As the Ogoni people commemorate the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, the President of the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ogoni people, KAGOTE, Emmanuel  Deeyah, has urged the people to shun divisive tendencies and embrace unity as the pathway to achieving political inclusion, environmental justice, and sustainable development for future generations.
 
KAGOTE is an acronym for the four local council areas in Ogoniland, including Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme. Deeyah said that 35 years after the Ogoni Bill of Rights was signed, a document that encapsulated six key demands of the Ogoni people, some remarkable progress has been made, pointing out that the struggle remains a living document of hope.
 
Speaking further on how Ogoni has fared 35 years after the signing of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, Deeyah noted that the establishment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) remains a watershed in the history of the Ogoni struggle. He emphasised that the milestones recorded through HYPREP so far are a testament to the Federal Government’s responsiveness to the legitimate demands of the Ogoni people.
 
“When you talk about the remediation, clean-up of the environment, the Federal Government has really done well for us because they set up HYPREP, and HYPREP was supposed to be given an initial $1 billion for takeoff.”

Much of that money has been given to us. And if you travel around, you will find that it is not just the clean-up of the environment that is being done.
 
“There’s also the mangrove restoration and some water projects. There’s also the electrification of the whole of Ogoni that is ongoing. The Centre of Excellence is also there, there’s also a Specialist Hospital that is coming up in Tai, and there’s the Cottage Hospital in Buan.” He commended the Federal Government for what he described as a sincere and practical commitment to addressing the concerns of the Ogoni nation.