….Ozobo, IYC, Eselemo Harp On Unity
Ijaw media practitioners have been charged to be courageous enough to praise genuine leadership and bold enough to challenge failure amongst leaders in the Ijaw ethnic nationality and the Niger Delta as a whole.
Chairman, Delta State Scholarship/Bursary Board, Dr. Shedrack Agediga, gave the charge in Warri at the inauguration of new executives of the Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF).
Agediga, who was the Chairman at the event, said IPF is not just a social club, describing members of the IPF as not ordinary publishers but nation-builders.
According to him, for a long time, Ijaw stories have been told by mainstream media and outsiders with diluted versions, just as he stressed the need to support indigenous media.
He added: “The Ijaw Publishers Forum is not a social club. It is a necessity. It exists because for too long, our story has been told about us, but never by us. And when others tell your story, they decide who is villain and who is victim.
“In global history, no people have ever been emancipated without controlling their narrative. Media has always been the engine room of resistance.
“For years, mainstream narratives labelled us as troublemakers and militants; without context, without history, without justice.
“It was Ijaw-focused media that insisted on telling the fuller story: environmental destruction, broken agreements, and systematic neglect.”
The Delta State scholarship board boss, who described the media as a strategy, defence, power, added: “I speak as someone who has walked the creeks, sat in tense community meetings, listened to angry youths, disappointed elders, and helpless mothers and has seen, first-hand, how silence continues to harm the Ijaw people.
“As publishers, journalists, broadcasters, and content creators of the Izon Nation, the pen in your hand is stronger than any weapon. Use it with courage. Use it with discipline. Use it with love for our people.
“Let every headline, every broadcast, every book, every post send one clear message: The Ijaw people will no longer be spectators in their own land.”
In his acceptance speech, the President, IPF, Comrade Austin Ozobo, promised to uphold the values of “our great organization and work tirelessly to promote the interests of our organization, the Ijaw Nation and the Niger Delta at large.”
He added: “The IPF will continue to advocate for the rights and interests of the Ijaw people, and will continue to promote accurate reporting and storytelling about the over 50 million Ijaw people that are balkanized and marginalized in Nigeria. The Ijaw people have a rich cultural heritage, and it is our responsibility to preserve and promote it.
“We will work with stakeholders to promote peace, unity, and development in the Niger Delta region. We will also provide a platform for Ijaw journalists and publishers to advance and grow in the media profession.”
He appealed to “Ijaw leaders to prioritize Ijaw Nation’s development; we should know where we are coming from. This is not the time for divisive governance, but rather a time for inclusive governance.
“Let us wake up from our slumber and stop doing things that will further divide us or underdevelop the Ijaw Nation.”
The IPF President, who expressed appreciation to stakeholders who have been supportive to the organisation, called on “all well-meaning Ijaw sons and daughters to join and support the organization (IPF) in this journey. Let us work together to build a stronger, more united Ijaw Nation where love, justice and peace will reign.”
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