Get Guardian on GoogleThe Green Ogoni Initiative (GOI}, a grassroots mobilization movement of Ogonis in the Diaspora has rejected the federal government’s plans to restart oil production in Ogoni against the will of the people. GOI says the plan does not respect the rights of the Ogoni people to self determination nor does it include an environmental impact assessment of the Ogoni region.
In a statement signed by Baridakara Sunday and Lincoln Nebraska, International Coordinator of GOI, maintained that the oil resumption plan does not offer any benefits for the Ogoni people and is riddled with financial inducements including a strongly rumoured 50 Million Naira bribe offered to each member of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC).
The group said, the Ogoni Dialogue Committee has been battered by numerous credibility crises and compromises including the acceptance of a 0.5 percent community benefit offer. GOI insists that the Ogoni people cannot lose all the personalities it lost including Mr. Ken Saro-Wiwa, Edward Kobani, Mr. A. T. Baddey, amongst others, suffered untold hardship, torture and deprivations for over three decades and settle for a 0.5 percent. GOI therefore maintains that the offer of 0.5 percent is grossly unacceptable and a violation of the rights of the Ogoni people to fair treatment.
The group further states that the desperate attempt to gather some select few into signing an MOU which the Ogoni people have not seen and ratified is an indication that the Nigerian Government is bent on causing crises in Ogoni and wants to subject the Ogoni people to a slavery condition that is worse that the experience of the past 33 years.
The group urged the Ogoni people to reject the contrivance of some 53 persons who gathered themselves and their friends into an Ogoni Dialogue Committee and wants to enrich themselves and families from the pains and sacrifices of the Ogoni people including the painful death of over 2,809 people.
’Ogonis worldwide are deeply pained at the betrayal of our collective conscience displayed by the so-called Ogoni Dialogue Committee and are deeply saddened to see this very painful episode replicated during the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu whom we are aware was a victim of the Abacha persecution and exiled at the time Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 others were executed”
GOI called on the Ogoni people to prepare for a strong resistance against these invaders who have chosen to deepen the pains of the people, desecrate the land with more Ogoni blood money and dishonour the sacrifices paid by our fallen heroes.
“MOSOP-USA is further saddened by the fact that at this time in our history, just two days to the memorial of the 1995 hangings of 9 of our martyrs and fallen heroes, some conscienceless individuals are gathered in Abuja to sign an MOU calling on the Nigerian Government to resume oil production in Ogoni”.
“We use the opportunity to alert the international community of the plot by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Nigerian government to further persecute the Ogoni people, suppress their collective will and militarise the area with attendant human rights abuses”.
’We urge the world and people of good conscience to rise in support of the Ogoni people during this very frightening period when the machinery of the Nigerian State is about to be rolled out against the Ogoni people. The Ogoni people need the protection of humanity and now is the time”.
