Just happened! In commemoration of the 19th anniversary of Ogoni Martyrs today the10th day of November,2014,the MOVEMENT FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE OGONI PEOPLE(MOSOP) organised a memorial Lecture with the theme:MINORITIES AT CROSSROADS;CONFRONTING POLITICAL INEQUALITY IN NIGERIA at the AtLantic Hall,Hotel Presidential,Port Harcourt. In his opening speech,the President of MOSOP,Mr Legborsi Pyagbara said; My Brothers and Sisters,on this remembrance day of the gruesome murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni Heroes,I want to send a strong message to the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government of Nigeria to as a matter of urgency,clear the names of our Heroes from the murder charge for which they were murdered. We are indeed tired of the circus show of the Federal Government on the full implementation of the UNEP REPORT ON OGONILAND and we are using this opportunity to once more remind them that the UNEP UNEP REPORT must be implemented fully,no matter the obstacles that they build around it. We will never surrender because history has taught us never to surrender,and it is also on record that the people of Ogoni never surrenders.It is also a fact that history is on our side and that victory is sure. In his paper presentation which he captioned:SUSTAINING NON-VIOLENT STRUGGLE IN AN ERA OF TURBULENCE;A CASE STUDY OF THE OGONI PEOPLE,Prof.Ben Nanen,a former Secretary of MOSOP and former Care-taker Committee Chairman of MOSOP said; I am here to testify and corroborate the earlier submission of Mr Legborsi Pyagbara,the MOSOP President that Ogoni people never surrenders.The Ogoni people adopted a non-violent approach to what I call a revolution in their struggle to gain the support of the International Community as it was the best and only way to go.It was the non-violent approach of the struggle that gave the Ogoni people the platform to present their case to the United Nation General Assembly and also provided the recognition accorded the Ogoni struggle by the World Council of Churches and the United Nation indigenous people organisation(UNIPO) in 1993.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:01:32 +0000