Fresh crisis looms in Ogoni land over visit of Ogoni leaders to Tinubu

From Chris Eze, Port Harcourt

Tension is rising in Ogoni land following the recent visit of some Ogoni leaders to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Recall that Ogoni leaders led by His Majesty, Mene Samuel Nnee had visited President Tinubu where they called for resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland as part of an Ogoni Economic Rebirth Project to fast track development in the area.

The monarch had informed the President during the visit that the Ogoni people are prepared for the commencement of oil and gas production in Ogoniland with the potential unbundling of OML 11 – bearing an additional production capacity of 100,000 barrels per day and 120 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Since the visit by the leaders, all have not been well in the area as individuals and groups have been raising discordant voices either against or in support of the action of the leaders.

The Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu led Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, in its condemnation of the visit, alleged that it was sponsored by oil companies to discuss re-entry into Ogoni oilfields.

MOSOP in a statement by its Secretary General Nyiedha Nledi Nasikpo at the weekend said Ogoni people have not at any time sat down to discuss the issue of oil resumption in Ogoniland, urging President Tinubu not to allow his office to be used by merchants of crisis to cause break down of law and order in the area.

The statement read: “The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) condemns the meeting with the President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of individuals sponsored by oil interests, and claiming to be leaders and representatives of Ogoni people sent to discuss the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni.

“MOSOP wishes to restate clearly that Ogoni people have at no point held a congress where the issue of oil exploration in Ogoni was deliberated. We would also like to make it clear that participants of said meeting who claimed and paraded themselves as leaders of MOSOP and its other affiliates are not known to any of the organs of MOSOP as recognized by Ogoni people. We also re-echo for the whole world to know that Shell and all oil companies remain persona non grata in Ogoniland until the demands of Ogoni people as enshrined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) which was presented to the Nigerian Government in 1990 is acceded to by the Nigerian Government.

“MOSOP calls on the Nigerian President to not allow his office to be utilized by merchants of crisis to cause chaos in Ogoniland reminiscent of the Nigerian Government’s direct attacks and sponsored attacks on Ogoni communities between 1990 and 1999 which saw the near complete annihilation of our people in a bid to protect and advance the interests of oil companies and their evil collaborators at the expense of the Indigenous people of Ogoni.”

As tension continues to escalate, a coalition of Ogoni youth groups led by National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has risen to declare their support for the mission of the leaders to the president.

Interestingly most of the youths who addressed a press conference in Bori, Khana Local Government Area at the weekend in support of the leaders were part of the delegation to the Villa.

Speaking at a joint press conference, the NYCOP President, Mr Barinuazor Emmanuel, said the visit to the president was purely traditional, adding that no politician from the state was among the delegate to avoid politicizing the visit.

The Ogoni youth leader explained that the aim of the conference was to “review the situation of the Ogoni people within the Nigerian Federation, bearing in mind the current socio-economic, socio-political realities, the need to mobilize support and social license for economic rebirth in Ogoni”.

Lamenting the plight of Ogoni people in the past years, the NYCOP President said the socio-economic conditions of Ogoni people have significantly deteriorated as a result of systematic repression, marginalization, neglect, and underdevelopment caused by successive government administrations.

He said the worse was the leadership gap created in Ogoni by the killing of their leaders, including the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others by General Sani Abacha’s military regime.

“I am among the delegate that visited President Bola Tinubu at the Villa in Abuja. It was one of the best because it was pure natural, traditional visit. We didn’t go with politicians because they have in the past years disappointed us.

“The delegation was purely on Ogoni people’s over 30 years of request. Don’t allow these people to divide you. Mr President has assured us that our oil will be operated by Ogoni people to ameliorate the age-long suffering of the people”

He added: “To put the records straight, Ogoni youths embraced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to ameliorate the age-long suffering of Ogoni people in our quest to provide lasting answer to the Ogoni un-answered questions”.

He said the Ogoni Youths Stakeholders trust President Tinubu, his message and plans for Ogoni economic rebirth, stressing that the president has the comprehensive idea about the evolution of the Ogoni struggle as their supporter in the NADECO Pro-Democratic Movement.

He however, appealed to the royal fathers, political elites and leaders to close ranks and rise beyond sentiments and greed to unite and collectively confront socio-political and socio-economic realities facing Ogoni people.

On his part, an Ogoni activist, Chief Solomon Ndigbara insisted that the Ogoni delegation to the Presidency was not for personal gain but to press home the Ogoni message of liberation, calling on the youths to remain calm and focussed.

“Let everybody be at peace, people have been going to the Villa without any message. We didn’t go there for money, we went there to talk about the struggle and we promise you that we will do things that politicians couldn’t do in Ogoniland,” he said.

Also speaking, a leader of Ex-Agitators in Niger Delta, Mr Nature Kieghe advised Ogoni youths to unite for the success of the struggle. He also called on Ogoni leaders to accept the message of the traditional rulers that visited the president.

“We are speaking to our leaders to leave the people that went to the Villa and listen to the message and see if the message is the mind of the people. We have suffered so much and this is the time to benefit from our struggle,” he said.