The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has thrown its weight behind the Ogoni dialogue process with the Federal Government, describing support for the engagement as overwhelming and irrevocable.
MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, said the organisation remained committed to achieving a permanent resolution to the challenges confronting Ogoniland. Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday, Nsuke said the Federal Government might not be responsible for resolving every problem facing the Ogoni people.
He, however, maintained that the ongoing Ogoni dialogue process presented an opportunity for the people to secure concessions that could enable them to develop their resources and address critical social challenges. According to him, the collective interest of the Ogoni people must remain above individual interests.
Nsuke explained that MOSOP was not seeking a situation where the Federal Government would be expected to provide solutions to every problem in Ogoniland. Rather, he said the objective was to secure an environment that would allow the people to establish an Ogoni-centred system capable of addressing issues such as employment, healthcare, education, electricity, security and infrastructure.
“We do not need to be asking the government for jobs; we need to have a system that creates the jobs, and that is the goal of the ongoing dialogue,” Nsuke said.
He argued that Ogoniland should be able to benefit substantially from the resources within its territory instead of continuously depending on government intervention. Nsuke said the land had the capacity to generate significant economic value, despite the poverty and unemployment confronting many residents.
The MOSOP president also urged Ogoni people to reject what he described as misleading information aimed at frustrating the engagement with the Federal Government. He said the government had not demonstrated signs of mistrust and disclosed that the dialogue committee had already submitted its report. According to him, the next stage would involve negotiations aimed at securing a beneficial agreement for the Ogoni people.
Nsuke stressed that the people should remain focused on the collective interest and avoid allowing disagreements to derail the process. He noted that it had taken more than 33 years for the current engagement to emerge, describing any attempt to frustrate it as counterproductive.
The MOSOP leader further accused some external interests and non-governmental organisations of benefiting from the prolonged struggles surrounding Ogoniland. He questioned why groups that had not challenged oil activities in their own areas would discourage Ogoni people from engaging the Federal Government.
Nsuke appealed to all stakeholders to allow the Ogoni people to determine how best to address their challenges. He said dialogue remained the most promising opportunity available to the people at present and urged them to protect the Ogoni dialogue process.
“This is a fine opportunity, and people who have benefitted from our sufferings and deprivations should not deceive us into endless resistance,” Nsuke said.
He maintained that MOSOP would remain fully mobilised behind the engagement while encouraging the people to pursue negotiations that would produce lasting benefits for Ogoniland.
