Ijaw Leader David Briggs Asks Wike To Apologize Over Comments On Ethnic Group

An Ijaw leader in Rivers, David Briggs, is demanding an unreserved apology from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, following his comments against the Ijaw ethnic group during a recent media chat.

Briggs, a former Commissioner for Works under Governor Peter Odili and current Chairman of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, made the demand during a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday night.

Briggs, who hails from Akuku-Toru Local Government Area in the Kalabari region, accused Wike of being ungrateful to the Ijaw people, stating that without them, he would not have risen politically.

“Without Ijaw, Wike is nothing. And he cannot bite the finger that fed him,” he declared.

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He traced Wike’s political ascendancy to the support he received from the Ijaw people, particularly during his time as a local government chairman. He credited Sam Sam Jaja, a prominent Ijaw leader and former National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the PDP, for saving Wike’s political career at a critical time.

According to Briggs, Wike’s backing of Governor Siminalayi Fubara was merely a payback for the goodwill of Jaja.

Reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s recent comments about the Rivers political crisis, Briggs expressed disappointment, stating that the President appeared to support Wike’s disruptive tendencies.

“The exact words of the Supreme Court judges were the same as what the President said during a meeting where he intervened in the crisis,” he pointed out.

He accused Tinubu and Wike of sharing an “insatiable need for power” and alleged that the President thrives on “divide-and-rule tactics,” similar to his time as Lagos State Governor.

Briggs further alleged that Wike deliberately fuels political instability, claiming, “He cannot survive where there is peace. Wike will not allow the Assembly and the Governor to achieve peace.”

He also predicted that “one day, Wike will turn against the President himself.”

In a strong warning to the Wike-backed Assembly over the call for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe RSIEC officials, Briggs advised them to be cautious, stating, “He who lives in glass houses should not throw stones.”