Governor Wike Has Not Kept Campaign Promises–MOSOP

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has explained why it boycott the reception organised to honour the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, in Ogoniland on Saturday.

The group said in a statement on Monday that Governor Wike had not kept his campaign promises to the Ogoni people and did not deserved to be honored by the people.

A reception was organized for Wike by some politicians and traditional rulers in Ogoniland on Saturday.

The President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, said air pollution and other vices were still being committed in Ogoniland and the government was doing nothing to address the problems.

Speaking further, Nsuke said MOSOP would not be part of the groups honoring Wike.

He said while the movement does not have any issues with political parties honoring who they like, they boycotted Wike’s reception to protest the ill treatment of Ogoni people and “ to register MOSOP’s displeasure over the role the Rivers State government played during the Ogoni repression culminating in the hanging of 9 Ogoni civil rights actors on November 10, 1995. “

Nsuke said MOSOP is also protesting the continual pollution of Ogoni, especially the unabated air pollution and the killing of Ogoni residents in communities bordering Okrika and Oyigbo.

“MOSOP is seriously concerned about the air quality and prevalence of soot which have had very dangerous implications on human health.

“We can understand the predicament of political party faithful as we draw closer to the next general elections and the desperation of government-paid chiefs whose promotion lies strictly on their loyalty to their paymasters, however, we can’t pretend about the failure of the government to address air pollution in Ogoni and in the state at large as well as government inaction over the continual killing of Ogoni people residing in communities bordering Oyigbo and Okrika.

“Our people are being murdered daily in communities bordering Okrika and Oyigbo while the government does nothing to protect the citizens. That is not something to celebrate and we wish to express our displeasure by boycotting the said reception for the governor. ”

Nsuke added that “We are also very concerned about the failure of the Rivers State government to keep its campaign promises to the Ogoni people and the obvious relegation of the Ogoni people in the hierarchy of government in the state.

“MOSOP does not consider it worthy to celebrate the government while the Ogoni people languish in abject poverty, live in a heavily polluted environment without water, electricity, schools, infrastructure, very poor health care facilities and grapple daily with security challenges.

“Our protest today is to draw the attention of the government to the pathetic and precarious conditions of the Ogoni people who live in a naturally endowed land yet suffer the most deprivations in Nigeria”.