Over 30 civil society groups, led by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) faction led by Fegalo Nsuke, staged a peaceful protest on Monday across parts of Ogoniland, Rivers State, in response to the Federal Government’s plan to resume oil exploration in the region.
Among the participating groups were the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), the Federation of Ogoni Women’s Associations (FOWA), the Ogoni Living Martyrs, and the Ogoni Peace and Unity Forum.
During the demonstration in Bori, protesters held placards with inscriptions such as “Clear Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Name Now,” “No to Forceful Oil Resumption,” “We Want Justice for Ogoni 9,” “Ribadu and Mitee, Leave Ogoni Oil Alone,” “Stop the Ogoni Genocide,” and “No Exoneration, No Oil Resumption in Ogoniland.”
Protesters’ Demands
The protesting groups outlined several key demands, including:
- Justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, who were executed in 1995 for their activism against environmental pollution and human rights abuses.
- Full exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa, rather than a mere pardon, as he was denied a fair trial under General Sani Abacha’s military regime.
- Involvement of all stakeholders, including MOSOP, in discussions regarding oil resumption.
- An immediate halt to the current oil resumption process, led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in favor of a more transparent and inclusive approach that considers the concerns of the Ogoni people.
- Granting of operational licenses to indigenous Ogoni companies to extract oil, alongside the unbundling of Oil Mining Lease 11 (OML11).
- Compensation for the Ogoni people, who have suffered environmental damage and loss of livelihoods due to years of oil pollution.
- A panel of inquiry into the deaths of the Ogoni 4, who were killed in Giokoo, and for whom Saro-Wiwa and other activists were wrongfully convicted.
MOSOP: “No Oil Resumption Without Our Input”
Addressing the crowd at Peace Park in Bori, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke reaffirmed the group’s opposition to any oil resumption process that excludes their participation.
“MOSOP led the struggle that halted oil drilling in Ogoni in the 1990s. There cannot be oil resumption in any part of Ogoni without our input,” Nsuke declared.
“We will not accept any imposed decisions. Any attempt to marginalize or ignore our rights will be resisted,” he added.
Similarly, NYCOP President Comrade Barinuazor Emmanuel insisted that the demands of the Ogoni people must be met before any oil exploration can proceed.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa was not guilty of any crime. He was a hero who fought for our rights, and his name must be cleared,” Emmanuel said.
He also urged the National Security Adviser to rein in certain Ogoni political figures, warning that their actions could undermine the government’s efforts for a peaceful resolution.
“We are not asking for too much,” he stated. “We simply demand recognition of our rights and inclusion in decisions that affect our land.”
