A massive protest erupted yesterday in Ogoni as over 30 various groups, including the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), staged a peaceful protest to demand justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, who were executed in 1995 for their advocacy on environmental stewardship.

The groups insisted that for the ongoing plan to resume oil production in Ogoni to succeed, it must be driven by MOSOP ? the grassroots movement which led the protests that ousted Shell from Ogoni in 1993.

The protesters displayed different placards with inscriptions: ?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,? among others.

MOSOP President, Mr Fegalo Nsuke, who addressed the protesters at the peace park in Bori, emphasised that the organisation?s input was crucial for any oil exploration activities to commence in Ogoni.

?There cannot be oil resumption in any part of Ogoni without inputs from MOSOP leadership,? Nsuke declared. ?We will not accept any decision that is imposed on us without our input. We will resist any attempt to marginalise us or to ignore our rights.?

Nsuke also highlighted MOSOP?s pioneering role in the struggle for environmental justice and human rights in Ogoni, saying, ?MOSOP started this struggle, and we were the first people to demand the return of oil exploration in Ogoni, not the political class,? he noted. ?We will not be silenced or ignored in the decision-making process. Any attempt to silence us will be resisted lawfully and nonviolently until we win.?

The MOSOP leader further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt the process initiated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and set up a more transparent process that will accommodate the views of the Ogoni people.

Furthermore, Comrade Barinuazor Emmanuel, President of the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), also reiterated the group?s demands, which include the exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa, rather than a pardon, as he was denied a fair hearing by late General Sani Abacha.

?Ken Saro-Wiwa was not guilty of any crime,? Emmanuel emphasised. ?He was a hero who fought for the rights of the Ogoni people, and his name must be cleared.?

Other demands made by the various groups include granting operational licences to indigenous Ogoni companies to drill oil, unbundling OML11, and providing compensation to the Ogoni people. Emmanuel also called for a panel of inquiry into the death of the Ogoni 4, who were killed at Giokoo, allegedly at the hands of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists.

?We want to know the truth about what happened to our brothers,? Emmanuel said. ?We want justice to be served, and we want those responsible to be held accountable. We will not accept any decision that is imposed on us without our input. We will resist any attempt to marginalise us or to ignore our rights.?

The NYCOP president emphasised that Ogoni youths want oil resumption in Ogoniland, but the federal government must engage in roundtable discussions with the Ogoni people. ?We are not against development,? Emmanuel said. ?We are against exploitation and marginalisation. We want to be part of the decision-making process, and we want our rights to be respected.?

He urged former MOSOP president Barr. Ledum Mitee has to choose between supporting the federal government or the Ogoni people if he wishes to lead the discussion on oil resumption. ?You cannot serve two masters,? Emmanuel said. ?You must choose which side you are. If you want to lead the discussion, you must be on the side of the Ogoni people.? (Vanguard)

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