Gowon to Oloibiri: We’ve all sinned against you

A former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon, has appealed to the people of Oloibiri and Niger-Delta region, to forgive all past and present Nigerian leaders for treating “oil producing communities unfairly.” He tendered the apology in a 12-minute emotional speech he delivered as the Special Guest of Honour after seeing the premiere of the movie: “Oloibiri” in Lagos. According to the former Head of State, from all indications, as portrayed in the new movie, successive governments including his administration, failed to understand the plights of Oloibiri – the Niger/Delta community in Bayelsa State where oil was first discovered in 1956. Gowon who however spoke against militancy but canvassed for dialogue among all warring parties in the region, said from all indications the people of the Oloibiri have been treated unjustly and there is urgent need to redress all that have so far gone wrong. “Why I do not support resort to self-help to fight injustice, we must however acknowledge that as a nation and as a people, there have been mistakes along the way and clearly Oloibiri as a community has not been treated fairly. They deserve our sympathy, compassion and collective resolve to restore the beauty of this once-vibrant community.

There is no doubt that there are agony and bitterness and in the hearts of people of Oloibiri and other similar communities who have also been affected in one way or the other … The film has succeeded in projecting the unacceptable, deprivation of Oloibiri and such other communities into people’s consciousness. It is my hope that such new consciousness will propel those who are charged with the responsibilities to change current realities.

Earlier in his address, former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku who was the chairman at the event, lamented the current state of Oloibiri which it described as the community that laid the first golden egg for Nigeria but has not been so recognized. Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/gowon-to-oloibiri-weve-all-sinned-against-you.html