By: Felix Ikpotor
As Ogonis commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis, a group known as the Ogoni Project has called on the people to use the period to reflect on how far they have faired in pursuing the dreams of the Ogoni martyrs.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Facilitator, Kadilo Kabari and Secretary, Kennedy Friday and made available to The Port Harcourt Spectator.
The group described the anniversary as “a silver jubilee without a silver lining yet in the dark clouds of environmental, social and political injustice plaguing ogoniland”.
The statement reads: “this memorial once again calls for sober reflection on where we were, where we are and where we ought to be in actualization of the hopes and aspirations of our forebears that culminated in a struggle for which they lived and died”.
The group which is made up of young Ogoni professionals said: “it is saddening however to note, in all honesty that we are a far cry from the lofty dreams of all our great leaders who lost their lives in the Ogoni struggle(Ogoni 9, Ogoni 4 and unsung heroes).
“It is therefore the position of members of the Ogoni Project, that Ogonis far and near must come back to the drawing board, reflect on the struggle that was developed around the tripod of environmental, social and political injustices which still stare us all in our faces evidenced by failing take-off of the Ogoni Clean-up by HYPREP to the social stigma of a disunited people ,whose leaders where gruesomely murdered by the state and then the political nightmare of failing to have produced a governor, deputy governor, speaker or chief judge of Ogoni extraction since the creation of Rivers State in 1967. It is indeed a “darkling plain” which requires concerted efforts of all and sundry to change the narrative on every front”.
The group therefore called on “the federal government to commence the much touted restructuring of HYPREP and the Ogoni Cleanup Project with a result oriented and people centered governance structure as well as project coordination”.
The Ogoni Project also called on the “Federal Government, in the spirit of national healing and reconciliation to declare a posthumous exoneration of Ken Saro Wiwa and other martyrs of the Ogoni struggle whose agitations have been vindicated by the UNEP Report and who latter day findings reveal were victims of manipulation of a people against themselves”.
It called on the Ogoni political class to close ranks ,wake up from the doldrums and explore ways of addressing the age long political marginalization using their various political platforms as vehicles.
