Ogoni of My Birth - Comrade Legborsi Yamaabana

Time was when the Ogoni ethnic nationality was regarded as the home of peace, love and tranquility. That was then. Today, Ogoniland has unarguably become fudge City. A haven of gangsters, terrorism, cultism, rape, daily fighting (brothers versus brothers) destruction of houses.

Ogoni, without an atom of ambiguity has been stigmatized and plundered. Take a look at the frequent rate of killing in the land, not by external aggression but internal.

How did we arrive at this cross road? Who is to be blamed? The heinous act of Bokoharam sect cannot be compared with the orgy of killing and dynamiting of houses going on in Yeghe, Gokana,  Khana,  Tai and Eleme LGAs endlessly.

No one can exactly posit without deviating, the immediate and remote causes of these crises. Some school of thoughts are claiming cultism, some politics.

Whatever is responsible for this mayhem, it is about time it was nipped-in-the bud. It is the responsibility of all Ogoni sons and daughters, home and  in Diaspora to rise to the occasion and exterminate this ravaging contagion.

The questions begging for answers are:
Where are the Ogoni intellectuals? Where are the politicians that sartarically depend upon electorates for votes?
NYCOP?
KAGOTE?
MOSOP?
We must, as a race of people, restore our dignity and come up with ways to end this smoldering acrimony among ourselves.

We do not have to wait complacently on government to put our house in order.
With unbridled alacrity, we can arrest this noxious pogrom.

I hitherto appeal to my Ogoni compatriots vis-a-vis their sponsors to down their arsenals and seek ways to douse the embers of hostilities. Religious leaders in the land should sue for pow-wow and not lip service. The traditional institution, the first arm of government, before the emergence of democratic politics should exact their powers. It is a lamentable and an unfortunate happenstance that in this century, killings and destruction of monumental proportion should go unchecked.

In the final epitomization, I appeal to the State and local authorities to husband no procrastination and sue for peace and set up an impeccable commission of inquiry to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of these crisis. And panacea offered, deterrent steps should be taken where applicable.

SILENCE WILL BE TREASON -KEN SARO-WIWA.

Comrade Legborsi Yamaabana
NANS Presidential Aspirant