Few days after Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan officially closed the national conference in Abuja, youths under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Akwa Ibom Movement (FAIME), are at logger­heads following recommen­dations by delegates that parts of Akwa Ibom State oil-rich areas be excised and be part of the proposed Oil Rivers State.
Members of the Akwa Ibom caucus in the just-con­cluded conference had raised the alarm in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the con­ference, Justice Idris Kutigi on the proposed state. The caucus members in the letter warned that any plan to ex­cise any part of Akwa Ibom State would be resisted.
Members of the caucus which included former gov­ernor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, former minister of Lands and Hous­ing, Chief Nduese Essien and several others, had stated in the letter that since they were not consulted before the conference took the decision to create the new Oil Rivers State, no part of the present day Akwa Ibom State would be ceded to the Ijaws.
However, IYC members had challenged their posi­tion. The position of IYC, which was contained in a statement and signed by Eric Omare, slammed Akwa Ibom delegates, claiming that they lacked the right to oppose the creation of the proposed state.
The IYC statement read in part: “The petitioners are not part of the proposed state; hence they lack the locus to oppose the creation of Oil Rivers State. Therefore, we call on the relevant authorities to disregard the protest, as the proposed Oil Rivers State de­serves to be created on merit.
“We wish to make it abun­dantly clear that anybody or group of people opposing the creation of Ijaw state for the Ijaw people of Akwa Ibom and Rivers States on the one hand, and the Ijaw people of Delta, Edo and Ondo states on the other, are threats to the existence of Ijaw people.
“And we are ready to take any step to protect our exis­tence. The IYC would not sit back and allow Ijaw people to be politically and economi­cally oppressed and suffo­cated in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Ondo states.”
Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom youths have also vowed to defend their state and its re­sources with the last drop of their blood.
In a statement released by FAIME and signed by its president, Mr. Ibanga Isine, the group warned that the peaceful disposition of Akwa Ibom people should not be taken for granted.

IYC, Akwa Ibom youths at loggerheads over resource control