Warri-The Isekiri National Youth Council (INYC), has said that it’s members in all the states of the country have been mobilized yi converge at the National Assembly in Abuja over the controversy associated with the naming of the National Maritime University in Delta State.
INYC, in a statement by it’s publicity secretary, Mr. Joseph Uwawah, disclosed that an emergency meeting was held yesterday in warri to review the recent happening as they relate to the naming of the university.
According to him, the INYC after the meeting, resolved to stage a one million man march, made up of its members, sympathizers, believers in the rule of law, civil society groups and storm the National Assembly in Abuja to ask the lawmakers to affect the correct/legal name of the university as pronounced by the Supreme Court. “We commend the Attorney general of the Federal and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for directing a memo to the National Assembly to do the needful by naming the Maritime University after Okerenghigho as recognized by the Supreme Court.
“We have instructed our legal adviser to commence the process of serving from 48 and 49 on court contempt on all those that have resolved to undermine the judgement of the highest court in the country on this subject matter,” he said.
In another development, The Itsekiri Congress in UK has said that the memo from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, dated October 17, 2017, to the clerk of the National Assembly advising the National Assembly to effect necessary changes to the National Maritime Bill to reflect the true ownership of the land on which the university is situated in accordance with the judicial pronouncements, is a step in the right direction.
Isekiri Congress in UK, in a statement signed by it’s president Dr. Emmanuel Towuaghantse, commend the Attorney-General of the Federation for standing for the truth and what is right by recommending that the name of the National Maritime University, okerenkoko to National Maritime University, Okerenghigho. He said: ” The ijaws of Gbaramatu’s claim to the parcel of the land on which the university is situated despite copious judicial pronouncements to the contrary is a direct assault on rule of law and must be resisted by all well- meaning Nigerians.
But reacting to the said memo , a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress and fmr acting Managing Director of the NDDC , Pastor PZ Aginighan described the said memo from the AGF as laughable.He asked” Under what section of the Nigerian Constitution does the Attorney General of the Federation have powers to change the name of a community by executive fiat or a worthless memo to the National Assembly. ‘ We need to call Abubakar Malami to order because his body language does not portray him as someone who is working in tandem with our great party.’ Pastor Aginighan called on Itsekiri leaders to exercise some restraint in this avoidable controversy if peace and tranquility must reign Delta State .