A prominent voice within the Ijaw intellectual community has called for a strategic rethink of governance structures across the Ijaw nation, warning that overreliance on a single institutional authority could undermine accountability and long-term development.
In a passionate and candid reflection on current happenings, Prof. Mondy Selle Gold urged leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC) to embrace what he described as “institutional plurality”, the coexistence of multiple credible organizations to strengthen governance, representation, and transparency within the Ijaw socio-political space.
The advice is coming against the backdrop of dispute and disagreement between the Prof Benjamin Okaba led executive of INC and Council of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), an organ of INC with both sides holding divergent views and working at cross purposes on elections into the leadership of INC.
According to the scholar, there is a clear functional distinction between the Ijaw National Congress and the Council of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders, both of which he said serve complementary but fundamentally different roles.
While the former operates within a civic and representative framework, the latter draws its authority from tradition and ancestral heritage.
Gold cautioned against merging or over-centralizing these institutions, arguing that such a move risks weakening the diversity of governance mechanisms necessary for a resilient society.
“It is dangerous to entrust the entirety of a people’s autonomy to a single organizational structure,” he noted.
He explained that a lack of institutional competition could lead to complacency, financial opacity, and diminished accountability.
Drawing parallels from global advocacy systems, the professor cited organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Urban League, and Color of Change as examples of how multiple bodies can coexist to enhance advocacy and oversight rather than create division.
He also referenced Jewish advocacy groups including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, noting that their parallel operations help preserve credibility while preventing the monopolization of influence.
The absence of similar plural institutional frameworks within the Ijaw nation, Gold warned, represents a “strategic vulnerability” that could erode public trust over time.
He emphasized that his position was not a critique of existing institutions’ legitimacy but rather a call for continuous renewal through constructive competition and complementary structures.
“Healthy competition is not antagonism; it is a civilizing force that elevates standards and restrains excess,” he stated.
The scholar concluded by urging Ijaw leaders to deliberately cultivate a governance ecosystem that is “self-correcting, resilient, and accountable,” stressing that the future of the Ijaw nation depends not only on cultural solidarity but also on robust institutional design.
Prof. Gold is the author of Major Isaac Adaka Boro: The Unfinished Project and described his intervention as a contribution to ongoing conversations about strengthen
ing the Ijaw national project.
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