26 February 2013, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, has listed autonomy for the area among issues that must be addressed before oil exploration can resume in any part of Ogoniland.
In a statement by Chairman, MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators and chapter leaders, Mr. Frank Jonah, the movement, said challenges of environmental protection and payment of compensation for long years of pollution should also be tackled.
MOSOP said the implementation of the recommended clean-up of Ogoni by the United Nations Environment programme, UNEP, was not enough to allow resumption of oil exploration in the area.
The group threatened to resist any move to resume oil exploration in the area, if the conditions it gave were not met, adding that any attempt to ignore the issues raised by MOSOP could create another round of conflict and tension in the area.
“We understand that the Nigerian government has little value for the lives of Ogoni people, and we have seen this during the years of General Ibrahim Babangida, General Sani Abacha and General Olusegun Obasanjo as Heads of State. We, however, urge President Goodluck Jonathan not to use the crude approach of his predecessors in Ogoniland. We advise the government to listen to the priorities of the people to peacefully resolve the issues of survival for the Ogoni people.”
