JONATHAN-AMAECHI HEGEMONY:THE OGONI FATE OGONI: HER FATE UNDER JONATHAN – AMAECHI HEGEMONY Although it is not new that Ogoni people have had terrible experiences living under the Nigerian government hegemony since 1960, current events in the land have heightened the type of jaw-breaking experiences the people of Ogoni live through. For instance, in more than 50 years, Nigerian government and Shell Oil had exploited the land and people of Ogoni without taken into consideration the life threatening consequences after profits. Worst still, when Ken Saro-Wiwa ventured to bring to their notice, the life threatening condition Ogoni people faced due to the massive oil exploitation activities going on, Nigerian government conniving with Shell hanged him (Ken) along with 8 others who stood by him in truth and in faith. In fact, even before the hanging, the country Nigeria clandestinely waged war with armless Ogonis, killing more than 4, 000 innocent citizens who don’t even know that there exist oil and gas under their feet. But the biggest of it all was the Ogoni 9 hanging on November 10, 1995 that took the life of an international environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa. It was and still remains government hegemony. What can you do? The Ogoni people are yet to recover from their wrack due to torments from the horrible experience of 11/10/95. Almost 16 years after the death of Saro-Wiwa, UNEP finally undertook a Shell sponsored study on the impact of oil exploitations on the environment and people of Ogoni. And what happened? Findings are stunning. For the first time, the world had an insight of the plights of the Ogoni people. According to UNEP report, contamination has gone deep affecting underground water. UNEP clearly stated in its report that the contamination in Ogoni, the Shell shocked land, poses health problems to the people living there and that the situation needs immediate remedial. To the hegemonic government in Nigeria, the report means nothing. Ever since UNEP submitted the report to president Goodluck Jonathan months ago, nothing had happened. To the watching public, it appears Jonathan and his 2-man review committee had shot the report in the foot and pushed it under the carpet waiting to be ignored. What country except the likes of Nigeria treats her citizens the way Ogoni people are treated by Nigeria? Despite the heart-breaking report released by the UNEP, neither the state nor the fed are moved. Instead, Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi is currently busy pilling up armaments in readiness to grab farmlands from poor villagers whose sole livelihood comes from the farm. As a surrogate for the fed, Amaechi has wanted the relocation of the army barracks currently situated on Ikwere land to Ogoni as a process of paving way for free flow of Ogoni oil. By this move, Amaechi is insinuating war against the Ogoni people. And this shouldn’t be. With the UNEP report lying waste under the carpet in ASO ROCK , and Amaechi pilling up weaponries in Sogho town, what’s the fate of Ogoni under the hegemony of Jonathan and Amaechi? Are these men ready to prepare a mass grave for the Ogonis still living? If not, what do they have up their sleeves for the people of Ogoni? Does anyone know? Please tell it to the world. Because I think the Ogoni fate under Jonathan – Amaechi hegemony is death – as that has always been the case of the Ogoni people in the state and country they call their own. Otherwise, Jonathan – Amaechi wouldn’t display such level of insensitivity to the people of Ogoni and the devastations in their land the way they now do.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 08:38:49 +0000
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