BREAKING: ‘Wike Is A Very Careless Speaker’ - Ijaw Nation President

The President of the Ijaw Nation Congress, Benjamin Okaba, has countered the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over claims that Ijaws are a minority ethnic group in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that Wike made the comment while addressing journalists about the political crisis involving him and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Okaba, a Professor of Sociology, said Wike is a careless speaker who could say anything under the influence of alcohol and debunk it.

Okaba emphasized that the Ijaws are among the four largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, and their territories extend beyond the country’s land areas.

According to him, the Ijaws are the most populous ethnic group in the Niger Delta region, spreading across six states and many communities in Bayelsa,  Abia, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers State, stressing that Wike’s comment was a deliberate distortion of fact.

Okaba called on President Bola Tinubu not to allow one individual to destroy his efforts to ensure democracy in Nigeria, adding that Wike is nothing outside government.

He said, “The person you’re talking about could say anything under the influence of alcohol and later debunk it; he is a very careless speaker. These are basic demographics that are well-known. Ijaws are not the fourth largest; they are one of the four largest.

“Most times, we look at the land mass, the land mass in terms of space cannot exist outside a water space. So the boundaries of the Ijawland or may be Nigeria beyond land; it goes into the rivers. So from wherever that is a boundary of Nigeria, all that River spots belong to the Ijawland.

“We are not minorities, in fact, we are the most populous and most indigenous ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta, that’s a fact that is well known. Ijaws are in six states.

“They are in Abia. 26 communities in Abia State are indigenous Ijaw people. So we felt that was a deliberate distortion. In Delta State, we have more than four local government areas; even in Rivers State, we have 10 and a half local government areas, and Ikwerre has three. Forget about those who distorted political census figures; when the time comes for real counting, we shall know them. Ijaws are in Ondo State; they are in Edo State.”