A civil society group in the Niger Delta Social Action has beam its searchlight on President Goodluck Jonathan’s performance so far on whether the Niger Delta has gained or not within the period under review.
The roundtable meeting which was organized by social Action was held at the Algate Hotel over the weekend, at the instance of the facilitator, Mr. Ken Henshaw who said the purpose of the roundtable was to get the views of civil society organizations in the Niger Delta on the gains and the losses so far from the President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure as a president and a man from the Niger Delta region.
Henshaw stated that, the Niger Delta people seem to be greatly disadvantaged in the areas of projects, scholarship, employment, training programs and the non-completion of the famous East-West Road, even when the President is from the area.
The project officer of Social Action said there was urgent need to discuss the pros and cons of the President Goodluck presidency by the civil society so that they can proffer solution to it.
In his brief introduction, Mr. Legborsi Piagbara narrated the history of the Ogoni struggle and the birth of Ogoni Bill of Right and the federal government’s poor response to the environmental pollution and degradation of Ogoniland.
He lamented that many years after, the Ogonis are yet to find solution to the problems that enveloped them some years ago. The MOSOP president however, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the success of the UNEP report but stated that uptil now president Jonathan is yet to take a concrete step to address the issue of potable drinking water in Ogoni as the UNEP report confirmed the presence of benzene substance at the water level in Ogoniland, that can exterminate lives.
The report according Legborsi poses a serious danger before the people of Ogoni which is a major failure in the president Goodluck Jonathan presidency.
The MOSOP leader lamented how the culture of the people is been eroded because of lack of deliberate government policy to develop indigenous languages.
In his own remark, Gaye Gaskia said the 100 years Nigeria is about to celebrate is a 100 years of calamity. He posited that the problem of Nigeria is from the nature of power claiming that at any point in time those on the seat of power would not plan to help to liberate the ordinary people from their area, and described it as “the Paradox of Power and the nature”.
Comrade Gaskia believed that all the Niger Delta struggle like the Iyaw Youth Movement, the Kiayama declaration, MOSOP and other cultural and social movement then need to transformed into political power to enable the Niger Deltans achieve their goals without further delay.
He stated that few Niger Delta people are appointed into position of trust now with the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan but the region have witnessed more environmental degradation, saying that Niger Delta presidency is a bad omen for the people so far.
In his reaction, Dr. Andrew Ifemini said the region is not looking for a preferential treatment or are they thinking that only Niger Delta should change while other areas will lack in development, rather the people must insist on real political reforms to drive home positive development.
He maintained that Nigeria is a state of nature that float and surve while acknowledging that the forces that brought Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to power was not from the Niger Delta struggle hence it might not benefit from him as expected on preferential order.
Also speaking, Deacon Parker said the people should think of a good political system before thinking of benefit because any society that has low employment rate will experience crime increase. Deacon Parker told participants that over the years the number of inmates in the Port Harcourt prisons have increased due to high rate of crime in the society.
Some of those who count the gains of Dr. Goodluck presidency includes the bigger pipeline protection contractors, the amnesty program, two serving ministers, the Ministry of Niger Delta and that of petroleum that are not doing anything to help the region.
Others caution that if care is not taking after the Goodluck presidency the security situation in the Niger Delta might be worse than before.
There are reactions as some say he has not done well for the people of the region, while others applauded him and equally appeal for time and understanding. ###
