As the people of Ogoni on Friday marked the 22nd anniversary of the death of the martyrs of their struggle for justice and emancipation, the Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah has expressed sympathy to the people over the incident that consumed the lives of a generation of their leaders.

The PDP Chairman, who commended the Ogoni people for keeping the flag flying and not allowing the departed heroes of the struggle to die in vain, said such sacrifice was huge and the ideals behind the struggle for which they laid down their lives must be kept alive.

According to him, “This day is memorable, thought-provoking and calls for sober reflection as well as reassessment of how far the struggle for equity, justice, freedom and emancipation of the oppressed minorities, not only in Ogoni, but all over the world, has been carried on and the way forward. It is therefore, important that as survivors and beneficiaries of this struggle, we all commit ourselves more genuinely to it, with the hope that someday the world would be a better place, where the rights of our people would be respected”.

“As I join my beloved Ogoni brothers, sisters and compatriots in remembering the supreme sacrifices our known and unsung heroes paid for the rights and survival of Ogoni nation, the Niger Delta and indeed, Nigerian State, I also remind all of us that some cardinal objectives of the Ogoni struggle, for which these heroes died, were the enthronement of true democracy, good governance and the realisation of a clean, healthy and unpolluted Ogoni environment. I, therefore, charge you all to remain resolute in sustaining good governance in the State and the quest of achieving a safe, clean, peaceful and healthy environment. This is one way we can demonstrably show that the labour and sacrifice of these heroes would not be in vain”, Obuah said.

Obuah also called on the people of Ogoni to continue to identify with good governance and development which the Nyesom Wike administration has offered to the people of Rivers State and is determined to do more. He reiterated that the Ogoni have remained the nucleus of development plan of the PDP administration in the state, "championed by the Ogoni-friendly Governor, Chief (Barr) NyesomWike."

He, therefore, wished the Ogoni people a successful anniversary, while calling on the Federal Government to ensure justice in Ogoniland by implementing theUnited Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report recommendations which called for thorough clean-up of the polluted Ogoniland and to stop playing politics with the exercise.