“Niger Delta Boils: Ijaw Nation Demands Resource Control as Pressure Mounts on Bola Ahmed Tinubu”
By Passman Akpos
A wave of fresh tension is building in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta following a strong and controversial statement by Etemowei Ebimobowei, popularly known as King Ebi Marine, the Ateipele I of the Niger Delta and founder of the Supreme Egbesu Congress.
In a message that is already stirring reactions across political and regional lines, Ebimobowei called on Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to grant the Ijaw people full control over their natural resources—particularly crude oil—or risk serious consequences.
The Egbesu leader described the current structure of resource ownership in Nigeria as unjust, pointing to what he termed a glaring imbalance. According to him, while gold deposits in Zamfara State are largely treated as belonging to local interests, crude oil extracted from the Niger Delta is controlled at the national level.
“This disparity must end,” he declared, stressing that the people of the Niger Delta have long borne the environmental and economic burden of oil exploration without proportional benefits.
In a tone many observers describe as a direct call to action, Ebimobowei urged Ijaw communities to prepare for what he suggested could be a decisive struggle for resource control. “There is no turning back,” he warned, a statement that has heightened concerns among security analysts and political stakeholders.
The remarks have since sparked debate over Nigeria’s long-standing resource control controversy, a sensitive issue that has historically fueled agitation and unrest in the Niger Delta region.
While the Federal Government is yet to officially respond, analysts caution that such rhetoric, if not carefully managed, could inflame existing tensions in a region critical to Nigeria’s economy.
Observers are now calling for dialogue and policy reforms to address grievances over resource ownership, revenue allocation, and environmental justice—issues that continue to define the relationship between the Niger Delta and the central government.
