By: Felix Ikpotor
As the Ogonis world all over commemorate November 10th, the day renowned environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis were killed by the General Sani Abacha military junta in 1995, a member of the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Evangelist Caroline Barine Nagbo has called on youths in the area, Niger Delta and Nigeria at large to be impactful to the society around them.
Nagbo made the call during a candle light procession to mark the event at the Old Port Harcourt Township in Rivers State.
Noting that Saro-Wiwa started fighting for his people in his early twenties, the Ogoni activist urged youths to avoid social vices and embrace intellectual and non violent struggle.
She said: “he was able to address the course of the Ogoni people at a very youthful age of 24 and at 26 he was already the administrator of Bonny in the most violent time in Nigeria, during the civil war, he was already a graduate. He was against oppression, he did not submit to the Federal Government of the day”.
“So I want to tell all of you here that it’s not about how old you are but it’s about your mindset for your people”.
“ The Ogoni struggle has set the pace for other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, Niger Delta and now the Niger Delta struggle would not have been globalised safe for the sacrifice and foresight of Saro-Wiwa”.
“As many of you that are students go back home and make a difference. Don’t go about with the social vices of the day. How am I going to affect my people and humanity and make a positive change should be your mindset for its not about how long you live on earth but what impact you create for your people.”
She further stated that the Ogoni struggle is not a primitive struggle as it has set the pace for other ethnic groups in the country.
“The MOSOP struggle is not a backyard or primitive struggle. It was a struggle of the mind, it was a struggle of the intellect by those that know better and so he mobilized the people and all the leadership of the Ogoni people to non-violently confront the authorities concerning the oil exploration in Ogoniland and what it has done to our environment,” she said.
She urged Ogonis to be united and focused in realizing the dreams of the struggle.
as The importance of this night is for the audience, for those that are non ogonis to understand the importance of this night in the life of the whole Ogoni people.
She further noted that the Ogoni struggle is not a primitive struggle as it has set the oace for other
Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, initiated the first non-violent struggle in Nigeria. It was non-violent. It was a violence of the pen, a violence of the intellect and of superior knowledge.
Ken Saro-Wiwa saw the future. He knew that without the environment there will be no humanity and he knew that all over the world, there where best practices by oil companies and in Nigeria especially in Ogoni it was a different case so there was need for agitation, a superior agitation and it took him to the United Nations to present this course. Ogoni courses,
It didn’t go down well with the government of the day but today everybody is talking about the environment.
He had the opportunity to betray but he did not betray. Despite all the promises. I want the young people here to uphold integrity in all you do.
The night is a night of sober reflection on what one can do for Ogoni nation.
I want us to live in unity, I want us to be focused and put Ogoni first
