The people of Eleme ethnic nationality in Rivers State, on Saturday, presented their position on the planned resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland.
It would be recalled that the federal government after a recent meeting with Ogoni stakeholders in Abuja, had set up the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, to interface with different shades of opinion to explore the possibility of resuming oil exploration in Ogoniland.
Speaking on behalf of the Eleme people at a stakeholders meeting, held at the Community High School, Alesa Eleme, the king of Eleme Kingdom, Dr. Philip Obele, lamented that despite the prime position of Eleme in the economic well -being of the nation, the area is abandoned.
“Eleme is host to most of the companies in Nigeria. In short, Eleme can be regarded as the hub of Nigeria economy after Lagos,” the royal father maintained.
He however, regretted that “Eleme story has been a catalogue of woes and hopelessness, ” a situation he attributed to the minority status of the area, and the lack of proper representation at both the state, and federal levels of government.
The monarch noted with dismay that Eleme has over the years watched helplessly, as the resources of the land are being carted away by the multinational companies, leaving the people to “reap massive unemployment, increase in crime rate, social degradation, and abject poverty.
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“In fact, the situation in Eleme is highly deplorable, depressing, desperate, very critical,band requires urgent attention” he stressed.
He urged the committee to critically look into the presentation of the people of Eleme.
“Articulate those decisions, those ideas, and whatever they are going to present to you, and ensure that Eleme people are considered, and the needful should be done for the people of Eleme because we have suffererd enough,” the monarch said.
Chairman of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, Prof. Don Baridam, represented by the Co-Chair, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, commended Eleme people for their peaceful disposition throughout the period of community engagement
“Your commitment to dialogue has brought us to this town hall meeting, the vital part of the grassroots consultation by the committee regarding the resumption of oil activities in Ogoniland,” he said.
He urged the people to take advantage of the opportunity to present their respective memorandum, which would form part of the final report the committee would present to the federal government.
