May 23, 2026
File image
By Omeiza Ajayi
The playground of SMUTUNS in Warri, Delta State, was alive with the colours, rhythms and raw political energy of a proud nation-within-a-nation on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Thousands of Ijaw sons and daughters — traditional rulers, politicians, elders, youth leaders, women and diaspora representatives — converged on the sprawling venue to witness the inauguration of the 9th National Executive Council NEC of the Ijaw National Congress INC, the apex sociocultural and political body of the Ijaw people.
It was a gathering that announced itself. High Chief Government Tompolo Ekpemukpolo, revered across the Niger Delta as the “eye of the Ijaw nation,” was present. So was Dumo Lulu-Briggs, top officials of the Delta State government, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, traditional rulers’ councils from Delta, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo and Rivers states, and a retired justice of the Supreme Court, His Royal Majesty Justice F.F. Tabai. Lawmakers from the Niger Delta states dotted the high table. The occasion had the weight of a constitutional moment.
