Ogonis Declare Support For Buhari

Ogonis Declare Support For Buhari

The four local government areas of Ogoni ethnic

nationality in Rivers State comprising Eleme, Tai,

Gokana and Khana have unanimously pledge their

support to the All Progressives Congress (APC)

presidential candidate, General Muhammadu

Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election.

The Ogonis made their resolution on Thursday at

a brief ceremony to welcome General

Muhammadu Buhari and other top ranking party

officials to Sakpenwa, headquarters of Tai Local

Government Area of the state.

Speaking at the occasion, Chairman, Rivers State

Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty King G.

N. Gininwa thanked General Muhammadu Buhari

for accepting to visit Ogoni land.

He said, “I want to welcome you with your

entourage. We want to thank Governor Amaechi

for talking to you to accept to visit Ogoniland.

Ogonis have cried a lot, we want a redeemer and

we believe you are the one”, he said.

Also, in an address read by the Senator

representing Rivers South East Senatorial District,

Magnus Ngei Abe, on behalf of the Ogoni people

the people expressed the support for Buhari.

“Your Excellency, as a former federal

commissioner for petroleum Resources, you are

aware of the impact of oil exploration and

exploitation that has caused colossal degradation

of our environment. And you also know that

Ogoniland has been a major contributor in oil

production since 1958, yet as the proverbial

goose that lays the golden egg, we have been

rewarded with devastated environment and our

traditional occupation of fishing and farming are

continuously going extinct”.

“Three and half years after the federal government

sponsored UNEP report on Ogoni soil, no remedial

effort have been made to address the damage

outlined in the report despite the promise of the

late President Yar’adua’s government to

implement the content unconditionally”.

“As Ogonis we are pained that three years after

the government got a report that water in

Ogoniland is contaminated with benzene, a known

carcinogen, at levels of 900 times above the

World Health Organization (WHO) guideline”.

“As a deprived people, we have consistently

placed in the domains of all government, the

Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) that seeks for equal

representation of Ogonis in the affairs of the

nation”.

“Your Excellency, like Abraham Lincoln, your own

era to serve and change this nation in line with

the aspiration of our founding fathers has come,

and we have decided to be part of history. As

Ogonis, we know you have demonstrated an

unimpeachable pedigree, high level of discipline,

incorruptible and development-oriented leadership

qualities as evident in your days in office as Head

of States”.

“Nigeria was for the first time, railroaded on the

part of discipline and national integrity. Corruption

took a back seat in national affairs and people

learnt to submit to the processes of discipline

which your administration enacted”.

“Finally, because you consider Ogoniland as a

priority in the kick-off in your national campaign

tour, Ogonis shall reciprocate this golden gesture

and massively pool our votes to ensure you are

the President and Commander-in-Chief, come

May 2015″.

On his part, Rivers State Governor and Chairman

of Nigerian Governors Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike

Rotimi Amaechi who also doubles as the

Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari

Campaign Organisation, called on the Ogonis not

to be intimidated by the use of military by the

ruling party (PDP) during the elections.

Amaechi also urged the people to vote for the All

Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels during

the general elections.

According to him “If you vote for PDP Ogoni

Kingdom will die… you don’t have a strong

governor coming on the side of PDP. Who is a

strong character?… Those characters we have on

the other side are thieves….Ask them…Nyesom

Wike was my Chief of Staff, I have been speaker

for eight years…show me the house that I have…

speaker eight years, governor eight years…”

Also speaking on the environmental degradation

of Ogoniland, Governor Amaechi said, “when

UNEP came here, when they came to Nigeria to

do a study of environmental crisis in Ogoniland,

you people didn’t want them. True or false? You

didn’t want them… forget now that the report is

favourable. I addressed rallies in Ogoni to allow

them to come in… and I said if you don’t trust

Shell, if you don’t trust the Federal Government,

don’t you trust me? And you said you trust me.

“As your governor I was running into the bush

with Mike, we were chasing people, we were

chasing criminals, there were attempts to kidnap

(Mike) and other white people, but we maintained

our desire to find solution to Ogoni crisis. And

when they came up with the report, I met with the

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as

governor of Rivers State. And I said to the

President you see this report, please implement it

for the Ogoni people, in fact….If nothing else the

One billion Dollars that they will invest in Ogoni

soil if you don’t get anything you will get Five

hundred million Dollars, it may not come to you

as cash but as they continue to do one business

or the other you also will do your own business,

and you will benefit from it. Let the President tell

us why he has refused to allow UNEP report to

be implemented. There is no reason; because the

money is not his, I hope you know”?

The money is Shell’s. Just like Shell said they will

pay 18 million dollars to Bodo. If the Federal

Government say they won’t sign they won’t pay

them.

“In this one all it takes is for President Goodluck

Jonathan to sign them go ahead and implement.

Gentlemen we would have started implementing

by now. When the President was not

implementing I called Shell, and I said of great

importance to me as your governor is your life,

that is the life of Ogoni people, Can we give them

water? And Shell agreed. We started from Eleme,

Gokana had water provided by the Rivers State

Government”, he said.

Also speaking at the event, the party’s National

Chairman, Chief John Odigwe Oyegun described

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as a man who

represents the very best in human race and

assured the Ogonis of better governance from

may this year.

“The Ogoni people have put environmental issue

long before now, the Ogonis have been betrayed

by the federal government but thank God you

have finally recognized the powers in your hands.

The fortunate thing is that for the first time you

are going to be talking to a man (Buhari) who

represents the very best in the human race, a

man who is totally incorruptible and a man whose

middle name is discipline”, he said.

In his response, the Presidential candidate of the

All Progressives Congress (APC) Gen.

Muhammadu Buhari assured the Ogonis of his

determination to fight corruption to a standstill if

he wins the presidential election.