MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) says its new development initiative, the Ogoni Development Authority will serve the best interest of the Nigerian nation and the Ogoni people.
In his new year message to the Ogoni people, president of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke said the ODA demonstrates the commitment of the Ogoni people through MOSOP to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Ogoni problem and drive a new era of peace and development.
The MOSOP President who spoke from the National Secretariat of MOSOP in Ogoni this morning said the operations of the Ogoni Development Authority meets the basic demands of the Ogoni people and is an acceptable way to resolve the Ogoni problem.
Nsuke said one of the issues that prolonged the resolution of the Ogoni problem was because Shell went extremely brutish against the Ogoni people going as far as buying arms to kill the people.
He noted that the “Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC was excessively brutish against the Ogoni people. This frightened the people and gave the impression that the Ogoni people were not wanted in Nigeria or that there was a deliberate state action to exterminate the Ogoni people”.
The MOSOP president said the revelations on Shell’s arms purchase to exterminate the Ogoni people were unpardonable. He further explained that in September 1994, Brian Anderson, then Managing Director of Shell, wrote to the Nigerian Inspector General of Police regarding an invoice for Shell to procure arms. He said that letter revealed the extent of Shell’s filthiness, brutality and irresponsibility.
“Shell was actually involved with buying arms for the Nigeria Police and these arms were used to kill the Ogoni People. The Humanitex Invoice for arms procurement cited in a letter by the Shell M.D. on September 12, 1994, addressed to the Inspector General of police revealed how Shell was buying arms for the police.” Nsuke said.
“Shell’s extremities made a resolution of the Ogoni crisis very difficult. Things got worse with the unexpected and unmanageable hangings of November 10, 1995. And I think the 1995 hangings was the reason the rest of Niger Delta did not toe the line of non-violence which was chosen by the Ogoni people”.
“That is why we consider those who clamour for forceful oil resumption in Ogoni as enemies of the people and the Niger Delta at large because forceful oil resumption will result in the killing of the Ogoni people who are bound to resist it.
”All the killings, in turn, could draw the sympathy of the rest of the Niger Delta and throw the region into crises” Nsuke said.
“It is therefore in the best interest of our country and economy to accept and encourage the initiatives of MOSOP to resolve the Ogoni problem through the operations of the Ogoni Development Authority.
”Ogoni Development Authority is an Ogoni initiative through MOSOP to address the Ogoni problem through the people’s participation in the development process” he added.
Meanwhile, he noted that addressing the Ogoni problem will invariably address the entire Niger Delta question and bring immeasurable prosperity to the entire country.
He used the opportunity to call on the Nigerian Government to clear the names of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others murdered with him in 1995 to provide some goodwill and encourage current progress to move the Ogoni society on the path of progress.
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