Citizens of Kingdoms and City States (COKACS) marked her 2023 end-of-year on December 19, 2023 at her National Headquarters in Port Harcourt with many prominent Ijaw activists in attendance.
The event had as its theme, Ijaw Nation: The Journey So Far In Nigeria with Prof. Tamunonimim Ngerebo-a, a lecturer at Rivers State University as guest speaker.
Speaking to National Point at the event, the head of the organization, Shepherd Kalada Jene, said after he went back to the drawing board to think about the method of the Ijaw struggle, they came up with the fact that the Ijaw struggle had to be reset, and that is how COKACS emerged.
In his words, “The Ijaw struggle is supposed to agitate for the rights and privileges of people living in this sub-region.”
He expressed regrets that Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), which worked effectively in the past when it was operating the collegiate system had been hijacked by politicians.
“But all of a sudden, politicians tricked our young men to conduct election which brought about the Presidency of IYC. Otherwise it used to be a collegiate council. Unfortunately, when they elected a president, the Nigeria political system hijacked it.
“So right now, because of government hijack, the children have changed the struggle platform of IYC to a political platform or party. And we felt it has derailed from its original objective. That is why we want to go back to the drawing board.”
The guest speaker, Prof. Ngerebo-a, a lecturer in the department of Banking and Finance at the Rivers State University said Niger Delta people were a rich and unique people. “Our ethnicity should make us stronger and united.”
He lamented that many of the problems with the people were self-inflicted, noting that Ijaws have passed through serious deprivation.
“Today, the Ijaws are going through identity crisis as many of us now bear English names, we sell ourselves and conscience because of money,” he lamented.
Prof. Ngerebo-a pointed out the need to devolve power from the centre and for the Ijaw struggle to be renewed for sustainable development. He seized the medium to advocate for building of more modular refineries.
