Mpigi Heads Ogoni Reconciliation Committee in Rivers *vows to end cultism, heinous crimes in one year

The Senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Dr. Barinada Mpigi, has been named as chairman of Ogoni reconciliation Committee.

The announcement was made on Sunday at Ogonis security stakeholders meeting at Sakpenwa, headquarters of Tai Local Government Area of Rivers state.

The newly sworn-in Senator's mandate is to ensure that all political differences in Ogoniland are carefully and amicably resolved and all indigenes of the area are re-united and  re-integrated into the communities for the peace,  tranquility and  security of the area.

Ogoni area has been the hotbed of cult activities and killings in the state.   

No fewer than 20 lives including those of security operatives have been lost to cult killings and communal clashes also traceable to cultism in the area in the last two months,  kidnapping and other heinous crimes have also been reported from the axis.

The traditional rulers council  in Ogoniland, under the aegis of "Supreme Council of Ogoni traditional  rulers,  led by HRM Godwin Gininwa organised a stakeholder meeting to discuss the disturbances.

Announcing the committees, a stakeholder and a prominent indigene of the area,  Dr.  Bernard Birabi, blamed the problems in Ogoniland in failure in family values and lack of integrity of the parents especially the fathers.

He said,  "We have fundamental problem. In the last 25 years Ogoni have grown up with lies,  balkanisation and rumours, these three factors are the main cause of the crisis we are in.

"Children don't listen to their father's.  Children see and watch what fathers do and when the see that fathers live in lies and they are fabricating stories and that they spread rumours, they  hinge to that. A lot of people that were killed were killed on fabricated stories and rumour.' he said.

He noted that the need and urgency to end rumour mongering, lies and position in Ogoniland for the desired peace and unity cannot be overemphasized.

"Unless we address these issues the question for lasting peace is still far fetched,  while we are thinking of what to do, we must remember that we are the cause of our own problems." he expressed.