From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Chairman, Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, has rallied support for environmental justice among young people in Bayelsa State.
King Dakolo who spoke in his palace at Gbaratoru during a programme organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation(HOMEF) tagged ‘ Learning with the Wise’, for selected Bayelsa youths from oil and producing communities, urged young people from Bayelsa to always engage in meaningful things to better their lives and develop their tomorrow.
The monarch who took the young ones through the history of the Kingdom and various stages of the Niger Delta struggle appealed to young people to embrace education, and also devote their time to learning something new every day of their lives.
He urged young people to always maximize their time and enjoin them to devote more time to happenings around oil and gas activities and the environment.
Lamenting the various degradation and pollution in oil and gas producing communities in Bayelsa, King Dakolo said what should have been a blessing has become a bitter experience for the people.
He said that young people must always endeavour to ask questions to be better than those old men, who never bother to ask questions about their environment.
In his address, Mr Nnimmo Bassey, a foremost Environmentalist and the Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), said the visit is to tap wisdom from the wise, as an enlightened scholar.
‘We came with young people because education is a very strong tool for the growth of young people.
‘We are here to learn from the wise on things that are of natural value to human nature, things like climate change, amongst others.
‘Also to get the right knowledge, not the wrong one, but the one that will take young people far in life,’ he said.
According to him, things are changing rapidly in the world today, so many people are seeking knowledge and information from the media.
Bassey congratulated the King for his emergence as the chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, saying that he has all the qualities of a good leader.