The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has laid out conditions for the federal government and oil companies before the commencement of oil exploration in Ogoniland, insisting that their Development Authority Agenda must be implemented first.
MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, made this assertion during a General Congress in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said, “We want at least 20 percent of the resources that come out of Ogoni to be committed to Ogoni development.”
Nsuke added that this “commitment” should go into a trust fund managed by a third-party asset management firm, which will provide regular reports to the people online about how the funds are being utilised.
He noted that the Ogoni Bill of Rights mandates MOSOP to make representations on behalf of the Ogoni people as long as injustices continue, citing the absence of basic amenities like roads, water, housing, and hospitals as ongoing issues.
READ ALSO: MOSOP disowns Ogoni representatives who met Tinubu
“We will not accept any option that does not consider the position of the association on oil exploration, given the inputs it has made during the struggle that chased Shell out of Ogoniland,” Nsuke said.
Continuing the MOSOP President said, “We want the Ogoni Development Authority to be operationalized, and in the interest of Ogoni, any company coming to drill oil in Ogoni must have the trust to take equity in that company.”
“The third-party asset management firm will map out Ogoniland and design development plans, so we know where there will be electricity generating plants, sewage management, road networks, hospitals, schools, factories, and companies that will create jobs.”
Earlier, Mr. Theophilus Mbaga affirmed that Ogoni will continue to exist despite struggles and odds, urging all those at home and abroad not to relent in their demands and struggle for a better and prosperous Ogoniland.
