The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has declared that oil exploration will not return in Ogoni except the Federal Government allow the people of Ogoni to have a say in the emergence of the company that eventually gets the nod to drill oil in the area.
MOSOP made the position known during its congress and rally which was held over the weekend at the Gokana Central Field in Bera, Ogoni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
At the meeting, the President, Fegalo Nsuke noted that the Ogoni Bill of Rights mandates MOSOP to make “representations on behalf of the Ogoni people as long as injustices continues.
The injustices which led to the struggle according to Mr Fegalo include; absence of basic amenities – no roads, no water, no housing, no hospitals among others has continued to elude the people.
Fegalo said: “We will not accept any option that does not consider the position of MOSOP on Ogoni oil, given the inputs it has made during the struggle that chased Shell out of Ogoni land.
He also maintained that Ogoni Development Authority should be “operationalized”, which means that 20 percent of the resources that comes out of Ogoni should be committed to Ogoni development.
He added that the “commitment “will go into a trust fund that will be managed by a third-party asset management firm that will give report regularly to the people via online on how the money is put to use.
According to the MOSOP president: “we want Ogoni Development Authority to be operationalized, and in the interest of Ogoni in that trust, any company that is coming to drill oil in Ogoni, that “trust” must take equity in that company.”
Fegalo explained further that the third-party asset management firm “will map the entire Ogoni Land, and design development, so we know where there will be the electricity generating plant, sewage management, road networks, hospitals, schools, factories and companies that will create jobs.”
