The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called for investigations into $300 million, an equivalent of N480 billion, meant for compensation and infrastructural development in Ogoni that was allegedly looted by a few individuals within and other parts of Rivers State.
According to the association, the money was part of the proceeds from an out-of-court settlement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and allocated to build infrastructure and compensate the people to facilitate the settlement of the prolonged oil crisis in the region.
MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, made the call in a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, stating that they looted the fund earmarked for a genocide executed against the Ogoni people and the Niger Delta as a whole.
Nsuke condemned the government’s silence over the matter despite repeated calls for probe by various individuals and groups, noting that the only way the Federal Government can absolve itself of the blame in the loot is to initiate an investigation and get the money returned to work for Ogoni.
“We are certain that some individuals shared the money ($300 million) amongst themselves, and we cannot be crying of human rights violations in Ogoni while we do this to ourselves.
“The amount in question could have addressed the water crisis, electricity, roads, and education needs of our people. Some privileged individuals cannot continue to do this to our country while we remain silent. We want accountability,” Nsuke said.
The President, who once dismissed the allegation of this very loot, noted that there is now some overwhelming evidence that necessitates an investigation into the matter, urging the government of President Bola Tinubu not to be silent over the matter.
He observed that being silent would mean a lack of commitment to resolve the Ogoni problem, explaining that the transformation that would have come with that money would have paved the way for an easy resolution of the Ogoni crisis.
He said, “We actually had a solution and personal greed thwarted it. This is a worse form of injustice than some of the allegations we have leveled against the Nigerian state.
“The money ($300 million) in question would have significantly addressed some critical challenges faced by the Ogoni people and helped resolve some of Ogoni’s most critical demands. That way, we would have been better positioned on the path of a resolution of the over 30 years oil crisis.
“It is important for the Ogoni people to know what happened to the infrastructural development fund. This is no joke because such money cannot be allocated to solve critical national problems which have lingered for over three decades and it ends up in the pockets of some few people while the problem persists.
“Ogoni people want this problem to be resolved. The starting point should be an investigation into what happened to the $300 million infrastructural development fund paid by the NNPC. We want a probe now and want the money back to help us address some critical under-development challenges.”
The MOSOP leader, who was visibly frustrated with the corruption and loss of such a golden opportunity to move the Ogoni people forward, urged the government to seriously address the loot to ensure that justice prevails and some relief can be seen in the land of Ogoni.
“No one should make any mistakes about it. People cannot share some $300 million meant for social development and expect the people to be silent. Ogoni is now fully aware that $300 million was allocated to drive development in the land through an out-of-court settlement and the money is in private pockets.”
“Let them bring back the money. We need to address issues like electricity, entrepreneurship, water provision and improve education. We have had too much of this exploitation in the past and this cannot be allowed to go unaccounted for,” Nsuke added.
