Ijaw Women Appeal To Wealthy Ijaw Sons, Daughters to Prioritize Community Development

By Monday Peters, Abuja

The Ijaw Women Rights’ Protection Forum (IWRPF) has made a passionate appeal to wealthy and influential Ijaw sons and daughters to invest meaningfully in their own communities instead of developing other kingdoms.

The Forum, speaking from a humanitarian angle, said the creeks are suffering from lack of basic social amenities despite producing enormous wealth for the nation.

The group lamented the hardship faced by mothers and children in riverine communities:

“We are tired of taking our children from the creeks to Warri and other cities just because we want them to receive quality education. We are tired of travelling to the cities whenever our people need proper medical attention,” the Forum stated.

“Our children deserve quality education at home. Our mothers deserve good healthcare at home. Our communities deserve development.”

IWRPF called on successful Ijaws to bring home investments in critical areas: “We are appealing to our successful Ijaw people, instead of spending millions developing other people’s kingdoms, why not bring that same development home? Our communities need good schools, private hospitals, functional health centres, good roads, clean water, electricity, skills-acquisition centres and sustainable businesses.”

The Forum noted that Ijaw communities have huge potentials to become economic and tourism hubs if properly developed.

“We are people of the creeks, and our communities have enormous potential. With the right investment, our villages can become places where our people proudly return during holidays, build beautiful homes, establish businesses and create opportunities for the next generation. Our communities can also become tourist destinations,” it said.

“We have the land. We have the culture. We have the people. We have the resources. What we need is the commitment to invest in ourselves.”

The Forum urged Ijaw elites to leave lasting legacies at home:

“To our wealthy Ijaw sons and daughters: please remember home. Let us take development home. Let us build the creeks. Let us build Ijaw communities. Let us build a future our children will not have to leave home to find.”