Ogoni: What manner of autonomy?

A faction of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP makes a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Nigeria. But does it change anything?

OGONI, a leading oil-producing area of Rivers State has been quiet and calm after the August 2 declaration of self-government by the faction of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP led by Dr Goodluck Diigbo.

During a tour of some communities in Ogoniland, some locals told us that they heard of the declaration in the media like most Nigerians, adding that nothing had changed in the area.

The people have rather enjoined the Federal Government to address the environmental challenges posed by oil exploration in the area.

All they harped on was the failure of government to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, a year it was officially made public by the same government.

In Ogale, Eleme, the people lamented the contaminated ground water just as they expressed gratitude to the Rivers State Government for trucking 10,000 litres of water to them daily for consumption.  Water below their soil, according to the UNEP report, is contaminated with benzene, an agent capable of causing cancer in humans.

Sovereignty of Ogoni nation

Dr Diigbo in an online post to newspaper houses from his oversea abode, announced what many viewed as sovereignty for the Ogoni nation on August 2.

Ken Sarowiwa: Died in the struggle for Ogoni people, Akpobari: Faults the declaration and Diigbo: Declared political autonomy for the Ogoni

His words: “Conducting this solemn affair in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 13, 2007, guided by the purposes and principles of international law in accordance with the United Nations Charter, I, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, hereby make this historic statement, to announce the proclamation of this General Assembly Declaration of Political Autonomy for the Self-determination or Self-government of the Ogoni people within Nigeria, today, the 2nd Day of August, 2012. So declared, and so be it; for the advancement of liberty in freedom and the preservation of the ancestral heritage of the Ogoni people.”

Many residents of Port Harcourt dismissed the declaration as another media seeking attention by the Netherlands-based  Diigbo, who heads a factional wing of MOSOP. At a recent media parley with Rivers State chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Governor Chibuike Amaechi said it was an issue not worth talking about.   The governor dismissed it as another comic act coming from Diigbo’s faction of MOSOP.

Also, the former Senator representing  Rivers South East senatorial district, Senator Lee Maeba,  who is from Ogoni, refused to comment on it  when Vanguard sought  his opinion.  The sitting Senator, who is also from the area, Senator Magnus Abe, declined comments as well.

However, in another post,   Dr Diigbo said he did not seek sovereignty for the Ogoni with the declaration but for political autonomy.

According to him, Ogoni people have not resolved to pull out of the Nigeria federation, what they need is political autonomy within the nation’s federalism.

“It’s internal autonomy which means self-government within Nigeria in accordance with the United Nations declaration on rights of indigenous peoples.”

He said MOSOP was forced to declare internal autonomy for the Ogoni Nation because of the level of devastation and neglect in Ogoniland.

He argued that with the
declaration, his people had the choice of either remaining part of the nation or pulling out. But at the moment they had resolved to remain in the country.

“Ogoni people are in a very difficult situation right now. The land has been totally devastated as a result of 55 years of petroleum operations. So it becomes very urgent because if you want to talk about anything concerning the land, which to the Ogoni people is not just land but also life and god.

“We should remain part of Nigeria – we are not saying we are out of Nigeria. We have a choice as part of this declaration to be part of it or out of it and at this moment we are part of Nigeria.” Meantime, the action of Dr Diigbo has deepened the crack in Ogoni with the other faction of MOSOP led by Prof Ben Naanen dismissing Diigbo’s declaration as attention-seeking. Prof Naanen, in a statement, noted the degree of poverty and environmental challenge in Ogoni but quickly added that as a people they would continue to explore non-violent approach in their struggle to press for Federal Government’s attention to the challenges. “Ogoni people are dissatisfied with their condition in our country, Nigeria. But they do not believe the sovereign option is the answer. They are convinced that their non-violent struggle and the support of the international community will eventually make the Nigerian government respond positively to Ogoni’s legitimate demands,” Naanen said

He also called on the Federal Government to create a state for the Ogoni, arguing that this would help them overcome some of their challenges.

A frontline Ogoni and Niger Delta activist, Comrade Celestine Akpobari, said it was really embarrassing that Dr Diigbo would declare political autonomy for the Ogoni nation from outside the country.

According to him, the action
of Diigbo did not have the backing of the one million Ogoni people. He said declaration of political autonomy was an idea the Ogoni were x-raying  if it could help draw  Federal Government’s attention to their plight as a people but there was no place where it was resolved that it should be declared on August 2, a date that had no relevance in Ogoni struggle.

Political autonomy

“Yes there is so much poverty in Ogoni, our environment is polluted. Political autonomy was in our agenda but the declaration by Diigbo was not in our agenda.  If Ogoni want to declare political autonomy it would have been on these dates of any year, January 4 or November 10 when Ken Saro-Wiwa and others were murdered.

“January 4 is Ogoni Day, it’s a day set aside by United Nations for World Indigenous people. On January 4, in Ogoni, nobody goes to the farm. The most important thing is that Dr Goodluck did not consult the one million people of Ogoni before his declaration.  He can’t stay in Netherlands to declare autonomy for Ogoni”

Comrade Celestine recalled that before the late Ken Saro-Wiwa led Ogoni to boycott the general elections in 1993, he consulted widely with the entire six kingdoms of Ogoni. “Ken went round the six kingdoms of Ogoni letting them know that voting in the election was voting for slavery.”

He said Ken later had a General Assembly with the Ogoni where the decision to boycott the election was ratified. “Where did Diigbo meet with Ogoni before the declaration”, he queried.  He said there would have been massive sensitisation if the Ogoni want to declare political autonomy.

At press time, Ogoni was peaceful, residents of communities in the area were going about their daily chores with no attention for the political autonomy declared by Diigbo on the internet.