By: Felix Ikpotor
Newly inaugurated president of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu has assured people of Ogoniland that the present executive of the body is prepared to offer quality leadership to the Ogoni nation.
Wai-Oguso stated this when he led members other members of his executive on a courtesy visit to Gbo Kabaari, a group of Ogoni elites.
The MOSOP President who recalled how Ogoni was before now, called for collaborative effort to change the Ogoni story, stressing that his EXCO was ready to partner Gbo Kabaari and other stakeholders to solve the problems plaguing the area .
“We all are aware of the situation of Ogoniland now casting our minds to some good years back. For me, it’s interesting because it’s a serious business before us that we need to tackle and I believe that with the crop of persons we have here and with Gbo Kabaari, we can solve quite a lot of issues, ranging from security, education , health social dynamics including the political happenings that’s distracting us as Ogoni people from occupying positions that we should occupy as a very formidable ethnic group in this country,” he said.
The Ogoni leader regretted that despite the strategic nature of Ogoni struggle, it has not achieved much.
“We are the only ethnic group that started to show leadership in terms of prospects which led our forebears to desire another state so that governance can be closer to the people which led to creation of Rivers State, but where do we stand as an ethnic group in this Rivers State? We are still not together,” he said.
He added that the current leadership of MOSOP is ready to listen to advise from every group especially elders of Ogoni for the overall benefit of the people.
“We believe this is the beginning of more fruitful partnership, collaborative relationship and the current MOSOP leadership is available anytime it is called upon by Gbo Kabaari to address any leadership issue in Ogoniland, I’m saying here onbehalf of MOSOP that we are available and we’ll work with Gbo Kabaari to create a difference in our communities. This current MOSOP is very sensitive and ready to serve Ogoni people,” Wai-Ogosu stated.
Iun his reponse, Chairman of Gbo Kabaari, Chief Mike Baah expressed confidence in the ability of the Wai-Ogosu led MOSOP leadership to effect the needed leadership change in Ogoniland.
” I’m happy because I know the leadership is going to change the narratives and changing the narratives means you’re going to do alot of things and we trust in the ability of Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu to do that and we are not surprised having him lead MOSOP at this time,” Chief Baah said.
On his part, an Ogoni leader and former member of the National Assembly, Senator Bennett Birabi said the problem with Ogoni is the refusal of some persons to obey and subject themselves to elders of the land.
He expressed the hope that with Wai-Ogosu as the President of MOSOP, he would be able to command such respect and pull everyone together.
“When we started Gbo Kabaari some years back, it was our intentions that all the groups in Ogoni and their leadership should join Gbo Kabaari so that when we discuss anything, it will trickle down to all the groups so that they will know that we are not doing anything personal but meeting to discuss the future of Ogoni. We wrote to all of them especially KAGOTE.
“It’s a common knowledge that any ship which has too many captains will sink, and that’s what has sank Ogoni. Too many captains, everybody in Ogoni is a leader and we have been trying to find a way around it,” Birabi stated.
He added: “Fortunately, anybody can claim to be anything but they can’t buy age and intellect, so we are praying that if they can’t respect anything, they should be able to respect the age and status of Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu and his status. So with Wai-Ogosu incharge now, we can chart a way forward now, he can meet with us because we cannot take decisions and not see how to execute it; he will have to lead execution of our decisions and we hope to take the right decisions.”
He expressed fear that if Ogonis don’t get it right, it might go into extinction soon.
“For a people that are that small as we are, yet so strategic, the intention of everybody is to takeover Ogoniland and we need to think. If we don’t do something differently, in the next fifty years, the place called Ogoni might not be in existence and our survival is dependent on how we prepare and I’m a bit relieved that there is leeway now,” the former lawmaker said.
