Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, has disclosed that failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government to implement the United Nations Environmental Protection Agency (UNEP) report on Ogoniland was part of the reasons why he left the party.
Amaechi spoke on Sunday at the thanksgiving service of the former Council Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Gregory Nwidam at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Bane.
Amaechi said the PDP-led federal government lacked the political will to implement the UNEP report to make the environment habitable for the people of Ogoni, including the provision of water and other infrastructural development.
“After the verification and recommendation by the agency to the federal government, they have refused to release the sum of US$1billion for the clean-up and development of the area. As I am talking to you today, the federal government is doing nothing about the UNEP report. US$1 billion is about N160 billion, but the federal government has been spending billions in other places. But, you need to ask yourselves one question, what did Ogoni do against the federal government that they cannot release N160 billion to save your environment. That is the reason I left PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC), because, our interest is not protected in PDP. So, when they cannot give the people of Ogoni N160 billion, which is not even enough for their kids to travel around America and London, if they cannot give to Ogoni people, why should you vote them?” he said.
“What you should do is to punish them with your votes by voting them out in 2015. When you vote, you are not fighting for me, you are fighting for yourselves because, I have served as a Speaker for eight years and also governor for eight years, what I need from God is long life. You need to fight for yourselves and save Rivers State as well,” Amaechi said.
The governor urged the people of Khana and all Rivers people to register and identify with the APC in order to vote out the PDP in the 2015 general election.
“Let me assure you that APC will win in 2015 in Rivers State. You owe me a duty to get registered with APC. Go and register during the voters’ registration and get your voters’ cards. I want to thank the people of Bane community and Khana people for their support, especially the celebrant, Hon. Gregory Nwidam, for his promise that the people of Khana Local Government Area will ensure APC wins in Rivers State in 2015,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi also advised supporters of the APC in the state to resist any attempt by the PDP to use police and the military to intimidate and manipulate the 2015 elections against the will of the electorate.
“The PDP said they will bring police and army. Let them bring them, but, you should know that they are also human beings. On that day of the election, I will be at the front. There is nothing police will shoot that I have not inhaled before. There is no cell that they have not locked me up as a student leader. There is no amount of slapping and beating I have not passed through in those days.
There is nothing new that the federal government has not done to me. So, I want to prepare you the APC for that day. When you vote, seat down at the polling unit and let them count the votes and announce the results, so that they won’t rig us out. Don’t vote for PDP. For me, politics is not about my brother or my father, politics is about me and my interest. So, it is about you and your interest,” he said.
Amaechi noted that his administration had built link roads, model primary and secondary schools as well as health centres to improve Ogoni land and other ethnic groups in the state in contrast to the federal government.
He said: “What has federal government done for the people of Ogoni. If I have not done anything, I have built roads, primary and secondary schools as well as health centres in Ogoni land. There are two areas I have focused since I became governor, Ogoni and Etche Local Government Areas. I have also taken development to other parts of the state. In Ogoni, I started with rural road construction including agricultural investment to employ Ogoni people.
So, when former Senator Lee Maebe said, are Ogoni people monkeys? I asked him to go back to school. This is because, the reason for establishing that farm in Tai Local Government Area, even after we paid the owners of the land, was to create employment.”
Source: ThisDay
