Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has said that the protracted implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoni is a grand fraud and deception.
Wike made the claim Monday while addressing the 108 and 109 general sessions of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt, urging monarchs in the state to lend their voices in condemning the neglect of Rivers State by the Federal Government.
He said it was disheartening that 28 months after the Federal Government launched the Ogoniland clean-up, they were yet to commence the exercise as recommended by UNEP.
“It is time you lend your voices more forcefully to the neglect of the state by the Federal Government, the devastation of our environment by the oil companies, the grand fraud and deception in the Ogoni clean-up exercise and the call for economic justice and fiscal federation,” he said.
The governor said the state-owned security outfit, Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, would soon commence operation for the primary purpose of detection and prevention of crimes across the state.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has sought for an Act to back up the activities of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) through independence legislation that would allow for more robust and comprehensive engagement in the cleaning of Ogoniland.
