President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, says the team set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to pave way for the resumption of oil production in Ogoni is avoiding the Ogoni Development model prescribed by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni people (MOSOP) which prescribed the operationalization of the Ogoni Development Authority.
Nsuke who described the MOSOP development bluement as next to an Ogoni paradise accused the NSA’s team which comprises mainly of political appointees of seeking to set aside a unanimous decision of the MOSOP Central Committee of September 27. 2020 and a MOSOP Congress Decision of 30th November, 2024 which endorsed the ODA as an acceptable pathway to resolve the Ogoni problem and pave the way for Ogoni development through the resumption of oil production in the area.
He said the NSA’s team was not discussing development, rather, they were seeking to manipulate people to achieve a predetermined goal. He further said the NSA’s oil resumption campaigners were politicians too afraid to speak the truth to their current paymasters and were sitting on both sides of the table to manipulate the process for personal goals.
Nsuke further stated that the development blueprint of MOSOP and the community-to-community education of MOSOP paved the way for anyone to talk about the resumption of oil production and warned that the NSA’s committee is degrading and will possibly destroy the gains recorded in this respect.
The MOSOP leader urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the situation immediately to forcestall any conflicts that could arise between the local people and the manipulative tendencies of the allies of the NSA.
“At this time, we want President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and ensure that the trust of the people is not eroded to the point where they become resistant. The president’s intervention is necessary at this time to forestall any possible crises which could be triggered by a resistance and to ensure that the process succeeds with the alignment of the people.”
“It is important to note that when we talk about the Ogoni struggle, it was driven by the people and not the politicians who are now seeking to hijack the process and shut down a people-based development plan which had an overwhelming embrace. These rural community dwellers need protection and assurance of their future and not the seemingly directionless talks going on with the NSA’s team” Nsuke said.
While calling for law and order to be maintained, Nsuke justified the recent protests that have greeted the recent moves to resume oil production in Ogoni.
“When people are oppressed, it is absolutely right and natural for them to seek justice and to resist such oppression. However, such resistance must be conducted peacefully. In this regard, I urge Ogoni youths to ensure that their discontent is expressed in the most civilised and peaceful ways. Peaceful protests and resistance are rights and inalienable” he said.
Nsuke frowned at the current approach of the NSA’s team, describing it as repressive and coercive. He noted the sponsorship of violent groups aligned to some of the members of the NSA’s team who have issued threats against civil society activists warning that such threats were not healthy for a society that has been the harbinger of human rights struggles.
He warned against the use of violence against dissenting voices noting that violence in any form it manifests will only create further setbacks and dampen the chances of achieving progress and resolving the Ogoni problem.
