… Says the Oil Industry Must Do Away With the Illusion that Ogoni Will Be Crushed.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP} says the development initiative proposed by MOSOP as an acceptable pathway to address the Ogoni problem is an opportunity and an invitation for dialogue.
Speaking yesterday in Bori, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni people, during an interactive session with a small group of Ogoni youths,. MOSOP president Fegalo Nsuke said MOSOP remains committed to its development goals urging the government to take advantage of the opportunity.
Nsuke advised the Nigerian oil industry to do away with the illusion that the Ogoni struggle for fundamental rights and development will be crushed by any means of force or some sponsored divide and conquer tactics and to accept the olive branch offered by MOSOP.
“I tell you, the ODA is a win-win for everyone, an opportunity for a dialogue that should resolve all issues permanently, create jobs, build infrastructure, provide security, quality education, healthcare and enhance economic growth with greater revenue for the government to address other national issues” he said.
He further assured the Ogoni youths that MOSOP will not submit to the brute force and divide and conquer tactics of Sahara Energy and their likes.
The MOSOP president who was responding to a question on the rejection of Sahara Energy as an operator for the Ogoni oil fields reiterated that Sahara’s rejection was because the company’s forceful incursions to resume oil exploration activities in Ogoni against the wishes of the Ogoni people represented a huge threat to peace and posed real danger to the lives of the Ogoni people.
Nsuke said, in the past 65 years of Ogoni history, the Ogoni people have been victims of Shell’s exploitation and deliberate devastation of the Ogoni environment leading to very catastrophic economic and environmental consequences on the people.
“In 65 years, we have been victims of oil industry exploitation led by Shell and the consequences had been economically and environmentally catastrophic “
“But we cannot remain there, we must move forward to pursue a new and positive cause and that is where the Ogoni Development plan comes in. ODA will not only address the environmental and economic challenges we face today, it is a guarantee for a secure future and it will be beneficial to all including the government and the oil industry itself” he said.
He further called on the Nigerian authorities to help the Ogoni people recover from years of social injustice, economic deprivations and environmental degradation by accepting MOSOP’s proposals for development which he says will trigger a vibrant Ogoni economy, create jobs, build infrastructure and generate more revenue for the state and federal governments.
“As Nigeria strives for greater prominence on the global stage, the country needs to embrace the dialogue offered by MOSOP in the drive for a solution to the Ogoni problem because the country cannot run away from the stains on its image occasioned by the brutal repression of the Ogoni people.
Recall that the Ogoni Development Authority, also known as the ODA, was approved by the Central Committee of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) on September 27, 2020. MOSOP has since then championed its implementation, taking the campaign to all nooks and crannies of Ogoni and mandating all its affiliates and chapters to promote the idea as the way to go in the quest to address the underdevelopment in Ogoni.
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