The Presidential mediator on Ogoni-Shell Crisis, Most Rev. Mathew Kukah has vowed to support the aspiration of Ogoni people to succeed Governor Chibuike Amaechi in 2015 just as he emphasized the need for the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.
Kukah’s endorsement of Ogoni governorship bid is coming less than 2 weeks after 99.9% of callers during a live radio phone-in programme in Port Harcourt, on the 2015 governorship race in Rivers State justified the need for Ogonis to produce the next Governor.
Oil rich Ogoniland consisting of Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai Local Government Areas is situated in the South-Eastern part of Rivers State with vast arable land and rivers devastated by oil exploration and exploitation.
The area was adjudged by UNEP through a scientific report to be harbouring benzene a known carcinogen, at levels over 900 tons above the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and 1000 tons above Nigerian standards in its drinking water.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, who declared his support for the Ogoni bid when a delegation from the Ogoni Generation Next, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, said granting Ogoni people governorship will increase their confidence in Rivers State and Nigeria.
The highly respected cleric urged the people of Ogoni to remain united, peaceful and prayerful for the dream to become a reality assuring that God will soon assuage their suffering.
He said; “We will continue to accompany the people of Ogoni until your dream of producing the next governor of Rivers State in 2015 is achieved. I want to commend you and encourage you to remain peaceful and prayerful until you achieve that project.”
Kukah, who was also the Secretary of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC), popularly known as the Oputa Panel, appealed to all the agencies involved in the implementation of the UNEP report in Ogoniland to carry out the assignment without further delay.
In its address the body had through Comrade Kadilo Kabari appealed to Kukah to continue to lend his voice and moral weight to the quest to clean up Ogoni environment.
“Ogoni people are burying more dead people today than they did at any other time in their history because they breath, drink, bath and eat fish contaminated with hydrocarbon”, he said.
Meanwhile, the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), says there is no going back on the quest for the demand of an Ogoni Governor come 2015 in Rivers State.
NYCOP stated this in a communiqué signed by its leader, Barry Mwara at the end of its crusade in Khana Local Government Area.
While enlisting political parties to flag the Ogoni agenda, in 2015 the council urged Rivers youths to support Ogoni people, like the people supported others and sued for the implementation of the UNEP report.
Source: RiversPolitcs