….Demands adoption of  new  approach

To avoid compounding decades of pain, a group,Ogoni Liberation Initiative, OLI, has requested that the current oil resumption negotiations in Ogoniland be suspended pending a more inclusive and rights-based approach that will build better and trust, equity, and national healing.

The President,Dr. Fabeke Douglas in a letter to the Presidency and eight others, made available to The Guardian in Abuja,stated, while these steps are commendable, we humbly submit that there are critical errors and omissions in the current dialogue process, based on information received from stakeholders on the ground.

Going down memory lane, Douglas argued that Ogoni struggle is rooted in the defense of life, land, and dignity, recalling 4th January 1993, where over 300,000 Ogonis peacefully protested against oil pollution caused by multinational operations, led by Shell Development company.

He described it as one of the largest non-violent demonstrations in world history the protest marked the loss of our primary sources of livelihood, land, water, and air, while August 1990: Chiefs, community leaders, and stakeholders across Ogoni met and signed “The Ogoni Bill of Rights”  the definitive charter of our collective demands.

According to him,October 1990, the Bill of Rights was formally submitted to the then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, and the Armed Forces Ruling Council, saying , it was a
significant steps taken by that administration afterward.

“The depth of commitment was total. On one occasion in Bori, every Ogoni person, including unborn children, was asked to contribute one Naira to the struggle. Pregnant women touched the coin to their wombs before donating it. That is how deeply Ogoni buried our spirit in the pursuit of justice.”

He explained, “In my book, _The Crisis and Solutions of Ogoni , we documented that dialogue approach  by General Ibrahim Babangida Military Administration.
The Tragedy of State Violence and Unresolved Justice  and 21st May 1994, four prominent Ogoni leaders were brutally killed under military watch.”

Still in the letter, Douglas recalled a mystery and pain they could never forget on 10th November 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed following a process that denied them fair hearing, and this equally violated their constitutional and international human rights.

Emphasizing on the tragic death, he maintained that those who understand both Nigerian and international law agreed that what is required is not pardon, but exoneration, because no crime was lawfully established, and exoneration is the only path to spiritual and physical healing.

On Ogoni Clean-up,OLI President explained that One billion dollars  ($1bn) was committed to the project,yet, under the supervision of the Present Ministry of Environment, the process has largely collapsed, and our people still lack clean drinking water and a safe environment.

He therefore maintained that the upholding the Ogoni Bill of Rights is key, while meaningfully dialogue on oil resumption without fully referencing and implementing it  is not negotiable, because it carries the blood, spirit, and consensus of both the living and the dead. No alternative document can replace it.