By Mohammed Bello Doka
Former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ignited a firestorm of reactions following his recent comments on the political status of the Ijaw ethnic group in the Niger Delta. Speaking with his characteristic bluntness, Wike declared that the Ijaw people do not constitute the majority in the region and suggested that their political advancements were largely due to the goodwill of others.
"When law speaks, all this asawana will die. And the law has spoken," Wike asserted, dismissing what he described as exaggerated claims of Ijaw dominance. "Ijaw does not constitute the majority of the Niger Delta. People must speak out the truth, heaven will not fall. We only die once, not two times. Ijaw does not constitute the majority of the Niger Delta, what nonsense—every day you wake up, Ijaw will do this."
His comments, made in a charged political atmosphere, have already drawn sharp responses from Ijaw leaders and stakeholders who see them as an attempt to diminish the ethnic group’s influence.
Wike further argued that in key Niger Delta states, the Ijaw are numerically insignificant when compared to other ethnic groups. "In Akwa Ibom, Ijaw cannot be Governor. In Delta, Ijaw is the minority of the minority. With all due respect to our late elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark, he has never produced an Ijaw man to be Governor, he has never," he stated.
He emphasized that outside Bayelsa State, where the Ijaw are the dominant ethnic group, their chances of producing a governor are slim. "The only place an Ijaw man can solely be Governor is in Bayelsa State. Not in Edo, not in Rivers, where they are the minority of the minority. It is out of our benevolence—live and let live—that we picked an Ijaw man to be Governor."
Wike’s remarks are expected to escalate existing political tensions in Rivers State and beyond, as the Ijaw political elite has long fought for greater representation. His statement also raises questions about power dynamics in the region, where ethnic loyalties often dictate political alliances.
As reactions pour in, one thing is certain—Wike’s words will not go unnoticed in the ever-volatile political landscape of the Niger Delta.