The President of the Indigenous Youths of Ogoni People, Mathew Degi has once again advised Ogoni Youths to keep hope alive and continue to stand for what late Ken Saro Wiwa stood for.
Speaking on Monday at Saro Wiwa memorial Park, Bane Khana local government area of Rivers State where a 30 years memorial celebration was held in his favour, the president stated that the celebration was also to remember all the fallen heroes of Ogoni land.
Degi said the essence of the celebration was to educate the younger Ogoni people who didn’t have the privilege to meet with late Saro Wiwa when he was alive and intimate them of the content of the letters.
Held in conjunction with the national union of Ogoni students, he disclosed that the programme was to review the first and second letters written by late Ken Saro Wiwa to Ogoni and the Niger Delta youths so many years ago.
He further stated that the conference was also geared towards uniting the Ogoni people and the Niger Delta youths to continue the fight against injustice in the Niger Delta region.
He said ” We are gathered here today to keep alive the struggle of the Ogoni fallen heroes and to re-awaken the spirit of Ogoni land and to standardize the continuation of the struggle which Ken Saro Wiwa started and left behind for us thirty years ago.
Also speaking, at the event, Mathew Barima , the founder of MOSOP Foundation ,USA frowned at the inability of the federal government to develop Ogoni land and the Niger Delta region, describing the hydro carbon remediation project (HYPREP) as a failure .
He however advised the the Niger Delta youths to shun criminalities in the region adding that criminality doesn’t pay.
Professor Joseph Ushie of department of arts , University of Uyo and Dr Sordum Owen , director school of general studies Ken Saro Wiwa polytechnic, Bori in their separate remarks called on the federal government to give attention to the issues of environmental disasters, like flood, oil spills among other environmental challenges in Ogoni land and the Niger Delta region.
