There was tension in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni land, on Saturday, as a planned congress to discuss the resumption of oil exploration in the region ended abruptly due to poor organization and rising tempers among attendees.
Naija News reports that President Bola Tinubu had, during a meeting with Ogoni leaders in Abuja over two weeks ago, urged them to consult their people on the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area and report back to him with their input.
In response, a congress was scheduled to be held at the Peace and Freedom Centre in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, bringing together Ogoni people from the four local government areas (Khana, Gokana, Tai, and Eleme).
By 1 PM, the scheduled start time, the hall was already filled to capacity, with hundreds more gathering outside. Due to the overwhelming crowd, organizers were forced to move the meeting to an open field to accommodate more participants.
Among those present were: Senator Barry Mpigo (representing Rivers South-East), Chief Victor Giadom, Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ledum Mitee, former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ignatius Kattey, Co-Chairman of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee
The meeting, which eventually started around 2 PM, lasted less than an hour. After brief remarks from leaders—including Mitee and Kattey, who explained the purpose of the meeting—Senator Mpigo urged Ogonis to unite and embrace peace.
However, shortly after, VIPs quickly left the venue, leaving youths frustrated and angry over what they perceived as a poorly organized and non-inclusive consultation process.
According to The PUNCH, frustrated by the abrupt end of the congress, some angry youths began protesting, displaying placards with inscriptions demanding transparency in the consultation process.
A youth leader from Khana LGA, identified as Emma, criticized the arrangement, stating: “How can they call Ogoni people from four LGAs for the first meeting in one small place and expect to achieve results? It is not possible because many people will want to speak.
“The best thing they would have done is to begin the discussion from the kingdoms or the LGAs before calling an enlarged congress to harmonize the views.”
The abrupt and chaotic end of the meeting has raised concerns about whether genuine consultations will be held before decisions on oil exploration resumption in Ogoni land are finalized.
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