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You Cannot Hate the Ogoni People and Like Their Oil, Akpobari Slams Government Neglect

Ogoni-born human and environmental rights defender, Celestine Akpobari, has accused the Nigerian government of repeatedly neglecting the Ogoni people despite decades of oil exploitation in their region.  Speaking in an

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Ogoni-born human and environmental rights defender, Celestine Akpobari, has accused the Nigerian government of repeatedly neglecting the Ogoni people despite decades of oil exploitation in their region. 

Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Friday, Akpobari criticised the government’s failure to deliver tangible development, lamenting the poor state of infrastructure and the lack of transparency in handling funds generated from Ogoni resources.

He also condemned the slow progress of the Ogoni cleanup project, alleging that the government has yet to fulfill its financial commitments.

Akpobari expressed disappointment over the lack of broad consultation with Ogoni stakeholders regarding critical discussions affecting the region.  

Responding to reports that major Ogoni stakeholders were not adequately represented in recent meetings, Akpobari disagreed with the Rivers State governor’s claim that participants were “carefully selected.” 

He argued that, given Ogoni’s vast population, it is unrealistic to expect over 1.5 million people to be physically present at such meetings but insisted that proper consultation should have taken place.  

“I disagree with the governor who said that the people were carefully selected,” Akpobari said. “Ogoni is a very large area with too many people, so we don’t expect over 1.5 million people to be in the villa. If it was the case of Ken, when meetings like this took place, he would have communicated with all the kingdoms of Ogoni and agreed with them on what to do.”  

Akpobari, who has been actively advocating for Ogoni rights, emphasised his role in pushing for high-level engagement on Ogoni issues. 

“I’m the convener, the person that spoke about the blood, and requested that meetings must take place in Ogoni,” he said. “I was part of the team that visited former President Buhari on October 22, 2021, and nothing has come out of it.”  

He lamented the deteriorating infrastructure in the region, highlighting the dire state of the road leading to Ogoni. 

“A journey of 45 minutes from Port Harcourt to Ogoni now takes more than six hours. People have died, a lot of things have happened,” 

Akpobari said, adding, “The government of Nigeria has raped the Ogoni people severally without a condom; they have lied to us severally.”  

Akpobari also questioned the whereabouts of the revenue generated from Ogoni’s resources over the past three decades, arguing that the community has seen little to no development. 

“The money they took from our land for over 30 years of oil theft—where is the money, and what has changed in Ogoni? Nothing has happened,” he said. 

“You cannot remember Ogoni only when you need oil. There are a lot of things that need to be done. Look at the Ogoni Bill of Rights and the major issues it raises.”  

Speaking on the environmental cleanup of Ogoni land, Akpobari expressed concerns over the slow progress and lack of government commitment. 

“The cleanup that has just been kick-started will take 30 years to complete, and we are only five years into it,” he stated. 

“The government is yet to bring money for that cleanup. I am a member of the governing council of that project, and I am speaking with authority when I say that the government of Nigeria has yet to contribute to that project. You cannot hate the Ogoni people and like their oil.”  

He further clarified misconceptions about financial compensation, stating that funds paid to Ogoni people were settlements won by individual farmers and fishermen through legal actions against oil companies. 

“All the monies that have been paid into Ogoni did not go to the community as a whole,” Akpobari explained. “Individual farmers and fishermen took the oil companies to court, whether it was in London or at the ACH. Those monies were paid directly into the farmers’ accounts; they did not go to the community.”  

Akpobari reiterated the need for sincere engagement and meaningful development efforts in Ogoni land, urging the government to fulfill its promises and ensure the well-being of the people whose resources have fueled the nation’s economy for decades.

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