Ogoni declare self-government
By Benjamin onaghinor
President and spokesman of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Dr. Goodluck Diigbo
The Ogoni people of Rivers state yesterday declared their political autonomy during which they stressed that they are determined to enforce the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples without fear or retreat.
Speaking in a live broadcast on their newly established radio station, “Voice of Ogoni,” the President and spokesman of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, affirmed that “self-government within Nigeria” will secure for the Ogoni people their indigenous rights to enable them meet their needs and interests and finally end “internal colonialism”.
Diigbo further said that self-government became urgent, recognising the need to arrive at a consensus to collectively review the disputed UNEP’s Ogoniland oil assessment report, saying that any dialogue must be with the genuinely elected representatives of the people expected to enforce indigenous rights without dictation.
According to him, “Concerned that in the absence of a responsive government that the indigenous people of Ogoni will continue to suffer from historic injustices and in order to make indigenous rights practicable in Ogoni, we have, through a very transparent electoral college process, beginning with community by community elections, set up 272 village councils, while the village councils in turn elected representatives for 33 district councils and the district representatives went on to elect representatives to serve at the centre as custodians of customs and traditions, otherwise called lawmakers.
“The lawmakers in turn elected the executive arm of the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA) with checks and balances inbuilt to ensure corruption-free, effective, efficient and answerable system of grassroots self-government instead of the old, corrupt and mismanaged local government system endured by the Ogoni for decades.”
Diigbo further said that in taking the measures, the Ogoni are quite aware of the discomfort to about 56 local politicians that control local government politics in Ogoni land, adding, however, that they care more about the 1.2 million people “that have for too long been excluded.”
Diigbo announced the setting up of a transitional committee to facilitate dialogue to ensure peaceful transition within 30 days, while consultation with the national government and the international community would begin without delay.
He emphasised the need for the Ogoni to remain law-abiding and act non-violently.
Sounding a warning on what might become the response of the Nigerian authorities on this development, the Ogoni leader said: “We are acting with legitimacy to reclaim all of our rights without exception, and for the sake of peace and security; let no one test the collective will of the Ogoni people, because we will not surrender our indigenous rights anymore.”
He further said that in 1990, the people of Ogoni presented the Ogoni Bill of Rights to the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in which they non-violently demanded political autonomy to participate in the affairs of the republic as a distinct and separate indigenous unit, among other things
