The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called for immediate actions to reverse the increasing death rate in Ogoniland. President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, made the call on Saturday, August 10, 2019 in an address to the general congress of MOSOP in Gokana Kingdom, Ogoniland.
Nsuke said “government silence over the alarming death rate in Ogoni is clear indication that the only interest of government in Ogoni at this time is oil production in the midst of heavily contaminated environment and not the welfare of the Ogoni people”
He regretted that despite the death of an estimated 50 persons weekly within the coastal communities of Bodo, K-Dere, B-Dere, Gbe, Bomu and Kpor in Gokana local government area alone, government has done nothing about improving the health care delivery system in Ogoni and HYPREP has failed to conduct a health audit on the people as recommended by UNEP.
“We must continue to speak very strongly about our conditions until our voice changes things positively for us and for our land” Nsuke said.
“We must also sustain our non-violent approach despite the frustrations and military repression which had been the only response of government to our protest against the rights violations we continue to face” he said.
He maintained that “the only solution to the Ogoni problem that will guarantee our future as Ogoni people in Nigeria is for the government and people of Nigeria to respect our political rights to self determination”
“The Ogoni people will have to control their own affairs in Nigeria to reverse the ultimate death that every Ogoni faces in Nigeria today as a result of political discrimination and environmental devastation” Nsuke said.
The president of MOSOP regretted that the Ogoni cleanup which was expected to set the pace for the remediation of the environmental problems was been used to enrich individuals. He accused members of the HYPREP governing council of looting the funds meant for the cleanup and called for the dissolution of the HYPREP governing board..
Nsuke maintained that the Ogoni cleanup exercise had only been an image laundering mechanism of government used to enrich the members of the HYPREP governing council.
“You will see their actions on the implementation of the Ogoni cleanup where they have looted the funds and have not been able to provide water in an environment established to be completely lacking safe drinking water despite spending over USD10million..
“When they come to you, ask them for the water and let them tell you what they have done with the $10million approved for them. Let them tell you where they have put the training center and Contaminated Soil Management Center”
They have looted the cleanup funds and we need to rise up to get things right else, Ogoni will remain polluted and the cleanup funds will all end up in people’s pockets. Nsuke said on Saturday.
