A faction of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) loyal to Fegalo Nsuke has warned the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) against any attempt to allow itself to be used to plot a forceful resumption of oil production in Ogoni against the will of the people.
MOSOP says the move could trigger an unprecedented uprising which could spill over to the rest of the Niger Delta and cause a major destabilization in the region.
Nsuke gave the warning while speaking in Bori, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni people.
He strongly warned HYPREP against any act that can derail its (MOSOP’s) initiatives designed to achieve a negotiated settlement in the Ogoni disputes with the oil industry through the operation of an Ogoni Development Authority.
“MOSOP will want to strongly advise HYPREP to discard any miscalculations suggesting that the Ogoni people could be conquered by force of repression again and decimated in an attempt by some greedy fellows who will want to forcefully resume oil production in the area without addressing legacy issues plaguing the Ogoni people which led to the exit of Shell from the area”
“MOSOP will further warn HYPREP against any move that could derail current efforts we are making to address the underdevelopment in Ogoni and resolve the conflicts through the operation of an Ogoni Development Authority” Nsuke said.
He noted that the Ogoni people have raised strong issues about how the oil business was conducted in the area and we were working towards a peaceful resolution to them.
The factional MOSOP leader said the Ogoni people will strongly rise against any move from HYPREP to frustrate its peace initiatives and desire to drive development in the area.
He confirmed that MOSOP has been reliably informed of the training of some 500 jobless Ogoni youths at the Nigeria Police training college, Nonwa in Rivers State .
Nsuke alleged that the youths were trained to serve as fighters to attack and quell any protests from civil rights campaigners opposed to forceful oil resumption in Ogoni.
