by Azubuike Azikiwe
Governor Rotimi Amaechi says Ogoniland will be no more, if the region votes for the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party in the general election.
On Thursday, January 8, the four local government areas of Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State collectively pledged their support in next month’s presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
During the occasion, The Rivers State Governor urged the Ogonis not to be intimidated by the use of military by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the elections.
Ameachi, who is also the Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, implored them to vote for APC at all levels during the general elections, saying: “If you vote for PDP Ogoni Kingdom will die. 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 and governor for eight years, show me the house that I have.”
The chairman of the Governor’s forum also spoke on the environmental degradation of Ogoniland and the UNEP report, which he claims was not implemented by President Jonathan.
He 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 for 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 $1 billion that they will invest in Ogoni soil if you don’t get anything you will get $500 million, 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 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”, Amaechi said.
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