PRESS STATEMENT.
As we continue to engage relevant agencies and the Federal Government of Nigeria on the Ogoni question, I was recently handed a copy of the official summary document on Bori State Creation.
A copy of this document was previously submitted to Former President Barack Obama of the United States of America and Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria.
HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
The call for Bori State is not new. It is rooted in documented history and official government recognition.
- 1958 – Sir Henry Willink Minorities Commission:
In his report to the British Government ahead of Nigeria’s independence in 1960, Sir Henry Willink stated that the only thing that would justify infrastructural development in Rivers South East was State Creation .
He specifically identified the Ogoni area and other parts of the Niger Delta as regions in urgent need of development and political autonomy. - Technical Committee on the Niger Delta Report also reaffirmed this position, noting the developmental deficits in the same areas.
This confirms that the agitation for Bori State has both constitutional and historical backing.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROPOSED BORI STATE
According to the summary document in our possession, the proposed Bori State will comprise Seven (7) Local Government Areas, with Bori Town as the State Capital.
The LGAs are:
- Oyigbo LGA
- Eleme LGA
- Tai LGA
- Gokana LGA
- Khana LGA
- Andoni LGA
- Opobo/Nkoro LGA
The document further provides projections showing how each LGA can be subdivided to enhance administration and grassroots development, including Eleme, Andoni, Oyigbo, Khana, and Gokana.
It also projects Bori State to become the Industrial and one of the richest States in Nigeria and Africa
, given its strategic location, human capital, and vast natural resources.
OUR POSITION
Let it be clearly understood: Bori State Creation was already documented and acknowledged by the Nigerian Government as a viable solution to long-standing issues in the region.
For those who argue constitutional rights:
The President himself has acknowledged the possibility of creating Bori State as a means of solving a long-standing problem that will guarantee peace, justice, and sustainable development in Nigeria.
The areas constituting the proposed Bori State are the same areas identified in 1958 by the Willink Commission as severely lacking in infrastructural development. 67 years later, that deficit remains.
Therefore, we state unequivocally: Bori State is the only condition for oil resumption in Ogoni.
Without addressing the political and developmental question of statehood, any other engagement will lack legitimacy and will not serve the people.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We take this moment to honor and remember our late hero, Senator (GBENE) Cyrus N. Nunieh, who worked tirelessly to follow up all due processes for Bori State Creation.
May his soul rest in peace. He will be remembered in the Ogoni Heroes Hall of Fame.
OUR COMMITMENT
The Ogoni Liberation Initiative stands firmly behind the vision and campaign for Bori State Creation.
We are also committed to providing financial support when the need arises to advance this cause.
As we continue these engagements, we shall also be releasing further evidence and documents to help resolve other major issues, including Ogoni compensation and the environmental clean-up.
Bori State is not just an aspiration. Bori State is possible. Bori State is necessary.
Signed,
Dr Fabeke Douglas
President/ CEO
Ogoni Liberation Initiative .
