I feel highly honoured today to have the opportunity of welcoming you to this august occasion. Twenty years ago, the Ogoni people mobilized themselves in unprecedented numbers from the nooks and corners of their territory and gathered on this same ground to mark a historic declaration and commitment to a non-violent struggle for environmental justice, human rights and political inclusion in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That occasion also marked the inauguration of a new phase of the Niger Delta struggle..
Ogoni paid a steep price in blood and sweat in the course of that struggle. As in every major revolution, the Ogoni struggle devoured its own children. A generation of Ogoni leaders was wiped off. Numerous others lost their lives in extra-judicial executions and collateral deaths. Communities were destroyed. It was a period of the locust to our people. Although these gallant victims of the revolution are always remembered on the Martyrs’ day of November 10, today is also an appropriate occasion to reflect on the essence of their sacrifice.
On January 4th 2012, the leadership of MOSOP, the grassroot movement that embodies the Ogoni struggle, passed under an interim leadership christened MOSOP Provisional Council (MPC). MPC committed itself to continuing the non-violent struggle along a new trajectory emphasizing the traditional environmental and human rights as well as socio-economic empowerment; ensuring reconciliation in the movement and in Ogoni; reinforcing the policy of dialogue and constructive engagement with the government and corporate entities, especially in respect of job creation and economic development to alleviate the dire poverty in Ogoni. MPC also promised to conduct a transparent election and hand over to the elected leadership on January 4th, 2013.
MPC did its best to keep its word. It assiduously worked with local and international partners to ensure the Federal Government took steps to commence the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme’s report on Ogoni. Although the government responded by setting up the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Programme (HYPREP), MOSOP remains concerned that the fundamental measures that are necessary for the effective implementation of the UNEP report are yet to be taken by the Federal Government. Amongst others, in response to the conflict and human rights crisis in the Sogho community in Khana LGA over land acquisition for plantation agriculture, MPC did set up a Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Committee. Regrettably, largely as a result of the complicated nature of that conflict, the committee is yet to record a breakthrough. However, MOSOP was able to make good progress in respect of other communal conflicts such as that of Kor, and in working with the police to reduce criminality in Ogoni.
In July-August 2012, MPC faced a major challenge over the unauthorised declaration of “Ogoni Autonomy Day” by certain individuals. The Ogoni Bill of Rights clearly advocates local autonomy as a part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not sovereign nationhood.
In pursuit of its policy of dialogue and constructive engagement, MOSOP played a key role in the Ogoni delegation that met with President Goodluck Jonathan and his government in September 2012. It was the first time that the Ogoni people have held such an apex meeting with the government since the commencement of the struggle. Follow-up meetings are expected in order to concretely address the economic, social and political issues raised in the conversation with the President, including the creation of Bori State.
Regarding its transition programme, MPC successfully conducted transparent elections in December 2012. The new executive committee is being inaugurated today as part of this ceremony, except the President-elect, which cannot be announced yet as a result of a pending petition. The elected officers at the other levels will subsequently be inaugurated in the respective Kingdoms.
The new executive committee faces the important challenge of moving MOSOP into the contemporary period, based on new thinking. The dynamics of the Niger Delta struggle has changed significantly in the last few years. Ogoni has apparently lost out in the distribution of the benefits of the Niger Delta struggle which it pioneered. MOSOP must change with the time by redefining its strategic objectives and modus operand). Old slogans must give way to new realities. While protecting the human rights of Ogoni people, MOSOP as a social movement, must through advocacy construct strategic partnerships for development to improve the deplorable economic and social condition of the Ogoni people, based on the current development ideology which centres on private enterprise. Ogoni is in dire need of investment to create jobs and an attractive environment has to be created for this purpose.
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Source: National Network
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