MOSOP sues for peace in Ogoniland
Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called on people of Ogoni, particularly the youth to thread the path of peace and unity, and avoid violence capable of destroying the area.
MOSOP President, Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara, who made this call on Friday during a courtesy call on him by youth of Tai Kingdom of Ogoni, asked the youth to ensure that whatever grievances they had were legitimately tendered peacefully and made the interest of Ogoni a priority.
The MOSOP boss said: “Our youth should always put the interest of the Ogoni community first in the pursuit of their rights.
While I cannot claim to know the reasons for the recent outburst of grievances resulting in the killing of ourselves, I am pleading with our brothers to stop the killings and not set Ogoni ablaze or constitute a cog in the wheel of progress of Ogoni.’’
Pyagbara decried the cult crisis that had enveloped the Ogoni communities of Zaakpon, Luawii, Kaani-Babbe, Bo-ue, Nyokuru, Lueku, Sogho in recent times and lamented the damaging effects to the image and character of the Ogoni people, particularly, the sacrifices that had been made to bring the name of Ogoni from the mud.
He charged the youth to shun violence, cultism and other acts of criminality and resist being used as agents of division and retrogression, and development of Ogoniland.
“The Ogoni culture of respect, honesty, orderliness, hospitality, peace and justice should be imbibed and sustained by all sons and daughters of the land,’’ he pleaded.
The Ogoni leader chided the federal government for failing to provide Ogoni people with adequate security and leaving the area without protection for criminals and vandals to reign supreme, stressing that it appeared the Nigerian government was creating an atmosphere for the Ogoni to kill themselves.
He further explained that MOSOP would intensify her peace campaigns in Ogoni, following the renewed violence and state of insecurity in some parts of the area.
“As part of our peace initiative, in the coming days, MOSOP will engage with the traditional rulers, opinion leaders and various security agencies in the area with the aim of achieving sustainable peace in Ogoni communities,” Pyagbara disclosed.
