Tina Amanda
Youths of Ogoni Ethic Nationality of Rivers State have carried out a warning protested in solidarity with the Ijaw Youth Council over the agitation against federal government delay in constituting a substantive Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The protesters who blocked the Eleme axis of the East-West road which caused a heavy traffic jam, issued a fourteen (14) day ultimatum to the federal government to constitute the NDDC BOARD, address Ogoni Youths or the Eleme road will be shut down completely.
Members of the Ogoni Youth Federation who led the protest did not only demand for the constitution of NDDC Board but the immediate construction of Port Harcourt Refinery road and exoneration of late KEN SARO-WIWA and other Ogoni sons who were allegedly murdered extra judiciary years ago.
The President of the Ogoni group, LEGBORSI YAMABANA while addressing newsmen at the protest scene, said the fourteen days ultimatum stands for the federal government to fix the roads including the bridge within the Eleme axis of the East-West road which he alleged have claimed the lives of Ogoni people.
He insisted that Ogoni Youths are in line with the position of the Ijaw Youth Council led by TIMOTHY PETER-IGBIFA on the constitution of NDDC substantive board while threatening that failure of the government to heed to their demands will lead to the shutting down of economic activities in the area.
“We The Ogoni Youths are protesting for the right of our people, the Eleme road which is in a very bad shape leads to two refineries that is to be rehabilitated with 1.5 billion dollars, and we are saying before the refineries will be revamped the road must be fixed or there will be no rehabilitation.
“We are calling for a substantive Board to be inaugurated in NDDC within fourteen days from today, if that is not done we will totally shutdown the road, and paralyze all economic activities such as the Refinery, Petro Chemical, Nigeria Port Authority NPA, Oil and Gas Free Zone and the over two Multi-Nationals will be shut down, there will be no business in that axis.
“We are also calling on the federal government to immediately exonerate Late Ken Saro Wiwa and his Colleagues who were executed unjustly by Sani Abacha led military within fourteen days, a national honour must be conferred on them because they fought for the Niger Delta with their lives. For the fact they call us minority does mean we should be boxed to a corner, Ogoni Youths have risen for this course.
“We the Ogoni Youths are also in solidarity with the Ijaw Youth Council that have called for the same position. The contractors handling the refinery turnaround maintenance project must in seven days meet with the Ogoni Youths to tell us what is in there for us, never again will they come to cart away our resources why our people continue to die in abject poverty.
“The federal government should not consider this as a threat because it is not. Within fourteen days if this road is not fixed or the contractor handling the road is not mobilized to the site, then nobody will ply this road again. We cannot continue to lose our people on this road, over four hundred Ogoni’s have died on this road from tanker and bridge collapses.
“We are not going to carry arms but we shall win, the government should not push us to the wall, this is our position and we are only messengers of our people.”
Some other members of the Ogoni youth group who spoke to our correspondent lamented the sufferings of Ogoni people, the poor state of roads and NDDC affairs and warned that continuous delay maybe be dangerous.
They, however, expressed concern that businesses no longer function well in the Ogoni areas due to epileptic power supply which has crumbled most businesses.
They said further that the Ogoni people are yet to feel the presence of government as no meaningful project has been done to better the lives of the people or develop the Ogoni communities.
They noted that Ogoni communities host several multi National companies and several Oil wells and the people should not be impoverished and dying from neglect.
