The paramount leader of Nortem Bori community in Ogoni, located in the Niger Delta Region of Rivers State, King Lenu Tsaro Igbara (Gbene Teekoo IX), commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the initiative to clean up hydrocarbon pollution in the area.
King Igbara expressed appreciation for President Bola Tinubu’s plans to resume oil production in the Ogoni area after it was sealed off by the military government 30 years ago. He conveyed his gratitude during a visit to the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
“The clean-up is of utmost importance to my people due to the long-standing environmental hazards endured by the Ogoni community,” added King Igbara.
He emphasised that the clean-up would mitigate the years of environmental degradation caused by oil production in the area, which has adversely affected the Ogoni people.
The King of Ogoni Land expressed gratitude to the government for allowing the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni Kingdom through the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
He stated that the oil well in Ogoni Land is anticipated to yield 300,000 barrels of crude oil daily, constituting about one-quarter of the country’s total production.
“Shell’s license to prospect oil in Ogoni land had expired over the years. However, upon assuming office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu initiated the clean-up of Ogoni land,” mentioned the monarch.
“Following the successful clean-up, the Government handed over the oil well to NNPCL, and the company has since returned to the site in preparation to commence work.”
Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC National Chairman, expressed appreciation to King Igbara for his visit and for acknowledging President Tinubu’s administration’s efforts in the Niger Delta within a short period.
“The Nigerian Government under President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed is actively engaged in cleaning up the hydrocarbons in Ogoni land,” added Ganduje.
“He (King Igbara) values the clean-up due to the pollution, a widely acknowledged environmental hazard.”
“Though royal fathers refrain from partisanship, they are representatives of security, social welfare, and the needs of the people. Hence, they are also in a position to express gratitude to the government for actions taken in the interest of their people, as King Igbara has done.”
Dominica Nwabufo
