The Ijaw National Congress was formed in 1991

• To work for Ijaw unity and promote national (Ijaw) consciousness.

• To create a forum for all Ijaw people to meet to discuss the plight of the Ijaw man is Nigeria
• To familiarize the Ijaw people with the problems of the various Ijaw Zones
• To adopt a co-ordinated, centralized, and united approach to finding solutions to Ijaw problems

Ijaw Unity

Before 1991, many Ijaw groups had been formed in many parts of Nigeria essentially to draw attention of Governments to the plight of the Ijaw and protest the extant state of affairs in Ijaw land, especially among the youths who were eager for a change in the status quo at whatever cost by what ever means possible.

Unfortunately however, these earlier Ijaw interest/pressure groups were unable to nurture the required central organization (of all the Ijaws) to effectively promote National (Ijaw) Unity, cohesiveness and consciousness essential for our survival as a people. Again, because of the lack of central body, they were also ineffective in confronting the marginal political / economic condition of the Ijaws in the Nigerian federation. It was in response to the appalling conditions occasioned, in part by the absence of a central unifying Ijaw organization that our three distinguished Ijaw fathers / leaders; Chief (Dr.) H.J.R. Dappa-Biriye, Chief George A. Weikezi and Chief F.H.E. Brisibe, all of blessed memory, met with other compatriots at the 29 Calcutta Crescent, Apapa, residence of Chief Weikezi under the auspices of the Ijaw people Union (Lagos) on 25^th, 29^th and 30^th of October 1991 The series of meetings was meant to fashion out a way for the Ijaw to grid their loins to face the challenges of endocolonialism that the Nigerian Federation now practiced.

The outcome of these deliberations (and studies undertaken by this group) was their conclusion that the Ijaw nation needed a think tank, an organ that will be the collective brain-box of the nation. The think tank, in practical terms was perceived as an institutional equivalent of the “Godfather’’ personified in the president of the organization “who must never sleep’’ who must be alive and awake at all times to know, discover, proffer and provide solutions for all Ijaw individual, groups, clans and national problems, whatever and however these may be and whenever and wherever they may exist. It could be noted here that INC today, especially it’s NEC, as portrayed vide its 1996 Constitution is a close approximation of the vision of 1991!

The immediate outcome of the Calcutta Crescent meetings of 25^th, 29^th and 30^th of October 1991 was the decision to convoke the All-Ijaw National Convention which held at Patani on the 23^rd of November 1991.

The Patani Convention of 1991 saw the emergence of Dr. (now) Prof. C.A. Dime the leader of the coordinating committee with P. Z. Aginighan as secretary. The Committee later transformed into the INC and Dime led tenure ended in 1994 during another Patani Convention of 7^th January 1994.

First Ijaw National Convention (Patani '91)

The 1991 Patani Convention was organized jointly by the Delta State Izon Consultative Committee (?Warri) and the Ijaw People’s Union (Lagos) and was hosted by HRH Major L.M. Erebulu (Rtd.), Aduwo II, the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom, under the chairmanship of Chief F.H.E. Brisibe.. Powerful and inspiration speeches and paper presentations were made by Chief (Dr.) Dapp-Biriye, Chief George Weikez, Rev. (Dr.) C.A. Dime, Justice J.A.P. Oki, Tony Engrube, Morris Ekiye, Prof. P.S. Akponwei P.Z. Aginighan among others.

The two major resolutions of the convention, as reflected in its communiqué were :

• The demand made on the Federal Military Government to create homogenous Ijaw States and Local Government Areas in the Ijaw Country; in the firm conviction that the Ijaw question was more political than economic and could solve these problems by themselves.

• The constitution of a committee (later to be known as the Ijaw National Co-ordinating Committee, (INCC) which was mandated to “examine various issues raised which affect collective Ijaw interest in the Nigerian federation” and to be the eye of the Ijaw in the affairs of the nation.

These have since set an enduring agenda for the Ijaw people.

The second major activity of the Ijaw National Coordinating Committee was the holding of the 2nd All-Ijaw National Convention tagged” Arogbo 92” in Arogbo, Ondo State 20th 22nd November, 1992. Arogbo was graced by the eminent presence of Chief (Dr.) Dappa-Biriye, Chief George Weikezi (the “Big Daddy”), and a personal envoy of Chief Ada George, the Governmor or Rivers State, and HRH Pere D. M. E. Eperetun, Aagadagba of Arogbo-Ijaw Kingdom. The keynote paper was presented by Prof. Kimse Okoko.

This “Arogbo 92” felt that matters of the Ijaw race should not continue to be handled by a committee. The name, All-Ijaw Cultural Association, was therefore adopted instead of the Ijaw National Coordinating Committee. “Arogbo 92” also raised the status of INCC to an interim National Executive Council, although unelected, with a mandate, within six months to:

1. Prepare a draft constitution, and

2. Organise a Delegates Conference to ratify the constitution of the Pan Ijaw national body.

All Ijaw delegates Conference

In accordance with the mandate of the 2^nd All-Ijaw National Convention, “Arogbo 92” an all-Iajw National Delegates Conference w as held at Kaiama on Saturday, May 15th, 1993. The name Izon (Ijaw) National Congress was adopted as an umbrella organization to handle all Ijaw matters. The Constitution of the body was also ratified, and the interim NEC was mandated to organize the 3rd All-Ijaw National Convention and elect National officers in accordance with the new constitution. The communiqué also reiterated the call for the creation of three homogenous Ijaw States namely Toru-Ibe, Oil Rivers and Bayelsa.

At this point, the INC is said to have taken its current shape and was ready for action.

Failed Attempt To Convoke 3^rd Ijaw National Convention

On the advice of Chief (Dr.) Dappa-Biriye, who indeed chose the venue of the two previous conventions at Patani and Arogbo, the 3^rd Ijaw National Convention was slated for November 1991, at Abua Town in Abua / Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. Arrangements had reached advanced state before the process was aborted by state security agents who were, apparently, disconcerted with the sheer thought of a large gathering not Ijaw people at the time when General Sani Abacha had just ousted the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekon.

A Full Blown Caretaker National Executive Council

A National Representative Council meeting was convened for Patani on Friday 7th January 1994 to discuss a number of issues facing the Congress and to review the State of the Nigerian Nation. Not only had the 3rd All-Izon National Convention (Abua ‘93) been aborted, issues of great national significance e.g. the Constitutional Conference, were staring the Ijaw nation “in the face”. Members of Council therefore felt strongly that a caretaker National Executive Council be put in place for the period between January and November, 1994 when the 3rd All-Ijaw National Convention would be held. A new full blown caretaker National Executive Council was thereafter elected thus with:

1. Mr. J.B. Fumudoh as President

2. Dr. Dinma Denni-Fiberesima as Vice-President

3. High Chief F.J. Williams as National Secretary

Pre Constitutional Conference / Ijaw Colloquium (PCIC)

The National Executive Council in it’s meeting held at Patani on 8th January 1994 resolved to organize a Pre-Conference Ijaw Colloquium on the proposed National Constitutional Conference. The PCIC was duly held on Tuesday, March 1st, 1994 at the Cinema Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt and a communiqué was published in the Guardian of March 13th, 1994. The PCIC adopted the memorandum already submitted to the NCCC.

Inauguration Of Council Of Ijaw Elders And Conference Of Ijaw Traditional Rulers

By virtue of the relevant provision of the Constitution of Congress, the first ever Council of Ijaw Elders and Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers were inaugurated on Tuesday March 22nd and Wednesday March 23rd 1994 respectively at the Cinema Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.

Joint Communique Of Conference Of Ijaw Traditional Rulers

The Pre-Conference Ijaw Colloquium asserted the inalienable rights of the Ijaw to all their territories, self determination and control of all resources under the earth, the airspace and the water including the Exclusive Economic Zone. The conference and council decried the deliberate balkanization of the Ijaw and gave approval to any form of struggle for the unification of the Ijaw in Nigeria. The communiqué was jointly signed by HRH Jones A. Ere II, Ebenanawei of Ogboin Kingdom for Traditional Rulers, Chief (Dr.) H.J.R. Dappa-Biriye for Council of Elders and Mr. J. B. Fumudoh, President of INC.

Boycott Of National Constitutional Conference

The conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers also met with the National Representative Council. A joint communiqué of the meeting of the Conference and Council, which was published in the Guardian on Saturday May 21, 1994, endorsed the boycott call of the INC on the ground that a conference of the nature being proposed was incapable of addressing the fundamental issues of the Ijaw question in Nigeria.