Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon has said the people of Oloibiri community in Bayelsa State have not been treated fairly by the government.

Gowon said this at the premier of  Oloibiri, a movie, urging the government to always dialogue with aggrieved groups.

Gowon said, “Clearly, Oloibiri community has not been treated fairly. The people deserve our sympathy, consideration and collective resolve to develop and restore the beauty of this once vibrant community. I have no doubt that the bitterness and anger of many sons and daughters of the community and other similar communities have affected in one way or the other, the nation’s inability to harvest to the fullest the benefits of this God given resources.

”I will therefore like to sincerely congratulate the producers of this movie, Oloibiri, for producing such a world class masterpiece of creative excellence.

“The message is deep, the content is rich even though very bloody and the technical quality is very high. The film has greatly succeeded in projecting the unacceptable deprivation of Oloibiri into the consciousness of viewers. It is my hope that the new consciousness will produce legitimate presence on those whose responsibility it is to change the current reality. Government has serious responsibility to put things right in the community.

“Before this distinguished gathering of prominent traditional rulers, respected elders, governors and people of Bayelsa and Nigeria, I move as the former head of state to offer the nation’s confirmed regret, my own personal apology to the good people of Oloibiri, to the present and future government to work towards redressing the wrong of the past to this people.”

Azeez