8th December, 2020
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called on the Nigerian Government to support its efforts at peacefully resolving the Ogoni problem through the operations of the Ogoni Development Authority.
President of MOSOP Fegalo Nsuke made the call at a meeting with the Ogoni Day 2021 planning committee in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Nsuke said the Ogoni Development Authority is an initiative of MOSOP to resolve all issues and get Ogoni on the path of development.
He explained that the idea of the Ogoni Development Authority was conceived out of MOSOPs core ideology to get the Ogoni people to benefit from their resources and also have the country, Nigeria, benefit from the enormous contributions to National income which the Ogoni region has been known for.
Nsuke said Ogoni is the most naturally endowed region of Nigeria and it is unfortunate that the country chose to use repressive measures rather than dialogue to resolve the issues and protests against the injustice done to the Ogoni by Shell and its partners.
He said the pains of the repression, especially the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, made the resolution of the Ogoni problem an extremely difficult one.
He however noted that the present leadership of MOSOP was working hard to resolve the prolonged crises with the formation of the Ogoni Development Authority.
Nsuke called on the federal government to cooperate with MOSOP’s present effort to win the people’s support for the development initiative and usher in a new era of peace and progress in the region.
The Ogoni Development Authority is a frantic effort by MOSOP to set forth a clear path and plan which when implemented will: (1) lead directly to the resolution of issues regarding the remediation, and restoration of oil spill areas in Ogoni; (2) provide for the future development of Ogoni, and (3) provide for the future economic security of the citizens and residents of Ogoni.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) having championed the struggles of the Ogoni people for a free, fair and just society that guarantees the fundamental rights of the Ogoni people considers the plan a fair and equitable outline which will clear away the mistrust between the Ogoni people, the oil industry and the government and bring about critically needed restoration and development activities in Ogoni.
The Ogoni Development Authority has been approved by both the Executive Committee and Central Committee of MOSOP.