribbean nation over addressing pressing domestic issues.

Makurdi is 937.4 Km², which is over 59% bigger than St Lucia, which is 617 km², and Minna is 6789 square kilometres, which is ten times bigger than St Lucia. St Lucia, with a population of 180,000, is less than half of Makurdi’s 489,839 and Minna, with 532,000 is almost three times the population of St Lucia,” the former Anambra governor said.

READ ALSO:‘Peace Has Returned To Rivers’ — Wike, Fubara Speak After Meeting Tinubu

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He concluded his post by stressing the urgent need for leadership that is grounded in empathy and focused on addressing the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

He said, “I don’t think the situation in this country today calls for leisure for anybody in a position of authority, more so the President, on whose desk the buck stops.

“This regime has repeatedly shown its insensitivity and lack of passion for the populace…”

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Obi added, “This very obvious indifference of the federal government to the suffering of the Nigerian poor should urgently be reversed.

“One had expected the President to be asking God for extra hours in a day for the challenges, but what we see is a concentration of efforts in the 2027 election and on satisfying the wealthy while the mass poor continues to multiply in number.

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World Bank Lists Nigeria Among 39 Nations Facing Rising Poverty, Hunger

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The World Bank has listed Nigeria among 39 countries where poverty and hunger are deepening as a result of conflict and instability.

In a report released on Friday, the bank said the economies, a mix of low- and middle-income countries, span all global regions. Among them are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.

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The report, which assesses the economic impact of conflict and fragility in the post-COVID-19 era, revealed that 21 of the 39 countries are experiencing active conflict.

READ ALSO:World Customs Organisation Elects Adeniyi Chairperson

According to the findings, extreme poverty is rising more rapidly in these countries, taking a severe toll on economic development, worsening hunger, and derailing progress toward key development goals.

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Since 2020, the report noted, the average per capita GDP of these economies has declined by 1.8 per cent annually, in contrast to a 2.9 per cent growth rate recorded in other developing countries.

The report partly reads: “This year, 421 million people are struggling on less than $3 a day in economies afflicted by conflict or instability—more than in the rest of the world combined.

“That number is projected to rise to 435 million, or nearly 60% of the world’s extreme poor, by 2030.”

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