By: Felix Ikpotor
A political management consultant, Sir Joe Korka-Waadah has called on President Bola Tinubu to spread his appointments round the four local government areas that make up Ogoniland instead as against concentrating them in one LGA.
Korka-Waadah, who is also the Executive Director, Compassionate Heart Foundation of Canada, while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, appreciated President Bola Tinubu for the appointments of some Ogoni indigenes into strategic positions of his government, but said subsequently, the appointments should be evenly distributed amongst the four LGAs.
Korka-Waadah, who hails from Bane Town in Khana LGA, noted that every federal government appointment to Ogoni have been one sided with Gokana taking all slots.
He accused a prominent politician in the State of nominating his alleged cronies for the appointed position.
Korka-Waadah said although he is not opposed to those appointees following the fact that they are all qualified but urged government to ensure equitable distribution of appointment to the four Ogoni LGAs for the sake of equity, fairness and justice.
He said: “We are here today, because something has happened that has never happened before in the history of this country and history of this State. Ogoni consists of four local governments; Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme. But the last little while, all appointments from Ogoni is been given to one particular LGA and that is Gokana.
”I am calling for even distribution of Federal appointments among the Ogonis because the federal government is not even aware of this. Someone must have submitted those names to the presidency and so the understanding of the federal government I should believe is that these positions are evenly distributed amongst the Ogoni people as a way of soft landing for their resumption of oil exploration.
”The true is that we have four LGAs and nobody from the other three LGAs are given these appointments. The appointments as I said has to do with petroleum exploration. I am not calling for the appointed to be removed since they are Ogonis, they are my brothers. But what I am saying is that the way the positions is distributed is uneven and people from Khana, Tai, Eleme, nothing, everything is right there is Gokana.
”We know this is coming from the former Governor of the State and all his cronies. Senator Magnus Abe is qualified for the position he is appointed, no question about that. Prof Innocent Bariko absolutely qualified, Kenneth Kobani, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey and others. They are good for the appointed positions, but the point is that these positions should be evenly distributed and we call for more if there are so that other three LGAs can also benefit. This cannot happen in a democracy”.
