Ijaw National Congress Reconciliation Committee Presents Report to Bayelsa Governor Diri

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has announced that his administration will meticulously review the recommendations put forth by the Ijaw National Congress (INC) Reconciliation Committee. He further stated that broad consultations would take place before any of these recommendations are put into practice. Governor Diri expressed confidence that the committee's proposals would cultivate peace, foster progress, ensure stability, and ultimately enhance the Ijaw nation's prominence within Nigeria.

The governor made these pronouncements on Friday at the Government House in Yenagoa, as he formally received the document from the eight-member committee. The report follows the committee's inauguration by Governor Diri on May 26, 2026, with a specific mandate to resolve conflicts among various factions within the INC, which arose after a contentious presidential election. The state helmsman applauded the committee members for their diligent efforts in compiling the report within the stipulated one-month timeframe, emphasizing that he expected nothing less than excellence.

He highlighted that the committee delivered a report that addresses both existing divisions and future possibilities for the Ijaw people, characterizing the INC as the supreme institutional embodiment of their identity and historical aspirations. "We cannot stand aloof while such a vital institution drifts without direction. The Congress and the people rise or fall together," Governor Diri remarked. He continued, "You were given a sacred mandate: to find reasons to stay together. You have discharged it with diligence and courage. You have given us not just a report, but a pathway back to trust and collective purpose."

Recalling the committee's formation, the Governor stated, "When I inaugurated this committee, I said the destiny of the Ijaw Nation was too precious to be left unattended. You heard that urgency. You responded to it." He concluded by commending the committee's caliber: "Given the high calibre, sterling pedigree and unimpeachable integrity of this committee, nothing less than excellence was expected. You have delivered a report that speaks to our divisions and to our future possibilities."

Presenting the report, Dr. Mathew Seiyefa, who chairs the reconciliation committee and previously served as Director-General of the Department of State Services, explained that the committee engaged with all contestants in the INC elections, members of the electoral committee, the INC executive, and also gathered memoranda from various INC zones and other key stakeholders of the Ijaw nation.

Seiyefa articulated the committee's expectation that a reinvigorated INC would effectively champion the Ijaw nation, its people, and their causes. He envisioned a more consultative and inclusive INC, which would prioritize its function as an advocacy platform, thereby enabling the organization to gain greater traction and resonance in the lives of the Ijaw populace.

"A common trend, which permeated this interaction, was the overwhelming passion for not just the survival of the INC but its renewal and reinvigoration," Seiyefa noted. He added, "There was a yearning for an INC that would rise to the challenges of the moment with respect to the cause of the Ijaw nation and its people. This sentiment was a key driver in the deliberations of the committee and has informed the recommendations that we have made."

The Ijaw National Congress functions as the principal socio-cultural umbrella organization representing Ijaw communities across the Niger Delta region.