As the people of the Niger Delta region mark the twenty-fifth year anniversary of late ken Sarowiwa’s extrajudicial killing by the Nigerian State, stakeholders have expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as neglect by the Nigerian successive governments, in addressing the issues of host communities and environmental challenges such as pollution, gas flaring among other environmental contaminants.
Those who spoke to journalists in Portharcourt say some of the major environmental challenges that the late ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others died for, were yet to be addressed.
They, therefore, called on President Mohammadu Buhari -led the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the environmental challenges confronting the Niger Delta region.
In the wake of marking the 25th anniversary of late ken Sarowiwa’s extrajudicial killing, environmental rights activists and civil society organisations across the country converged on Portharcourt to chart the way forward, in addressing some of the environmental challenges confronting the Niger Delta region.
The stakeholders expressed unhappiness over the neglect and lip-service paid by the federal government in addressing the plight of host communities which the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists died for.
The issues of oil spills, gas flaring, Environmental degradation, and pollution were some of the key areas that stakeholders want the federal government to address immediately in order to safeguard the environment and to ensure sustainable growth.
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With these agitations and demands in memory of late Ken Saro-Wiwa who they said was unjustly murdered for fighting for the environmental rights of the people and the injustice meted on host communities of the Oil-rich Niger Delta Region, it is hoped that the Nigerian Government will look into the salient issues raised by the activists.
Editor: Ena Agbanoma
