…Vows no resumption of oil production in Ogoni
Niger Delta Environmental Rights Defender, Celestine Akpobari has claimed that the Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State has over the years been subjected to political marginalization in the leadership of the state.
Akpobari who spoke to newsmen at the 30th year anniversary event of the death of right activist, Ken Saro Wiwa in Port Harcourt stated that despite its having the majority population and as well the most educated ethnic group in the state, no Ogoni man has been allowed to occupy the position of Governor, Deputy Governor, Chief Judge or Speaker of the state Assembly since the creation of the State.
According to the environmentalist, “We must address this marginalization because Ogoni people are the most educated tribe, we are in the majority.
”If you remove visitors and strangers in Ikwereland, Ogoni people are in the majority in the state. So why are Ogoni people being marginalized and cannot be Governor, Deputy Governor or Chief Judge of Rivers State,” he said.
Akpobari decried a situation where whenever a governor would be selected in the state, the political leaders of the state would bypass Ogoniland and move into Opobo or Andoni, to pick somebody instead of chosing an Ogoni person, stressing that Ogonis are the big brother to both Opobo and Andoni tribes.
”This is a conspiracy against Ogoni people. We must look into that because you cannot hate me and like the oil in my land. You are going after the oil in Ogoni but you hate the people of the area that produce the oil,” he explained.
The activist who condemned the plans of the President Ahmed Tinubu administration to resume oil explorations in the area, warned that there will be no resumption of oil production in Ogoni land until the government provides solutions to the roots of what led to the initial agitations in the area including the issues of the political marginalization of the area.
Akpobari said the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and other infrastructures in the area would in no way assuage the minds of Ogoni people to allow the resumption of oil production in the land, wondering if Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had any oil deposits in it’s area to have attracted the so much money spent on massive infrastructures in the city.
”Over 2000 persons were murdered in Ogoni land. All those that killed our people innocently must be tried, they committed genocide. Resumption of oil will not happen. Ogoni people are not jokers. So they are insulting our people. They are dancing on the grave of our people,” the right activist declared.
