Rivers born non-partisan rights activist, Rev (Dr) Sokari Soberekon has revealed why he did not participate in this year’s Independence Day Celebration at the Sharks Football Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Rev. (Dr) Soberekon, who is popularly addressed as Senior Advocate of Niger Delta (SAND) by his admirers, said he had always participated in Nigeria’s Independence Day celebration since 1960 apart from this year’s 59th commemoration.
He however, said his reason for snubbing this year’s celebration is because of the poor attitude of Nigerian leaders to the plight of the people of Niger Delta whose oil has been used to run the economy of the nation for over fifty years.
Speaking to journalists who came to his office in Port Harcourt to find out why he did not come to march at this year’s Independence Day celebration on October 1 with his group, the pioneer Patriotic Parrot Youth Brigade of which he is the founder and life president, Rev (Dr) Soberekon said there is no sense participating in the Independence celebration when the Nigerian leaders have refused to give the people of Niger Delta and all other oil-producing states has been denied autonomy to control their resources.
He said since oil was found in Oloibiri in old Rivers State and now Bayelsa in 1956, no meaningful development has been witnessed in that area as the federal government has continued to neglect the region leaving the people poor, hungry and marginalized.
“Citing oil and gas museum in Oloibiri is not enough in Oloibiri is not enough, it should be Gas Institute, Oil drilling and Management Institute instead of museum especially in Oguta in Imo State which will bring about more employment and knowledge to Nigerians both born and yet unborn”, he said.
He went on: “Do Nigerian leaders have conscience at all or is their conscience dead? Why can’t they give us independence or allow us to control our resources? I have been calling for restructuring of Nigeria into six geo-political zones to correct all this injustice.
“The federal government is collecting our oil but they refuse to give us water to drink. All the water projects have been abandoned. We have plenty rivers and seas but they are not drinkable because they are salt water. Our people are forced to open boreholes in order to get water to drink and these boreholes will cause earthquake in future”.
