Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Hundreds of Ogonis under the auspices of Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates as early as 6a.m. Tuesday gathered at Zakpon Junction in Bori, headquarters of Ogoniland, to protest against the bill signed into law upgrading the Rivers State College of Arts and Science in Port Harcourt (RIVCAS) into a full-fledged polytechnic called Port Harcourt Polytechnic.
The protesters, led by Gani Topba, National Co-ordinator, Ken-Saro Wiwa Associates, were made up young Ogonis.
They said they were unhappy that Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration planned to develop the new Port Harcourt Polytechnic into a world class polytechnic while neglecting the Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, thereby destroying the socio-economic development of the people of Ogoniland.
Topba alleged that with the law turning RIVCAS into a polytechnic in Port Harcourt, the governor has continued the agenda of concentrating all the major tertiary institutions in Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor local government areas which are in Ikwerreland, the homeland of the governor.
“This morning Ogoni people have gathered in Bori headquaters of the Ogoni people to speak their minds against the upgrading of RIVCAS into a Polytechnic. What has happened is to destroy the economy of Ogoni people. Remember yesterday that Senator Lee Maeba, the Chairman of Governing Council of Port Harcourt Polytechnic( who ironically is Ogoni ) revealed the plan by the Rivers Government to develop Port Harcourt Polytechnic into a world class polytechnic. That means in a few days time, the Rivers State Government will close down the Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic. So, we have come to tell our people that no matter what happens all hopes are not lost. We’ve come to tell our people that we must look inwards to improve Ogoniland.”
When reminded that Governor Wike had made it clear that the upgrading of RIVCAS into a Polytechnic was to bring education to the …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
