Amaechi appeals for Ogoni unity

PORT HARCOURT— Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has charged the people of Ogoniland to unite and move their area forward.

Amaechi, who made the appeal weekend, during a town hall meeting with Ogoni people, said they should set their individual differences aside in the interest of the area.

He reminded them of the selfless sacrifice of the likes of the late Kenule Beeson Sarowiwa and others for Ogoni land, adding that they should take steps to promote the common good of the area.

The town hall meeting was convened to acquaint the people of Ogoni  of plans by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to carry out remediation exercise in the area.

Noting that Ogoni should make good use of the presence of UNEP  in their area, Amaechi said it was the role of both the state and Federal Governments to make the project a reality in the area.

According to the governor, it is part of the request of the Ogoni that such an exercise be carried out in the area.
The governor, therefore, urged the people to cooperate with UNEP to enable them to achieve their mission of cleaning and remediating oil spills in Ogoniland, noting that the state government was determined to ensure that the project was a success.

Governor Amaechi said Ogoni people were the first, after Isaac Adaka Boro, to start the Niger Delta struggle, pointing out that the state government’s decision to develop Ogoniland was based on their pioneering efforts in the Niger Delta struggle.

The governor enjoined the leaders of Ogoni to stop their children from further destruction of their environment, through illegal bunkering activities, as it would damage the ecosystem, and emphasized that “we need you to check crime among the people”.

He urged them to cooperate with the state government to develop the area and announced that the Bori General Hospital would be renovated and equipped to serve the people.

Also speaking, the representative of the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP), Mr Mike Cowing, said the organization, which had been in Ogoniland on the invitation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua since 2006, has carried out series of consultations and was now set to commence the study of the environment as requested by Ogoni people.

The study, according to him, will be carried out with the highest international standard, stressing that it would be the building block for a comprehensive cleaning and remediation of spills in Ogoniland, as examination of about 350 contaminated soil samples in the area would commence next week.

Mr. Cowing, who lauded the support UNEP has received from the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Governor Chibuike Amaechi and other stakeholders, added that they would partner with Rivers State Polytechnic, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and the University of Port Harcourt in the implementation of the challenging project.

Earlier, in an address read on behalf of Ogoni by the former Commissioner for Education, Mr Tom Orage, again reassured that the remediation exercise to be carried out by UNEP was not a way for Shell to resume operations in the area.

He asked for more attention from the state government in the areas for the provision of drinkable water, electricity etc