NUOS Accuses Nigerian Government, Hyrep Shell Of Inciting Leadership Crisis For Oil Resumption In Ogoniland

The National Union of Ogoni Students (NOUS) Intl. in collaboration with Ogoni lives Matter Intl. have condemned the alleged abolishment of MOSOP by Goodluck Digbo, and described it as "unconstitutional and dubious."

NUOS then called on Mr. Goodluck Diigbo and Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara to disable "their fraudulent claims to con and defraud Ogoni, for their self-seeking ambitions,  but close rank with the rank and file to support and promote Ogoni course from government and corporate enslavement."

These were contained in a statement released by NOUS, which was jointly signed by  President (NUOS INTL, USA), Mr. Pius Barikooa Nwinee, Secretary General (NOUS INTL, USA), Mr. Sampson B Npimnee, Coordinator (OLM INTL, USA), Mr. Cornelius J.S Dumerne and Secretary General (OLM INTL, USA), Mr. Tuate Ganego and made available to the press.

NUOS reiterated in the statement that the Ogoni's demand for self-determination or Ogoni nation is within a striking distance.

The group stressed that "such provision exists within the meaning and protection of our cultural and customary heritage.

"It therefore warns that those in privileged position in Ogoni, in any capacity should be optimistic, and cautious in their actions and inactions not to use Ogoni people as pawns or engage in fabrication and misrepresentation of fact that will highlight a gross misconception of our course."
According to NUOS, Ogoni people should know that Ogoni environmental degradation is worse than the UNEP report suggested. They added that informed and alarming mortality rate and the rising fears of possible detection of benzene and benzene parasite in Ogoni food chain, water, aquatic life and ecosystems, which they said was caused by excessive and long term exposure of benzene that reduces the life expectancy of the people in the area are not those things that abolished their struggle but personal greed.

"NUOS says that Ogoni are not opposed to oil resumption in Ogoni land, but the Nigerian government and Shell’s refusal to expunge, exonerate and immortalize our fallen heroes from the indignity of crime they never committed and death they did not deserve are things that oppose oil prospect in Ogoni.

"NOUS vow that as long as the government refuses to clear their names from the Nigeria criminal book, there will be no oil resumption, sale or transfer in Ogoni land.

"We therefore call on Ogoni politicians, traditional rulers and self-serving individuals, in the likes of Mr.Legborsi Pyagbara, who continue to negotiate Ogoni oil behind closed doors, with their self-presumption that expunging, exonerating and immortalizing our fallen heroes are self-righteousness, and warn them not to do that in the name of Ogoni because their only crime was being Ogoni arrow heads," they said in the statement.

They then called on Mr. Legbosi Pyagbara to "immediately stop parading as MOSOP President, given that the mandate of Ogoni and his leadership expired on December 31st, 2018.

"Whatever Mr. Legbosi Pyagbara or his surrogates does, beginning from January 1st 2019 is at their peril.

"Also, any government, corporations, institutions, person/persons that engages in any discussion or transaction with Mr. Legbosi Pyagbara does that at their peril as well."

NUOS also declared that they were not against UNEP reports neither were they against  the cleaning of Ogoni land,  but that there is a right or wrong way to do things.

The statement read: "HYPREP is a wrong way to go because it lacks the professionalism and technical skills to supervise, monitor and handle such emergency crisis, not to mention the conflict of interest that exist between UNEP, HYPREP and Shell.

"We wouldn’t like Ogoni to be used as backyard for pollution. We believe that the only solution is for Shell to contract this service to an international company with capable professional and technical expertise to clean and examine the biometric assessments of Ogoni land and the people that lives there.

"NOUS also noted that if technology and precision agriculture can provide water and fertilizers to crops, plants, seeds in seconds, we doubt the rationale behind UNEP’s recommendation of 30 straight years of cleanup of Ogoni.

"Worries about what seem like a conspiracy theory in disguise, we demand for the data and the basis for such conclusion.

"NOUS therefore states that the only possible explanation is either the report discovered benzene in Ogoni food chain, water, and conceal to protect Shell or using such period to negotiate Shell back to Ogoni."