From Blessing Ibunge, Port Harcourt
Is no longer new that Climate change is the most challenges faced globally but the ability of individuals and government to be conscious of the sources of this menace could lead to near solution to the problem.
Climate change is a major problem caused by the increase of human mismanagement of the earth leading to several direct and indirect impacts on health. These climatic changes have wide-range harmful effects including increase in heat-related mortality, dehydration, spread of infectious diseases, malnutrition, damage to public health infrastructure, migration of both man and animals among others.
Nigeria like other countries of the world has its own experience of climate, even the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advised that the world must cut its carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050 in order to prevent global warming of 1.5°C, or likely more, above pre-industrial levels.
However, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni, MOSOP, has noted climate change as the biggest challenges in the 21st century.
Mr Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, stated this in his outgoing speech as the MOSOP President at the Ogoni Day celebration held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday.
Pyagbara who condemned the attitude of the government on climate change urged communities to actively fight against the sources of the menace.
He said: “First is the Climate change crisis. The climate change crisis has presented itself as one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Climate change is real. It is a development issue, it is a human rights issue, it is geography issue, it is a social issue, and it is a food security issue. We cannot continue to pretend as if nothing is wrong. The attitude of our government at all levels in this country to this crisis is quite unwholesome. It is time to confront it from our communities before it is too late.”
Speaking on the development of Ogoni, the former MOSOP president said “I promised that Ogoni natural resources can only be exploited when a proper framework is put in place. In furtherance of that objective, we have launched an Ogoni Template for Sustainable Extractive Sector Investment in Ogoniland. We promised to raise MOSOP Profile internationally while we served.
“If we truly believe in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, let us not allow ourselves to be used by any government, any oil company and indeed any politician against ourselves. Let us forgive one another wherever we may have been wronged and move together as a people with common destiny. Nobody can love us more than ourselves.
“As I have stated earlier, I want to reiterate that let us resolve from this Ogoni Day to unite in ways that we have never before. Let us decide from this Ogoni Day never to play politics with the issues of Ogoni people but to subsume our individual interest under the collective interest of Ogoni people. Let us resolve to set aside competitions that threaten to tear us apart and make a mockery of the work of redemption of our forebears.”
Earlier, in his opening speech, chairman of the programme, Senator Bennet Birabi urged that Ogoni people should seek unity and development for the future prosperity of the area.
Highlight of the event is the inauguration of MOSOP Transition Council that will be piloting the affairs of the organization in 2020. The Council will handover to a newly elected executive on January 4, 2021.
The Council is composed of: Chief Deebari Gbaranor Keeper (Chairman), Prince Biira (Vice Chairman) Bariara Kpalap (Secretary) Chief Theophilus Dike (Secretary), Barr Naabulobari Nazigha-Lue (Publicity Secretary) Kammy Ngelale (Treasurer) Victor Wisdom (Financial Secretary) and Barr Felix Kambe (Legal Adviser).
