Sunday Okobi
As reactions continue to trail the recent comment by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the crude oil in the Niger Delta, one of the leaders of the Itsekiri nation in Delta State, Chief Rita-Lori Ogbebor, has described the former president’s comment as an act of patriotism which was made recklessly.
The former president recently said: “No territory in Nigeria, including the minerals found therein, belongs to the area of location and this remains so until the federation is dissolved.”
However, Ogbebor said Obasanjo’s comment about the oil in Niger Delta belonging to Nigeria made her uncomfortable because the people of the region expected her to speak on the issues, “as people think Obasanjo is my friend. We have always fought over issues in Nigeria. But one special thing about him is that he is a very patriotic Nigerian.”
The Igba of Warri Kingdom who spoke at a media briefing on the state of the nation in Lagos, yesterday, told journalists that Obasanjo would say anything in defense of Nigeria as a country, adding that his statement on the mineral resources in Niger Delta belonging to Nigeria was however reckless, “but that is how he feels; he feels that there shouldn’t be any ethnic group other than Nigeria.”
“He has also said many times that he would rather be a Nigerian than to be called a Yoruba. So for him, the oil belongs to Nigeria, but not that he doesn’t see or know that the oil belongs to the people of the region, because as a farmer, would he agree that his farm produce and his chicken belong to Nigeria or anybody else? No!
“So it was an act of patriotism that made Obasanjo make that statement-he believes that all the resources in different parts of the country should belong to Nigeria, in the sense that according to the Nigerian Constitution, the oil belongs to Nigeria, and that is what Obasanjo believes. Also, Obasanjo that I know was on the side of the Niger Delta-he worked with us,” she said.
The veteran journalist, who disclosed that she had worked with Obasanjo on the cause of the Niger Deltans, said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was Obasanjo’s brainchild, adding that he worked hard to create it.
“So how can he now go back to say that the oil in the Niger Delta he seriously worked for peace to reign in the region belongs to Nigeria? Off course the oil belongs to the people of Niger Delta, I said so because the people of the region who are already hurting because of what the oil is doing to their souls, the environment wouldn’t get fired up in aggression again,” she added.
“Obasanjo was in Niger Delta recently to the crowning of the Olu of Warri to accept that African tradition must be respected. I am not here to defend him, and I must say that his statement on the oil in Niger Delta was lousy but borne out of love and patriotism for Nigeria. He loves and always wants the unity of Nigeria.
“The former president doesn’t want to see any part of the country secede. We are always on a crossroad, and I know you are genuine like me, but I hope you will not make that mistake again (that the crude oil belongs to Nigeria),” she added.
On the state of the nation, Ogbebor said trouble was brewing in Nigeria, and urged the government to listen to the crying masses who can no longer afford the kind of life they had a few years ago.
According to her, “This government isn’t the cause of the crises though, however, if nothing is done by the present government, the economic crises would be blamed on it. Prices of food are increasing geometrically, and many families can no longer feed themselves.”
She rebuked the government for working on economic plans given to them by the World Bank and other foreign economic advisers, “who really don’t know the nitty-gritty of the country. And these plans cannot work for us because they are modelled after Europe. For example, Rita Lori Hotels has been in existence for 56 year run by me, but the government would not consult people like us who have been in the grassroots who would have given them credible economic advice.”
“The situation in the country is terrible, and the Buhari government should listen to the people who have been in business in Nigeria for many years.”
