Former Senator Lee Maeba, who represented the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, has called on Ogonis to embrace unity as a critical factor in achieving lasting environmental justice and ensuring the success of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Maeba made the call on Friday in Port Harcourt while speaking at the Project Review Meeting with Key Ogoni Stakeholders, an accountability and scorecard interface organised by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
Addressing the stakeholders, he said, “For the first time, we as Ogonis must find something that truly unites us as a people.
Oil pollution and environmental degradation are challenges faced by many communities, but Ogoniland started the struggle and has now begun to enjoy the rewards of our God-given resources.
Other communities are envious, but what is happening here through HYPREP is not happening anywhere else.”
Maeba recounted his role in the fight for environmental justice, saying, “The process for environmental justice started long before I entered the Senate. I continued to champion it, which led to the passage of the Local Content Act into law, despite stiff opposition and intimidation.
I was also at the verge of passing the Petroleum Industry Bill before I left the Senate in 2011, and those who took over continued the struggle in their own way.”
He reminded attendees of the sacrifices made by Ogonis in the fight for justice: “A whole generation of Ogonis gave their lives to make this struggle succeed.
We must not truncate or destroy what they laid their lives for. We must be honest with ourselves and with our people, and unite to ensure that cleaning up Ogoniland succeeds.”
The former senator also addressed past attempts to remove an Ogoni from the leadership of HYPREP, emphasizing the importance of local leadership.
“A few years ago, there were attempts to remove an Ogoni man from the helm of affairs as Project Coordinator. I resisted it, because no one from outside Ogoni will better serve our people than an Ogoni son or daughter. We must end the pull-him-down syndrome.
We have lost prominent leaders and nationalists who gave their lives for the Ogoni struggle, and we must not allow division or divide-and-rule tactics to destroy our progress.”
Maeba urged stakeholders to support the HYPREP Project Coordinator, not through gifts or personal packages, but through encouragement and collective effort to ensure that Ogonis benefit from the cleanup.
“The Project Coordinator has a very important and serious mandate. He needs our prayers, our support, and our cooperation to deliver this project. Let us not distract him. God has blessed me, and I am grateful, so I do not expect anything for myself. What we must do is ensure that this cleanup succeeds for the comfort and prosperity of our people,” he added.
