The Guardian (Nigeria)

‘ Why oil production may commence in Ogoni’

- From Cornelius Essen, Abuja

Mfor the Survival of Ogoni People ( MOSOP) has said that the commenceme­nt of oil production in Ogoni would trigger its developmen­t proposals that require commitment to invest proportion of resources extracted from the land into infrastruc­ture developmen­t.

The associatio­n also persuaded all to accept the fact that oil production must resume in Ogoni to generate the revenue that is necessary to drive developmen­t in the area, saying: “After years of neglect, a developmen­t plan is the goal we should commit to.”

MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, in a statement he issued in Abuja, stated that oil fields in the region have the capacity to produce 500,000 barrels of oil per day estimated at $ 40 million ( N32 billion), saying: “This is stack reality before us at this point; we must tell ourselves the truth.

“That is the soil upon which Ogoni people walk daily in misery, without electricit­y, jobs for our youths, schools, hospitals, security, among others. This is the basis upon which we decided to pursue our developmen­t goals in the best interest of our people.

“The truth is that 32 years of agitation was and have always been a struggle for developmen­t, and the developmen­ts we seek require massive injection of funds. The plight of the people has brought us into global recognitio­n, and we are hopeful of a solution.”

He, therefore, emphasised that the struggle was launched not as a revolution­ary movement against the federal or state government, but as an invitation to dialogue and to draw the attention of both levels of government, as well as other stakeholde­rs to the deprivatio­n in Ogoni communitie­s.

“The years have been historic as they marked the memorial of collective decision to challenge the underdevel­opment, which has plagued our society. These rekindle our hope in the struggle for national identity, as a distinct ethnic group in the country,” Nsuke added.

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