Port Harcourt,July 20, 2024
The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People(MOSOP), on Saturday urged Coordinators of social movements in Nigeria to advocate more on good governance to cushion the effect of inflation and poverty in the country.
The MOSOP former President, Mr Legborsi Pyagbara, gave the advice during a two-day retreat organised by the group in collaboration with the Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Initiative(HAPSDI) in Port Harcourt.
He expressed the disturbing rate of inflation in the country, urging social movement organisations to drive solutions that could bring good governance and curb the rate of hunger and poverty in the country.
“There is need for social movement coordinators of Nigeria’s ethnic minority and indigenous people to drive for advocacy toward addressing the need for good governance that will provide solutions to seriously felt hunger and poverty experiencing by the people.
“There is need for massive advocacy to influence Federal and State government’s response to address increasing poverty and hunger across Nigeria,”he said.
Pyagbara also called on members of MOSOP and other ethnic blocs to make clear their different advocacy roles from other development intervention bodies to sustain democracy.
He explained that a mixed-up of different sub-sector roles may weaken collective effort on advancing democracy toward influencing good governance practiced by the intervention bodies.
Ealier, Engr.Olu Andah, the current MOSOP President, said that the retreat organised for the National and State Executives of the group was aimed at enhancing the organisation and social movements to advocate for the need for dividends of democracy through political and socio-economic development in Nigeria.
Andah stated that MOSOP would continue to train and retrain members to sustain advocacy of good governance and the need for effective participation in politics by the citizens.
“We as the Ogoni people and other citizens of this country must continue to play complementary roles in politics to achieve positive results in governance, not living it to politicians and state agencies as part of business in governance.