The Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates to attend meeting called by the minister of petroleum to discuss issues relating to oil production in Ogoniland
Admin l Monday, April 30, 2018
OGONI, Rivers, Nigeria – The Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, a socio-political pressure group in Ogoni has appealed to the federal government to delist the name of the Ogoni environmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other martyrs, arrested, tried, sentenced, convicted, consequently, hanged by the military junta led by late military despot, Gen. Sani Abacha, on November 10, 1995, of all criminal charges brought against them and for which they paid the supreme price in furtherance of the struggle for the emancipation of the people of Ogoni from the group described
as “the tyranny of oil politics in the Niger Delta.”
According to one of the resolutions reached at the 2018 Ogoni General Assembly, “no meaningful discussion can be entered into about the resumption of
oil exploration and production in Ogoniland without absolving Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogonis that were hung along with Saro-Wiwa by the military at the behest of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, the Anglo-Dutch oil multination, in 1995.
The group also called on cultists and criminal elements in Ogoniland, consisting of Khana, Gokan, Tai and Eleme local government areas to surrender the arms and ammunitions to security agencies within seven days or be declared persona non-grata in Ogoniland. National-Coordinator of the group, Chief Gani Topba, made this declaration while reading the resolutions arrived at the Ogoni General Assembly 2018, held at Bori, Khana Local Government Area, on Monday, April 30, at the local government headquarters.
He stated: “We the Ogonis at the Ogoni General Assembly held at the instance of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, hereby, resolve that all cultists and criminal elements terrorizing Ogoni communities to surrender their arms and ammunition within seven days or be treated, collectively, as enemies of the Ogoni people.” He warned that any cultists or criminal who refused to abide by the proclamation of the Ogoni assembly will be treated by the Ogoni people and the security agencies as enemies of Ogoni and its people.
The assembly also mandated the national coordinator of the group to attend a meeting called by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to discuss issues relating to the resumption of oil exploration and production in Ogoniland, at Abuja. Chief Topba promised the people of Ogoni that he will upon his return from the meeting summon another general assembly to brief them on the outcome of the issues discussed at the meeting with the minister of state for petroleum.
While commending the Rivers State commissioner of Police, the area commander and the DPO of Bori Police Division and the State director of the Department of State Security, DSS, for working assiduously in enthroning a culture of peace and social order, the general assembly also resolved that any Police man that has served for more than two years in Bori should be transferred from the area “because they have become too familiar with the boys.”
While commending personnel of the Anti-Cultism department of the Nigerian Police, the Ogoni general assembly also resolved that the Police should identify all cultists and criminal elements in Ogoni and subject them to criminal prosecution. He added: “Our mothers and sisters can no longer go to farm for fear of being killed and raped. Therefore, any cultists or criminal involved in such criminal act should be fished out and dealt with as prescribed by the laws of Nigeria.”
“This assembly has passed a vote of confidence on the Anti-Cultism unit of the Nigerian Police and because they have been working to protect lives and property, we the Ogonis have called on the federal government to make more funds available to enable them function effectively.”
The assembly also mandated Chief Topba to find out from the minister of state for environment how the $10 million released by the federal government for the clean-up of Ogoniland was expended. The general assembly also resolved to withdraw their support from any politician identified to be arming Ogoni youths to perpetrate mayhem in Ogoniland no matter his or political affiliation.
