The New Face of the Movement for the Actualisation of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has reiterated its resolve to effectively engage the Federal Government in dialogue for the realisation of its long-pursued self-determination and political equality for the Ogoni people.
MOSOP expressed regret over what it described as the Federal Government’s “insensitivity about the plight of Ogoni people due mainly to the massive pollution of the Ogoni environment by the international oil companies, IOCs without any tangible remedy.”
The group decried what it termed the carting away of over 180,000 barrels of oil per day by the Federal Government without a commensurate dividends for Ogoni people, who it sad, had been subjected to perennial poverty as their entire livelihood had been devastated by oil spill and pollution.
Nsuke Fegalo, the new President of the group, who spoke at Yeghe community in Gokana local government area of Rivers State on resumption as the MOSOP President, disclosed that his tenure would focus on the fight for the political right of Ogoni in the larger Nigerian state.
He said: “Today, the Ogoni struggle is reborn. Our hope for a better tomorrow is rekindled and we must all be prepared and determined to change our history and let the Ogoni star shine.
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“When in 1990, our progenitors launched the Ogoni struggle with the publication of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, it was a collective move to rewrite our history and give us hope. Tonight, that hope is rekindled as we turn a new page and together decide to match on so we can win together.”
Nsuke stated that MOSOP would focus strongly on fighting for the Ogoni people for self-determination, protection of human rights, especially the rights of women, development of educational standard, development of culture and monitoring the implementation of the clean-up exercise, among others.
He said the movement would continue to challenge the discrimination against the Ogoni people in Nigeria, adding that Ogoni alone generates 185,000 barrels of oil daily “and everything is shared by the rest of Nigeria and Ogoni gets nothing.
“That is the basis of our struggle, the reason we are aggrieved and we won’t stop until our political rights to self-determination is respected and freedom is won for our people.
“Ogoni contributes more to the Nigerian economy than 20 states put together, yet are the poorest in this country. Our huge natural endowments are exploited for the benefit of other Nigerian nationalities and nothing is left for us.
“Over $100 billion have been taken out of our land, leaving us with a wreaked environment, poisoned and unable to support reasonable livelihood. Currently, over 200 persons die weekly from the coastal communities alone and that is a sign that if nothing is done now, the entire Ogoni will eventually die.
“These are the reasons we have to stand to tell the Nigerian government we can no longer tolerate this injustice,” Nsuke said in his New Year message.
