Comments by a former President of Federation of Ogoni Women Association, FOWA, and now stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Evangelist Caroline Nagbo against the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, is now eliciting reactions.
Nagbo who spoke during the visit of the Rivers State Representative on the board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Tony Okocha to Bane, hometown of late Ken Saro-Wiwa, was quoted as taking a swipe at HYPREP handlers for not recognising the sacrifice late environmental rights activist made for the project to come to be.
She lamented that the people of Bane Community were not happy with the interventionist agency and other top Ogonis who have held positions without immortalizing the Saro-Wiwa.
Okocha, who is also the Caretaker Chairman of APC in Rivers was in Bane for the flag-off of solar-powered street lights at the Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Park and reconstruction of the Kwawa-Eweh-Bere-Bane Road project.
“There have been other politicians but if not you, an Ikwerre son from Rumuigbo, we have HYPREP, this is Ken Saro-Wiwa’s tomb, you are here today to pay homage with not just to politic, but you came here with a project, starting from this tomb, no one has done it.
“We have had senators and other people who think that they are bigger than Ken Saro-Wiwa and those of us from this community, we cry everyday that a man that laid down his life for others, for Ogoni people, for Niger Delta people and for the minority in Nigeria, yet he’s not immortalized.
“I want to use this opportunity to pass on to HYPREP that they should wake up, Bane people are not happy with HYPREP; Whatever they want to bring is belated”, she said.
But reacting to her comments, Global President of Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar said such comment was not expected of a person of Nagbo’s calibre.
He called on the likes of Caroline Nagbo and other Ogonis to unite and support HYPREP to actualise its mandate of remediating Ogoni polluted soil.
“It’s unfortunate that Caroline Nagbo will use the name of HYPREP to compare with the ‘kangaroo’ visit of Mr. Tony Okocha, the State Representative on the board of NDDC, to Bane Community.
“In as much as we admit that she’s an indigene of that community, we also urge her not to do what is not expected of her, comparing a project like HYPREP to the ‘kangaroo’ visit of Tony Okocha is unacceptable and condemnable.
“Caroline Nagbo shouldn’t be seen in that light. She is someone that people should look up to, someone that should attract meaningful development to people of Ogoni, she should be someone that people of Ogoni should look up to, to hear meaningful utterances,” he said.
Oscar added: “That Tony Okocha belongs to thesame faction or same political structure with her is not a reason for Caroline Nagbo to come out on air to tell the people of Rivers State that HYPREP should be seen in the picture of Tony Okocha.
“HYPREP should be seen as a pet project in Ogoni and every citizen of Ogoni should contribute their own quota to the development of that project. It’s time for people of Ogoni to come together and realise that HYPREP is not about an individual but the generality of the people,”.
The youth leader further call on Nagbo not to allow strangers speak ill of an Ogoni project.
“We want to call on Caroline Nagbo to check her utterances and not to allow someone that has no meaningful agenda for the people of Rivers State as rep of NDDC and as State Chairman of NDDC to come out and speak ill of Ogoni project,” he stated.
