The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has declared 21st May as Ogoni Honours Day.
The day will be observed annually in honour of all those who lost their lives to the struggles of the Ogoni people against repression, marginalization and abuse.
The day will also honour people for significant contributions to the advancement of the Ogoni Nationality.
The decision was taken by the Central Committee of MOSOP, the organisation’s highest decision-making organ at its meeting held Thursday, September 17, 2020 at the organization’s national Secretariat in Bori, Ogoni.
Addressing the Central Committee of MOSOP, President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke said May 21 was chosen in honor of the four Ogonis murdered in 1994.
Nsuke said Shell orchestrated the killing of the four to find a reason for the murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Nsuke blamed Shell for the 1994 debacle and urged the Ogoni people to remain peaceful and committed to the struggle for a better Ogoni.
He noted that both the four and the nine wished for a better Ogoni and were involved with the struggles of MOSOP from its formative years and it is only unfortunate that things turned out the way it did and they all lost their lives in the process.
“Shell is the worst thing that happened to Ogoni and the cause of the travails we went through.
They destroyed our land and had our people killed. So we must sustain the struggle to ensure that our people do not die in vain.
It is unfortunate and truly very painful that we lost a generation of leaders in the quest to address Nigeria’s marginalization and social injustice as well as corporate irresponsibility of Shell,” Nsuke told the MOSOP Central Committee.
The four Ogonis murdered on May 21, 1994 include Chief Edward Kobani, Mr Albert Badey, Chief Theophilus Orage and Chief Samuel Orage.
The MOSOP president, said the unfortunate death of the four was the excuse used by the government to kill the nine and was a well planned and executed plot to crush the Ogoni desire for fairness and better life in Nigeria.
He noted that though May 21, the day the “four” lost their lives was chosen for the honours day, it will be celebrated annually to honour all those who lost their lives as a result of the Ogoni struggle for self determination and also to honour those whose contributions have advanced the struggles of the Ogoni for better life.
Nsuke used the opportunity to call on the Nigerian authorities to clear the names of the “nine” to facilitate a resolution of the conflicts and move the Ogoni community forward in the interest of the Ogoni people and the larger Nigerian society.
The MOSOP President, himself on his assumption of office on January 1, 2019 committed to push for a resolution of the Ogoni conflicts and promote reconciliation among Ogonis, hoping that a peaceful resolution will achieve greater happiness both for the Ogoni people and Nigeria as a nation.
