INAA - Ijaw National Alliance of the Americas

Below is an update of this year's "Boro Day" Summit and 15^th annual "Service & Devotion" award ceremony. It is a three-day event that starts from Friday, June 15, Saturday, June 16 and ends Sunday, June 17, 2012 at the DoubleTree Newark Airport Hotel (former Sheraton) Newark, New Jersey, United States. INAA is also participating in the Boro Day events in Kaiama, Bayelsa State Nigeria.

(1) SUMMIT THEME:

This year's summit is designed to channel the passion and energies of the Ijaw people to take practical steps to address the problems of underdevelopment in Ijawland. The fight that Boro started is in a critical phase where the focus of attention is shifting from agitation to managing our own affairs. Despite the many challenges facing Nigeria, the various States and ethnic groups are jostling for an edge in developing their regions and people. In this battle for progress only those with enduring or sustained capacity for hard work and productivity will prevail. Therefore, this year's theme: "A New Era, Meeting the Challenges of Development in Ijawland" has been carefully selected to reflect the changing focus of the Ijaw struggle for self-determination and development. We must set the bar high for the standard of development we seek in Ijawland and not lose sight of the contending forces in the political and economic arena. This is an opportunity to reconnect, refocus and commit to a sustained effort to pull our people and region from backwardness and poverty.

(2) 2012 "SERVICE & DEVOTION" AWARD:

This annual award recognizes the invaluable contributions of those whose on or behind the scenes efforts, has helped to move the Ijaw and people of the Niger Delta substantially close to the threshold of actualizing Boro’s vision of a free and prosperous Ijawland. The award is intended to encourage patriotism, hardwork, the spirit of self-help and community service. In a slight departure from the past, this year, the award recognizes a body of resolutions framed in a single document -- a document that defined the direction of the Ijaw struggle and propelled it into the 21^st century, the Kaiama Declaration (KD). Though the KD is not a person, it assumed the force of a living breathing being for the Ijaw struggle in the 1990s.

On December 11, 1998, Ijaw youths under the banner of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) issued the Kaiama Declaration (KD) and adopted its resolutions. The resolutions in the KD assert the natural rights of the Ijaw people to ownership and control of their land and resources, and called for an end to gas flaring and other sources of environmental pollution in the Niger delta river basin. These resolutions reinvigorated the Ijaw struggle and gave it a new life.

The KD became the galvanizing force of the Ijaw struggle. It provided the energy that mobilized the Ijaw communities to act, and rallied entire communities to rise against decades of oppression.

The leadership of IYC identified the struggle to control oil resources in the Niger Delta as central to the political crisis facing Nigeria. The document essentially mobilized youths throughout Ijaw communities against marginalization by the Nigerian government and its agents, the transnational oil corporations. This award highlights the historic significance of the Kaiama Declaration in the Ijaw struggle. During this year’s summit, we must reaffirm the principles of the KD as well as advance them to the next logical phase, which is transformative change in Ijawland now.

(3) SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOR:

Honorable Kingsley Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, will be our Special Guest of Honor in this year’s event. In January 2011, Kuku was appointed Special Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta. After President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn into office, he was re-appointed to that same strategic post. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Special Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Amnesty. He has demonstrated remarkable leadership as the head of the Amnesty Program. Honorable Kuku’s goal has been to educate and empower as many young men and women as possible during his tenure as head of the Amnesty Program. Under his leadership, Ijaw youth have been sent abroad for various training, while others are being trained in Nigeria. Many have already been employed in various fields.

(4) INVITED GUESTS:

Guests officially invited include some past and present political leaders and civil servants as well as Traditional Rulers, NGO representatives and members of civil society from Nigeria. Guests invited are those expected to contribute meaningfully in developing an action-oriented agenda to elevate the lives of our people.

(5) BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

There will be exclusive, all-Ijaw sessions on Saturday morning and Sunday mid-morning. The breakout sessions will identify the challenges facing specific public institutions in Bayelsa State. More details about these sessions will be in the next announcements.

(6) HOTEL ACCOMMODATION:

DoubleTree Newark Airport Hotel, Newark, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey is the venue. The Hotel has again given INAA guests significant discount and a limited number of rooms at the rate of $92.00 per room have been reserved. Guests who call to make the reservation should indicate that they are guests for the INAA event. After the blocked number of rooms are sold out, the regular rate of $129.00 per night will be charged those who call later. A significant number of guests are expected so those who call and make reservation would be saving themselves a lot of headache. The number to call for reservation is (973)690-5500.

(7) EVENT REGISTRATION:

Registration for the event is $60.00 per adult just like previous years; children between the ages of 12 and 17 are expected to pay $30.00 while children under 12 will not pay for their meals. Once again, it is INAA's way to acknowledge guests' patriotism and financial sacrifice. The registration fee is to defray part of the cost of the dinner. The menu is posted on INAA website (ijaw-naa.org) where you are encouraged to register on-line and select what dish you prefer.

(8) FRIDAY NIGHT RECEPTION:

For those who plan to arrive Friday evening, June 15, please watch out for further announcements regarding details.

Please feel free to contact any INAA official if you have any questions and/or suggestions. INAA looks forward to seeing you all from Nigeria, Europe, Canada, the United States and other parts of the world.

Thank you and God bless.

The 2012 Boro Day Organizing Committee

boroday2012@ijaw-naa.org

Boro Day 2012 - Announcement#2