Niger Delta Youths Threaten Oil Shutdown Over Rivers State Political Crisis
Tensions are escalating in Rivers State as the Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has issued a stern seven-day ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu, threatening to halt oil production if key political grievances are not addressed.
In a fiery open letter signed by NDYC President Bene Youkore Mamamu, the group demanded an immediate reversal of Rivers State’s withheld revenue, an end to impeachment moves against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and a public withdrawal of what they called “anti-Ijaw” remarks attributed to former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Failure to comply could lead to a total shutdown of oil production across the region — a move that would have catastrophic consequences for Nigeria’s economy,” the letter warned. Copies were distributed to journalists in Warri, Delta State, on Saturday.
The youth body condemned Wike’s reported comments labeling the Ijaw people as a minority group, describing the statement as “provocative and an open declaration of economic and political war.”
We are ready to shock the world in seven days,” the letter stated. “The oil that fuels this nation flows from our land — the fourth largest and most populous ethnic group in Nigeria — and we will not allow Wike, who appears to be backed by the Presidency, to sabotage our region and rewrite our history.”
The NDYC accused Tinubu’s administration of empowering Wike and the judiciary to weaken the Ijaw people and the Niger Delta, citing threats to impeach Governor Fubara, seize the state’s funds, and insult Niger Delta elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark.
We will not stand by while the history of the Ijaw nation is distorted,” the group declared, urging its members to mobilize for mass disruption of oil activities if their demands remain unmet by the end of the ultimatum.
The looming threat of an oil shutdown has raised fears of economic instability, as the Niger Delta remains Nigeria’s most critical oil-producing region, accounting for the bulk of the country’s revenue.
