The National Youth Council of the Ogoni people has raised alarm over what it described as dangerous insincerity and political propaganda by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The President of the National Youth Council of the Ogoni people, Dr. Young Nkpah said in a statement on Dunday that the federal government intended to deceive the Ogoni people and the host of international development partners into believing that it will continue the implementation of the UNEP report in earnest.
He stated that after a study of the approach, loud pronouncements and long delays adopted by the government on the globally celebrated implementation, the Ogoni people are not persuaded about the sincerity of the Muhammadu Buhari – led federal government whose earlier promises were designed to score cheap political points.
Dr. Nkpah recalled the consultative meeting of Tuesday July 28, 2015 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja which he attended with the Former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Bar Danladi I. Kifasi chairing the robust engagement process for the report implementation followed three weeks later by President Buhari’s pronouncement to fast-track the oil clean-up program with release of funds.
According to him, the funds which are yet to be released have become subject for rumours peddling, untold pressure and threat to his life and that of members of his executive through phone calls while making it difficult for him to remain at his Ogoni home.
He noted that since the announcement by President Buhari of immediate action and release of funds, the federal government has seemingly dosed-off on the program without regard to the health hazard and increasing mortality rate resulting from the long polluted Ogoniland.
He added that the silence by Buhari’s administration has raised strong suspicion among the Ogonis that the new federal government in collaboration with SHELL has opted for their usual primitive strategy of divide and rule to set the Ogoni leaders and the people against themselves and also employing gradual frustration of the oil clean-up program to force the collective loyalty of the Ogoni nation to join the ruling party in the country.
Dr. Nkpah emphasized clearly that the Ogoni struggle has gone beyond being politicized to the detriment of the wellbeing of the people and cautioned that any attempt to break the formidable rank of the united Ogoni people will be vehemently resisted by the National Youth Council of the Ogoni people and the entire Ogoni nation.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider urgent reversal of the developing dangerous trend that is militating against the continued implementation of the UNEP report by his government while the peace in Ogoniland is being sustained.
