Leaders of Ogoni have been tasked by President Muhammdu Buhari to protect oil installations, saying willful damage was hampering development of the region.

“You will need to educate the people of Ogoni Land and the region more that when pipelines are broken, the damage is more to the immediate environment and the people.

“The majority of farmers and fishermen struggle because the fishes now move to the deep sea,” the president said during a visit of the leaders at the State House, Abuja, on Friday.

He said willful damage usually creates havoc on their environment and prevents indigenes from regaining their lives, return to farms and reactivate economic activities.

Mr Buhari said bad industry practices coupled with insecurity had resulted in massive spills with attendant environmental degradation of Ogoni, leading to agitations and strife.

He said the federal government would bring to a close all pending issues on sons of Ogoni Land, and consider the “request for the grant of pardon to finally close the Ogoni saga.”

The president said the rehabilitation of the Niger Delta region was top priority for his administration, which “has committed a lot of resources to tackle existing problems.”

(NAN)