Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, says he supports the Ogoni non-violent struggle.
The APC chieftain said the struggle represented the struggle of all right-thinking people.
Peterside spoke in Port Harcourt, the state capital, ahead of yesterday’s Ogoni Day celebration.
He urged the ethnic nationality in Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme local governments to work with other ethnic groups to actualise the aspirations of their founding fathers’ dreams since crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the area in 1958.
Peterside said: “We must enter a new phase of cross-ethnic groups’ engagement by recognising that it is a collective struggle of all oppressed people all over the world.”
Saluting the resilience of the Ogoni and their industry over the years, the APC chieftain assured of his preparedness to back every genuine effort to make Ogoni great.
Peterside, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), hailed the Muhammadu Buhari administration on the Ogoni clean-up.
But he called for an accelerated process with the empowerment of the people, whose farmlands and streams had been destroyed.
The former House of Representatives member said the environment was the people’s greatest gift, adding that it must be preserved for the benefit of the present and future generations.
He said the environment and economic prosperity were interwoven.
According to him, effort should be made to collectively protect the environment.
The NIMASA chief also lauded the leadership of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) for keeping the spirit of the struggle alive.