By Jessica Dogo
Abuja – The people of Ogoni, Rivers, have been urged to unite and work with other ethnic groups to actualise the aspirations of the founding fathers of their struggle
Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), made the call in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
In a statement released in Abuja, Peterside said “the Ogoni struggle represents the struggle for survival.’’
“We must enter a new phase of cross ethnic groups engagement, recognising that it is a collective struggle of all oppressed people all over the world”, he stressed.
He commended the resilience of the Ogonis and their industry over the years and assured of his preparedness to back every genuine effort to make the people great.
He also commended the Federal Government on the Ogoni clean up and called for an accelerated process and factor in human empowerment of the people whose farmland and streams had been destroyed.
“The environment is the greatest gift of Mother Nature and so it must be preserved for the benefit of our generation and future generations.
“The environment and economic prosperity are interwoven so we must collectively work to protect the environment’’, he said.
He commended the leadership of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), for keeping the spirit of the struggle alive.