Be patient, we’ll clean up your environment, Buhari tells Ogoni leaders

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday urged the people of Ogoni land in the South-South region of the country to be patient as government along with international community was working to restore their degraded environment.

Special Adviser to the President on Media on Publicity, Femi Adesina quoted the President as saying this while playing host to a delegation of Ogoni leaders from the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Adesina, the delegation also included some elected leaders of Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, the academia, community and religious leaders.

Buhari urged the leaders to prevail on their youths and sensitise their communities more on the benefits of the clean-up process, especially with the involvement of the international community.

“Certainly I am aware of the challenges in Ogoni-land. But I want to appeal to you as institutionalised leaders to speak more to the youths.

“With patience, we will prevail together in restoring the environment, especially with the involvement of the international community.”

The President noted that the degradation of the environment over the years had undermined the economy of the Ogoni people, adding that commercial farming and fishing would pick up after the restoration.

“We are working hard to change the situation. I know that if we had power in the country, many Nigerians will create and face their businesses,” he said.