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LequteMan
Guest
Economic activities in Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa was on Thursday crippled as hundreds of Ijaw youths took to the street to protest alleged harassment of ex president Goodluck Jonathan's family members by operatives of the EFCC.
The Sanni Abacha expressway, a major highway was blocked for several hours and commuters had to trek long distances to their destinations.
The youths are aggrieved over the freezing of Jonathan's account by the EFCC, Daily Post reports. They were joined by several women groups as well.
Mr. Udengs Eradiri, President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, who coordinated the exercise during the protest said: "This country has produced many presidents but the only one from the Niger Delta is constantly harassed by the mercenaries of state, especially the EFCC.
“We want to call on the President to please respect former President Jonathan, at least for the fact that he brought peace to this country, handed over peacefully to him.
“We appeal to Buhari to respect Jonathan the way he respects other past presidents. They have frozen his account; they are not paying his allowances. Even the security agencies around him do not get what is due them. Why is the Presidency victimizing Goodluck Jonathan?
“Patience Jonathan is is not the first First Lady in this country. A wife to former deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President, are you expecting her to be a poor woman? There are other First Ladies in this country.
“In recent time, a former First Lady was awarded a university license. So, we are using this medium to send a message, leave our first family alone. Some people are not happy about Jonathan’s rising profile and they want to destroy it”.
He said the Ijaw people would not negotiate for other ethnic groups in the region, adding that each region must answer its name.
“Mr. President, it is time to take the right decision. We know that we are five per cent of the votes, we are not expecting anything different. But we are an integral part and a very important five per cent.
“Since you love 95 per cent and you want the 95 per cent to have peace, light in Abuja and Lagos, then you must respect five per cent. You must treat five percent equally so that your 95 per cent that you so love can have light in Abuja”, Eradiri said.
The Sanni Abacha expressway, a major highway was blocked for several hours and commuters had to trek long distances to their destinations.
The youths are aggrieved over the freezing of Jonathan's account by the EFCC, Daily Post reports. They were joined by several women groups as well.
Mr. Udengs Eradiri, President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, who coordinated the exercise during the protest said: "This country has produced many presidents but the only one from the Niger Delta is constantly harassed by the mercenaries of state, especially the EFCC.
“We want to call on the President to please respect former President Jonathan, at least for the fact that he brought peace to this country, handed over peacefully to him.
“We appeal to Buhari to respect Jonathan the way he respects other past presidents. They have frozen his account; they are not paying his allowances. Even the security agencies around him do not get what is due them. Why is the Presidency victimizing Goodluck Jonathan?
“Patience Jonathan is is not the first First Lady in this country. A wife to former deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President, are you expecting her to be a poor woman? There are other First Ladies in this country.
“In recent time, a former First Lady was awarded a university license. So, we are using this medium to send a message, leave our first family alone. Some people are not happy about Jonathan’s rising profile and they want to destroy it”.
He said the Ijaw people would not negotiate for other ethnic groups in the region, adding that each region must answer its name.
“Mr. President, it is time to take the right decision. We know that we are five per cent of the votes, we are not expecting anything different. But we are an integral part and a very important five per cent.
“Since you love 95 per cent and you want the 95 per cent to have peace, light in Abuja and Lagos, then you must respect five per cent. You must treat five percent equally so that your 95 per cent that you so love can have light in Abuja”, Eradiri said.
