The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has thrown its weight behind the ongoing dialogue between Ogoni communities and the Federal Government. The organisation described the support for the process as overwhelming and irreversible, saying the talks could provide an important opportunity for Ogoni to address longstanding social and economic challenges.
MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, stated this during an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday. Nsuke said the organisation remained firmly committed to achieving a lasting solution to the problems confronting Ogoniland.
He, however, acknowledged that the Federal Government might not be responsible for solving every problem in the oil-producing region. According to him, MOSOP’s interest is to secure the necessary government concessions that would enable Ogoni people to develop an Ogoni-focused system capable of addressing their own challenges.
Nsuke said the objective of the dialogue should not be to make Ogoni dependent on the Federal Government for employment and other basic needs.
“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.”
He said such a system should provide solutions to issues including employment, healthcare, education, electricity, security and infrastructure. Nsuke added that the discussions could also create opportunities for Ogoni to develop its resources and obtain appropriate benefits from them.
The MOSOP president urged Ogoni residents to resist what he described as misleading information and external influences aimed at frustrating the dialogue. He argued that the collective interests of the Ogoni people should take precedence over individual or sectional interests.
Nsuke said the dialogue had so far progressed positively, adding that the Federal Government had not given the organisation any reason to distrust the process. According to him, the dialogue committee has already submitted its report, with the next phase expected to focus on negotiations aimed at securing the best possible outcome for Ogoni.
Nsuke appealed to Ogoni people not to abandon the process after decades of struggle. He noted that it had taken more than 33 years for the current dialogue to materialise and warned that allowing misinformation to derail it could amount to a setback for the people.
“Being deceived to fight the process will be the most unpatriotic thing to do at this time.”
He said the immediate priority should be protecting the dialogue and ensuring that it produces tangible benefits for the region.
Nsuke also argued that Ogoni’s natural resources could provide substantial economic opportunities if properly developed. He claimed that the land possessed the capacity to generate more than $50 million daily, while poverty and unemployment continued to affect residents.
The MOSOP president further accused some external groups and non-governmental organisations of benefiting from the prolonged struggles in Ogoniland.
He alleged that some of these interests were attempting to discourage the people from engaging with the Federal Government. Nsuke urged Ogoni residents to take ownership of the process and determine their own path towards resolving longstanding problems.
“I want to call on everyone to give the Ogoni people the chance to resolve our problems ourselves.”
He questioned why people who had not opposed oil activities in their own communities would discourage Ogoni from pursuing dialogue. Nsuke maintained that dialogue remained the best opportunity currently available to Ogoni and urged residents to protect the process.
He also called on the Federal Government to sustain its engagement with the people, expressing confidence that continued negotiations could produce a framework that would enable Ogoni to address its developmental challenges.
“This is a fine opportunity,” Nsuke said, urging Ogoni people to remain focused on the common good and avoid actions that could undermine the ongoing negotiations.
