2009
INAA“BORO
DAY” SUMMIT
ALL-IJAW
MORNING SESSION: OPENING REMARKS.
(By Prof. J. M. Ebiware)
On behalf of
the Ijaw National Alliance of the
Americas, I thank you, all for coming. Special thanks to our brothers
and
sisters who have travelled all the way from Nigeria to join us in
today’s
dialogue. And as you may all be aware, this is the first of various
other
sessions throughout the day and tomorrow. Since its inauguration
thirteen years
ago, one of INAA’s foremost objectives has been to create forums
like this to
enable us exchange ideas face-to-face. That is why INAA considers this
exclusive All-Ijaw session as among the most important workshops in the
“Boro
Day” program.
The current
unfortunate events taking place in
Nigeria has understandably affected the format of this session. In a
sense, we
are compelled to choose between getting rid of a nuisance fly that has
perched
on us or the bee that is stinging us. The choice is obvious; attend to
that
part of the body feeling the pain and discomfort from the bee bite. The
bee
bite in this case, is the carnage going on in the Niger Delta.
Fortunately, the
INC President’s text which he will deliver momentarily has
sufficiently
chronicled most of the besetting problems we face as a people.
Therefore,
rather than spending time rehashing the problems and engaging in
recriminations, I urge you, on behalf of INAA, to direct efforts at
identifying
solutions to the problems. And I mean that with a sense of sincerity
and
respect! Let us spend this time productively by engaging in a honest,
constructive, heart-to-heart dialogue that emphasizes solutions to our
existential challenges.
In the scheme
of things in Nigeria, the Ijaw is
literally placed in a terrain where they are exactly in the middle of
their
ONLY two houses, a few kilometers apart, which are set on fire by
arsonists.
Equidistant from both houses, there is the natural urge to make urgent
collective decisions to possibly save both houses or at worst save one.
You and
I know that a situation like this naturally evokes varying emotional
response,
probably all well-meaning. Some would argue that one half of us should
rush and
douse the flames on one side while the other half race to the scene of
the
house on the other side with their fire extinguishers. Some would
contest that
by dividing our manpower into two halves, we may end up not having
enough
forces to effectively extinguish both fires and believe that both
houses would
ultimately perish. Still, there are those who would argue that any
rescue
effort would not only be a waste of time but could cost us lives. And
don’t
forget those who would shout “hurry up”, “hurry
up” and nothing else!
The Ijaw
Nation finds itself in a typical
situation today. We need solutions to how this arsonist could be
effectively repelled
or prevented from ever torching off our houses and causing hysteria and
distraction. Like I said earlier, we need to be frank and forthright
without
being confrontational or impolite. Your devotion to the Ijaw cause is
the
reason why you are here today. And I am sure many of you have ideas
about how
some of the challenges could be surmounted either drastically or
gradually so
the arsonist would be rendered ineffective once and for all or have
diminished
opportunity to cause repeated chaos in our midst. With this session,
INAA has
created the enabling environment for a constructive dialogue today and
it is
hoped that we will effectively use the time to refine the solutions
identified
in the process.
Col. Godfrey
Okoro, Moderator of this session,
will control the time limit for each presentation so we are on time to
join the
next scheduled program of events for the day. Dr. Aaron Nmungwun is the
secretary who will take notes and collate the decision for a workable
plan of
action that is expected to emerge from this session.
Thank you all and I now hand it over to Col.
Godfrey Okoro.
Sheraton
Newark Airport Hotel
Newark,
New Jersey.
May
30, 2009.
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