We started the struggle for Jonathan’s presidency-------Senator Magnus Abe

…as Ogonis drum up support for Amaechi

(Nigeria) The Senator representing Rivers South East in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe has stated that President Goodluck Jonathan became Nigeria’s president from the South-South only after intense struggle for the position by eminent Rivers sons and other notable personalities from the South-South region.

Senator Abe disclosed this when he spoke at the weekend at the third synod of St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church, Bera Deanery and at a sensitization rally at Methodist Secondary School field, Bean, in Gokana and Khana Local Government areas respectively.

According to him, the need to restructure the country propelled the agitation for a South-South president.

This was as support soared for the Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr  Rotimi Amaechi at the Ogoni sensitisation rally held in Bean in Khana Local Government Area of the state.

Abe and other stakeholders at the Ogoni rally assured that they would continue to support Governor Amaechi on the basis of his commendable achievements in the state.

Senator Abe lamented that Rivers State was being neglected despite its agitation for a south-south president and support for President Jonathan in the 2011 polls.

He said: “First, we have not said that we are against President Goodluck Jonathan, we have not said so here. People need to remember that the South-South Presidency that we are talking about and enjoying today had an origin. In fact, the Calabar Declaration that was the beginning of the South-South struggle for the presidency was written by me in my own hand in the office of then Secretary to Government of Cross River State. I wrote it. Prince Tony Momoh was there, Mr. Egbogbo, the then secretary to the Government of Cross River State was there and a lot of other eminent persons from South-South.

 “The reason why we fought for the presidency to come to the South-South was because we said we wanted Nigeria to be restructured, that we needed to change the structure of this country so that we have a more progressive, more prosperous, a more successful Nigeria for all Nigerians.

 “Today, we have a president from the South-South and in bringing about that president from the South-South, all of us supported President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. We voted for him, we spent money on him. Nobody brought one Naira to Rivers State to campaign for Jonathan. Nobody brought one Naira and I challenge anybody who said he gave Rivers state money.  It was out of our resources and our time, settled our differences, and ignored whatever challenges we had to ensure that we produce a president from the South-South.

 “Now, what is the problem today? We are politicians, you must look around you. Today, we are standing here, if we talk of the president from South-South and the president is from Bayelsa, it means that Rivers State can no longer be president because it is our turn. It is as much the turn of Rivers State as it is the turn of Akwa Ibom, as it is the turn of Cross River, as it is the turn of Bayelsa, as it is the turn of Edo, as it is the turn of Delta because that is how Nigeria is structured. So this president it is our own turn. It is the president from Rivers State and the question that has brought about the fences between us and the Federal Government is simple: what has Rivers State benefited from it?

 “We have challenges that started right from the time of Dr Peter Odili between Rivers State and Bayelsa over some oil wells in Rivers State. Presidents came and went, the problem was still there, we were in court, the boundary commission had written to say that the matter would be settled and all that but today those oil wells had been ceded to other states. The money that was in escrow account when we didn’t have a president from Rivers State is no longer in escrow, it has gone to Bayelsa. You look at the Bodo-Bonny road, when we came, the governor (Amaechi) offered to do the Bodo-Bonny road, all he wanted was a letter from the Federal Government...we didn’t get that co-operation, today what is the fate of the road?"

Senator Abe expressed his displeasure at the delay by the Jonathan administration to implement the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, report on Ogoni, saying the delay clearly gives a wrong impression about the president.

He said Governor Amaechi has used his mandate to fulfil the needs of Rivers people in roads, health, education, economy, agriculture, tourism among others.

Also speaking at the rally, the president of KAGOTE, (four Ogoni LGAs of Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme), Dr. Peter Medee said he was delighted that the people of ogoni have continued to support Governor Amaechi.

He assured that the KAGOTE, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP and other organizations in Ogoni land would continue to back the Rivers State Governor, and blasted the Federal Government for not implementing the UNEP report.

 “I’m indeed so happy today that I can see this level of support for Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Governor of Rivers State). I know very well that nobody here was hired. If you were hired here, come here, if anybody paid you to come here, come here because I know and I also know the Ogonis have never been enslaved and we will never be enslaved.

 “I am happy today that we have a governor in Rivers State (Governor Amaechi) that has told us several times that the Ogoni project must stand and because he has said so, we in KAGOTE and MOSOP and every Ogoni organ must support that government and that is why we are here."

He noted that Ogoni would explore every legal means to get the Federal Government implement the UNEP report.

 “Let me inform you that those of us in KAGOTE (Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme LGAs), we are fully behind everything that will lift Ogoni to a greater height and let me inform you that whether the Federal Government likes it or not, we would force them to implement  the UNEP report, I say we will use everything legally possible, everything that is legitimate and legal to ensure that the UNEP report is implemented.

“We had a Federal Government that set up a committee headed by (Bishop) Matthew Kukah. What is the Federal Government doing, two years after this Federal Government was informed that the soil, that the water of Ogoni is very critical to the existence of Ogoni sons and daughters, two years, the Federal Government had decided to ignore the report, so that we can die. The era Ogonis used to die is over and any government that says ogoni people will die, we will not support them.

He recalled that opposition politicians in Ogoni land had failed to scuttle the electoral victory of President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe in previous elections, stressing that the people of Ogoni would not be politically divided.

On his part, the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Hon. Victor Giadom, lauded the Amaechi administration for transforming the state.

He also disclosed that Governor Amaechi had given go-ahead for assessment and dualization of the deplorable Saakpenwa-Kono road in Ogoni.

Giadom said: “(Governor) Amaechi’s administration has transformed Bori. Is it not true? Look at the roads that are all built by Amaechi’s administration. The road we are driving on here from Saakpenwa to Kono was built about 1975, the road has faced or suffered a lot of deplorable condition, the governor of ogoni, the Ogoni governor, the governor who is a friend to Ogoni people, the governor who believes in Ogoni, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has directed me, your son to go and assess the reconstruction, the dualization of Saakpenwa-Kono road. “That kind of governor, no be Ogoni man? Governor that remembers you, you could not beg and he remembers your own need, the need of Ogoni people, is that not our brother? Today, some of our brothers that you people voted for, sent in to Senate could not even bring primary school to his own village. They have nothing to show."

 “So, I have just told you people that the Amaechi government is committed towards ensuring that development is given to the people of Ogoni and you can find that on the streets of Bori, you can find that in all our communities where we have model primary schools, you can find that where you have health centres in Ogoni. What about in Khana here and I want to assure all of you that the governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said I should assure you people that the dualization of Saakpenwa-Kono road will be constructed by this administration”.

The Chairman of Khana Local Government, Hon. Gregory Nwidam said, “We are coming to tell Khana people what the Rivers state government has given back to us in return for the votes that we gave. Can you go round and tell me the number of the model primary schools that the Rivers State government has put in place in Khana? Have you not seen the health centres?”

Others who spoke included Hon. Legborsi Nwidada, representing Khana constituency I in the Rivers State House of Assembly, the PRO (MOSOP), Comrade Legborsi Esaen and the deputy national president of civil service union, who all praised Governor Amaechi for his achievements and assured him of the sustained support of ogoni ethnic nationality.

Earlier at St. Bartholomew’s Anglican church, Bera Deanery, the Rt. Rev. Precious Nwala, quoting the scriptures, urged Christians to be sincere in their search for God and pray for God’s will for Nigeria.