PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
By Joel Anekwe
The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has given the Federal Government and the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) up till November 30 to fully commence the cleanup of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland or risk civil unrest from the people of Ogoni.
Legborsi Pyagbara, president of MOSOP issued the ultimatum at the weekend in Port Harcourt during the 23rd anniversary of the Ogoni Matyrs Day, adding that MOSOP would take to the streets in protest if the Ogoni Cleanup exercise does not kick off before the 30th of November.
“We fear that the manacles of vestiges of discrimination of which these heroes laid down their lives is still with us and that is why I said we still have challenging days ahead of us,” the MOSOP President stated.
He added: “It’s on this note that we want to inform the Nigerian government, HYPREP in particular, that anything beyond commencing remediation efforts on the ground in Ogoniland before the end of November, 2018 will not be accepted by the Ogoni people.”
He called on the Nigerian Government to honour the Ogoni and the other Ogoni Matyrs who died in the Ogoni struggle. “We wish to use this opportunity to remind the Nigerian government to right the wrongs committed against these our fallen heroes,” he said.
Pyagbara noted that: “The process of national healing and reconciliation will not be complete until the Nigerian government clears the name of the Ogoni 9. There is no way the promotion of national unity will be complete until the Nigerian government takes the necessary steps to clear the names of the Ogoni 9 because they were unjustly killed.”
He recalled that the execution of the Ogoni 9 triggered a firestorm of condemnation across the globe, adding that as a result the Commonwealth of Nations suspended Nigeria from that global body. “The United Nations passed a resolution in December 1995 on which it condemned the hanging of Saro-Wiwa and others.”
In his remarks at the occasion, the Senator representing the Rivers South East Senatorial District, Magnus Abe who is also from Ogoni called on the people to consolidate on the legacies and contributions of late environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Matyrs.
He said the Ogoni struggle has witnessed tremendous progress, especially with the establishment of HYPREP to carry out the Ogoni Cleanup exercise.
Abe said: “The name, the memory and legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the fallen heroes of Ogoni is a veritable foundation on which our future can be built. There is nowhere in the world you will go today and people recognise you as Ogoni man and they don’t remember something about Ogoni. It is therefore my pleasure, my joy that am able to stand here today and join MOSOP to remember these people, to remember their contributions because I know they had not died in vain. I am thankful that we have made substantial progress on the cleanup of Ogoniland.”
