Bori State Creation Will End Ogoni Peoples’ Marginalisation – Group

A civil society organisation, the Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative (MEDI), has said the creation of Bori State, out of the present Rivers State, will bring to an end the political marginalisation of the Ogoni ethnic nationality.

This is as it calls on the federal government to release more funds to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme (HYPREP) to enable it to fulfil its assigned responsibilities in Ogoniland.

MEDI’s team lead, Celestine Akpobari, spoke on Sunday night in Port Harcourt, during a candlelight and rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the hanging of renowned environmental activist, Kenule Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis.

Akpobari said: “We demand for the creation of a State for the indigenous Ogoni people. This, we think, will completely solve the problem of political marginalisation as enshrined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights.”

The organisation demanded for a total reversal of actions taken on the divestment by multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region, describing the actions as satanic.

“We are also calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Oil Companies to immediately release funds to HYPREP as the one billion dollars was just a take off grant meant for the first five years of 200 million dollars per year.

“We are also demanding tonight a total reversal of  every action that has been taken on the satanic divestment.

Oil companies cannot destroy our environment and livelihoods and be allowed to run away just like that. This is unacceptable,” he said.

The MEDI team lead called for the immediate remediation and restoration of the entire devastated environment in the Niger Delta region.

Akpobari said: “We must also demand for the immediate remediation and restoration of the entire devastated Niger Delta environment. Ogoni will not be clean until every polluted sites in the Niger Delta has been cleaned up.”