AUTONOMY IN OGONI-NIGERIA
For all the controversy erupting around the declaration of Self Determination in Ogoni-Nigeria, controversy had not been a stranger to “Self Determination” since its conception in the United Nations. It took 25years to get it through the General Assembly. It has taken 22 years and many prominent lives, including that of Ken-Saro Wiwa, in Ogoni-Nigeria. Yet, the government of Nigeria and the Ogoni people are still unable to reach a consensus on the definition of 'AUTONOMY.' Partly because the government of Nigeria continues to discount the Ogoni demands, instead of rationally engaging the Ogoni Community to solve a problem that has spilled so much blood and obviously not going away. The Ogoni people call it AUTONOMY—their rights as enshrined in the United Nations declaration of Self Determination for indigenous peoples. The government of Nigeria often calls it treason.
I will elect to point out that it was with Nigeria's 'Yes Vote' in New York, United States, September 13, 2007 that the world, overwhelmingly, I should add, endorsed protecting the human rights of indigenous peoples—adopting a landmark declaration to protect their lands and resources, and to maintain their unique cultures and traditions.
It was a 143 'yes votes' to only 4 nays. Nigeria was one of the 143 member states that voted to adopt the self determination resolution by the United Nations. It was the General Assembly's Vice President from Nigeria, Aminu Bashir Wali, who delivered a poignant statement from General Assembly President, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, that “The importance of this document for indigenous peoples and, more broadly, for the human rights agenda, cannot be underestimated.”
Nigeria knew then and Nigeria knows now that there are oppressed indigenous peoples in Nigeria who, for purposes of self-protection, are going to invoke that UN Self Determination declaration, especially in a country mired in disagreements between ethnicities—a country mired in oppression of minorities by the majorities—and in a country (as Nigeria) mired in looting of public resources by the very leaders who are expected to be the guardians of law and decency.
It is rather flabbergasting to read the Governor of Rivers State call the Ogoni declaration a treasonable offense. The out of control kidnappings, arm-bandits and terrorist acts of vandalizing state facilities and oil installations across Rivers State are good enough activities to deserve amnesty: The Ogoni people who have been nonviolent since 1990 till date, even at government's cruel and heartless murders of the Ogoni people's entire generation of leaders; the same Ogoni people are the people easily called out for treasonable offense by the Governor of Rivers State.
Where is the reference to treason when the governor (Amaechi himself) disavows the will of the people of Rivers State and forces political candidates (all from only one party) on every single constituency across the entire State? What happens to the governor's imposed political candidates looting public money to treasonable proportions without facing any legal or executive reprimands from the Governor's office because they are all governor's anointed candidates, irrespective of how much they flaunt looted funds in manners that throws any reference to decency out to the winds? How is the Ogoni peaceful demand for autonomy more treasonable than the atrocities of the ruling politicians in Rivers State? Those uninvestigated and unprosecuted political assassinations of anybody who dare decide to contest against the governor's candidate in Rivers state during the last elections were not considered treasonable offenses.
May the goodness of the human spirit someday find a spot in the minds and souls of Nigerian politicians!
By the way, observing the continuing marginalization of the Ogoni people since the judicial murder of Ken-Saro Wiwa, and in recent events in Nigeria—since the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, I am not surprised by the invocation of the United Nations' right to self determination by the Ogoni People. That particular minority have been humiliated to nothingness in Nigeria; tormented—massacred, environmentally wrecked, politically alienated and economically sidelined. There is not an iota of exaggeration in a proclamation that the Ogoni people have endured the worst of Nigeria. They have no reason to want to happily remain a part of a country that will humiliate and abuse a part of its population that much.
Ogoni is one of the smallest ethnic minorities in Nigeria, but the ironical abnormality of life in Nigeria holds astronomically true (in Ogoni) that Ogoni has the largest Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria. Khana LGA in Ogoni is the size of ten Local Government Areas put together in other ethnic units of Nigeria. And that is the same Ogoni where the entire land surface of its territory is floating on a sea of oil and natural gas.
There is no doubt in any fair-minded Nigerian that the Ogoni people will eventually have a day when they will say “Free at last! Free at last!! Thank God almighty—we are free at last!!!” Be it in the form of a State within the territorial integrity of Nigeria where the Ogoni people will manage their own lives, plan their own future and develop their own environment and culture, or in an Ogoni territorial integrity where Ogoni will exercise its sovereignty: The choice is Nigeria's.
The message is clear; no matter who delivers the message or the capacity in which the messenger delivers the message, the message of 'Ogoni Autonomy' is the Ogoni message.
Either One Nigeria or a splintered Nigeria is entirely the choice of those in charge of administrative politics and oil politics in Nigeria. Governor Amaechi, the message to you is: This fight is not yours; leave it alone. It is enough of eliminating leaders in Ogoni; not this time, not any more, not Dr. Goodluck Diigbo or any other leaders of Ogoni. The messenger is not more important than the message. Deal with the Ogoni message and leave Diigbo or any other Ogoni leader alone.
If the messenger was more important than the message, the MOSOP struggle would have been dead after the murder of Ken-Saro Wiwa. But we are still here, talking Ogoni and MOSOP, and it will not stop until justice is served.
And lastly, who told Gov. Amaechi that Ogoni autonomy is not achievable? We are the Ogoni people, “neither death nor imprisonment can stop our ultimate victory” (Ken-Saro Wiwa). Oh, and definitely not Amaechi; he is too small for Ogoni!
DumBari Tsaro Deezua