By: Felix Ikpotor
A coalition of Ogoni youth groups led by National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has declared their support for President Bola Tinubu in his commitment to end the suffering of Ogoni people through the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area.
The youths also gave full backing to the team of Ogoni leaders that visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu few weeks back wherein they presented some demands which includes resumption of oil exploration as part of Ogoni Economic Rebirth Project.
Speaking at a joint press conference held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, the NYCOP President, Mr Barinuazor Emmanuel, said the visit to the president was purely traditional, adding that no politician from the state was among the delegate to avoid politicising the visit.
The Ogoni youth leader explained that the aim of the conference was to “review the situation of the Ogoni people within the Nigerian Federation, bearing in mind the current socio-economic, socio-political realities, the need to mobilise support and social license for economic rebirth in Ogoni”.
Lamenting the plight of Ogoni people in the past years, the NYCOP President said the socio-economic conditions of Ogoni people have significantly deteriorated as a result of systematic repression, marginalisation, neglect, and underdevelopment caused by successive government administrations.
He said the worse was the leadership gap created in Ogoni by the killing of their leaders, including the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others by General Sani Abacha’s military regime.
“I am among the delegate that visited President Bola Tinubu at the Villa in Abuja. It was one of the best because it was pure natural, traditional visit. We didn’t go with politicians because they have in the past years disappointed us.
“The delegation was pure on Ogoni people’s over 30 years of request. Don’t allow these people to divide you. Mr President has assured us that our oil will be operated by Ogoni people to ameliorate the age-long suffering of the people,” he said.
He added: “To put the records straight, Ogoni youths embraced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to ameliorate the age-long suffering of Ogoni people in our quest to provide lasting answer to the Ogoni un-answered questions”.
He said the Ogoni Youths Stakeholders trust President Tinubu, his message and plans for Ogoni economic rebirth, stressing that the president has the comprehensive idea about the evolution of the Ogoni struggle as their supporter in the NADECO Pro-Democratic Movement.
He however, “appeal to our Royal Fathers, Political Elites and leaders to close ranks and rise beyond sentiments and greed to unite and collectively confront socio-political and socio-economic realities facing Ogoni people”.
On his part, an Ogoni activist, Chief Solomon Ndigbara insisted that the Ogoni delegation to the Presidency was not for personal gain but to press home the Ogoni message of liberation, calling on the youths to remain calm and focussed.
“Let everybody be at peace, people have been going to the Villa without any message. We didn’t go there for money, we went there to talk about the struggle and we promise you that we will do things that politicians couldn’t do in Ogoniland,” he said.
Also speaking, a leader of Ex-Agitators in Niger Delta, Mr Nature Kieghe advised Ogoni youths to unite for the success of the struggle. He also called on Ogoni leaders to accept the message of the traditional rulers that visited the president.
“We are speaking to our leaders to leave the people that went to the Villa and listen to the message and see if the message is the mind of the people. We have suffered so much and this is the time to benefit from our struggle,” he said.
Other youth groups that spoke at the briefing which includes Ogoni Living Martyrs, Ogoni Youths Federation, Ogoni Environment Watch, National Union of Ogoni Students, Ogoni Comrades and Patriots Forum amongst others all supported the idea of oil resumption in Ogoniland.
