The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has issued a final 60-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and all relevant agencies to begin a full-scale remediation and clean-up of oil-polluted territories across Ijaw land. Making this statement following a National Convention in Port Harcourt, the council warned that it will “collectively and decisively” shut down all oil and gas facilities within its territories if visible action is not taken by the end of March.
IYC President Dr. Alaye Theophilus stated that the group is modeling its demand after the Ogoniland “no remediation, no oil” framework, insisting that the extraction of resources at the expense of Ijaw lives and livelihoods will no longer be tolerated.
Beyond the ultimatum, the council called for an immediate administrative overhaul of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP). The IYC is demanding the removal of the Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarin Zabbey, and the Minister of Environment, alleging that the current leadership lacks the technical understanding to execute an effective clean-up.
To ensure the threat is more than just rhetoric, the IYC has constituted a Mobilisation and Sensitisation Committee tasked with visiting all Ijaw communities to prepare local residents for a coordinated and total halt of oil exploration activities should the government fail to respond.
In a surprising political twist, the communique also included a unanimous vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, endorsing both for the 2027 general elections. The council clarified that while they support the current political leadership for their roles in regional stability, their patience regarding environmental “genocide” has reached its limit.
This dual stance suggests the IYC is positioning itself as a strategic partner to the presidency while maintaining a hardline “enforcement” role on the ground to protect the Niger Delta’s fragile ecosystem from further degradation.
 Worldwide has issued a final 60-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and all relevant agencies to begin a full-scale remediation and clean-up of oil-polluted territories across Ijaw land. Making this statement following a National Convention in Port Harcourt, the council warned that it will "collectively and decisively" shut down all oil and gas facilities within its territories if visible action is not taken by the end of March.){kind=link}