Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has described as deceptive, the claims being peddled by oil resumption merchants, that oil production in Ogoni will create jobs. MOSOP said, contrary to these claims, the resumption of oil production in Ogoni will only further enrich the 37 states of the country and do nothing to uplift the lives of the Ogoni people. MOSOP said the false narrative about job creation through the resumption of oil production in Ogoni is an unfortunate “divide and conquer strategy” and a setback for the commitments of MOSOP to see to a permanent resolution of the Ogoni problem. Answering questions on the prospects of resuming oil production in Ogoni, president of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, urged all parties especially the oil industry, to be honest and truthful about the situation in Ogoni.
Nsuke demanded that legacy issues created by the conflicts of three decades including the wrongful execution of nine Ogonis including Ken Saro-Wiwa, an investigation into the controversial circumstances in which four prominent Ogoni citizens died in May 1994, and killing of some 4,000 Ogonis by the Nigerian military should be addressed. He questioned how much jobs were created by Shell during its three decades of oil exploration in Ogoni, noting that no operational changes were expected. Nsuke held that the Ogoni problem should not just be about oil production but how and where the revenue from oil sales is invested, noting that it is how the monies are deployed that create jobs. “Deception can achieve temporary goals but will be counterproductive in the long-term and we should not rely on deception to gain entry into the Ogoni oilfields. Shell operated the Ogoni oilfields for 30 years and couldn’t create jobs and nothing has changed in terms of operations, so how will jobs be created if we do not agree on the Ogoni interests? The fact is that once the pipes are laid, the oil is simply pumped to the export terminal, the revenue goes to a federation account from which Ogoni is not entitled to an allocation.
“Therefore, there is nothing our people will benefit outside cleaning and security services. Oil production, therefore, will not create jobs in Ogoni. What will create jobs is how much of the revenue generated from the sale of oil is injected into Ogoni development” Nsuke said. Nsuke said MOSOP’s intentions were focused on crafting a solution that is acceptable to the people and can bring about a permanent resolution of the problem and bringing about a secured future for the people.
He said providing security assistance and cleaners for oilfields cannot be what the Ogoni people will consider as benefits of a struggle that has consumed some 4,000 lives. “Cities like Lagos, Calabar, Abuja, Enugu, Kano were not built from the income of security men and cleaners working in oilfields. They were developed by allocations from Ogoni oil revenues and Ogoni will want that fair treatment in resolving the present impasse. If we are talking seriously about resolving the problem and promoting justice and mutual benefits, Ogoni development should be a priority. That justice demands that a fair share of the revenue derived from natural resource extraction in Ogoni should be committed to Ogoni development and not shared amongst few Ogoni politicians and their allies in the name of equity”, he said. MOSOP’s proposal to government is that the oil operator should commit 20 percent of its profits to Ogoni development. That was part of the resolutions of the Ogoni Congress of November 30 2024 and MOSOP stands by those resolutions because they are in the best interest of our people and provide a simple, clear path to a resolution” Nsuke said.
MOSOP insists on justice for Saro Wiwa, others says oil resumption can’t create jobs for Ogoni people
