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On Behalf of MOSOP, I Convey to Your Excellency and Members of Your Government, the Felicitations and Goodwill of the Ogoni People

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On Behalf of MOSOP, I Convey to Your Excellency and Members of Your Government, the Felicitations and Goodwill of the Ogoni People 9 Justice Mary Odili Street off Ken Saro-Wiwa Road (formerly Liberation Stadium Road), Port Harcourt, Rivers State Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori – Ogoni, Tel/Fax: +234-812-226-6275; e-mail: [email protected] 1st December 2014 His Excellency Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR President and Commander-in-Chief of the of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria Aso Villa Abuja Your Excellency, Addressing Political Marginalisation of the Ogoni People: Twenty-Four Years After The Ogoni Bill of Rights On behalf of MOSOP, I convey to Your Excellency and members of your government, the felicitations and goodwill of the Ogoni people. Your Excellency, Ogoni had launched a monumental struggle in 1990 with the intent to salvage the Ogoni people and the rest of the Niger Delta from the caprices of political marginalization, economic strangulation and environmental degradation which had reduced them to the lowest rungs of society and imperilled their continued existence as a people. At the height of the struggle, over two thousand Ogoni souls were murdered in cold blood, several communities were destroyed and reduced to rubbles and the Ogoni lost some of its best human resources. Thousands went on exile and had become political refugees in other lands just because they are from Ogoni. Today, we continue to face instalmental death occasioned by ongoing pollution of our land-the axle of Ogoni wellbeing. It is in the light of this situation that I convey to Your Excellency the deep appreciation of the Ogoni people for the renewed interest and push that your government has shown in respect of the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland. We believe strongly that should the current momentum be sustained, the environmental degradation of Ogoniland through oil exploration will soon become history. Your Excellency, the issue of political marginalization of the Ogoni People had been one of the triad of core issues in the ongoing Ogoni struggle for justice. The Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) submitted to the government and people of Nigeria in October 1990 had amongst others called on the government of Nigeria to guarantee the Ogoni people adequate and direct representation as of right in all Nigeria national institutions. Whilst the Ogoni struggle contributed to the birth of our current democratic dispensation, Ogoni had gotten nothing significant in return. It is based on this realization that MOSOP had in March 2013 embarked on a campaign for political justice for the Ogoni people. MOSOP had embarked on the President: Legborsi Saro Pyagbara; Deputy President: Fortune Okwah Chujor; Secretary-General: Nennibarini Dube; Assistant Secretary- General: Elvis L.Ikomah; Financial Secretary: Theophilus Barine Dike, Publicity Secretary: Legborsi Esaen, Treasurer: Keaniabarido Ntambu campaign conscious of the fact that between 1993 to 1998, two major issues had confronted the Nigerian State - the cancellation of June 12 elections and the Ogoni struggle. On return to democracy in 1999, the political elites of the country agreed by consensus to provide the platforms of their political parties to only Yoruba candidates to assuage their feelings over the cancellation of the June 12 elections believed to have been won by a Yoruba. This led to the emergence of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo (Rtd.) and Chief Olu Falae, all Yoruba candidates as the major contenders for the 1999 Presidential Elections. This was done to ensure power rotates to the South-West of the country and also to heal the physical and psychological wounds occasioned by the cancellation of June 12, 1993 presidential election. Unfortunately, nothing was and had been done to the Ogoni people because we are considered a small and powerless Indigenous minority which cannot threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria. Your Excellency, it would interest you to note that forty–seven (47) years after the creation of Rivers State and twenty- four (24) years after the historic launch of the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR), the Ogoni continue to be marginalized in the political affairs of Rivers State. It is indeed troubling to note that since the creation of Rivers State in 1967 and in spite of their best efforts, no Ogoni person has emerged as Governor or Deputy Governor of the State, Chief Judge or Speaker of the State House of Assembly. This same situation also applied to the military era. There was no appointment given to any Ogoni person as Military or Sole Administrator of any of the States during the thirty-two (32) years of military rule in Nigeria. It is an incontrovertible fact, your Excellency, that there cannot be an effective participation in the democratic process without a corresponding adequate representation at levels of authority and governance. The continual denial of the Ogoni people’s representation at these levels smacks of impunity and is antithetical to the practice of genuine and inclusive democracy. The Ogoni Political Justice Campaign was thus launched to say, it is time to remember the Ogoni people. It is time to promote the adequate political representation of the Ogoni People. It is on the strength of this that we are persuaded to write you this letter. We are aware that your party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) upholds the principle of rotation to deal with situations like ours. Your Excellency, Chapter 1, Item 7 (3C) of PDP Constitution reiterate amongst others that the party shall pursue its set objectives by “Adhering to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.’’ The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which you swore to uphold emphasizes in Section 14, sub 3 and 4, the Federal Character Principle and the need to balance political opportunities. International human rights law recognizes affirmative action as a duty which member states should fulfill. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discriminations which Nigeria had ratified in Article 1(4) had emphasized that ‘‘Special measures taken for the sole purpose of securing adequate advancement of certain racial or ethnic groups or individuals requiring such protection as may be necessary in order to ensure such groups or individuals equal enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms shall not be deemed racial discrimination, provided, however, that such measures do not, as a consequence, lead to the maintenance of separate rights for different racial groups and that they shall not be continued after the objectives for which they were taken have been achieved’’ Your Excellency, the triple principles of rotation and zoning, federal character and affirmative actions provide the much needed anchor upon which you can erect the scaffold of justice for the Ogoni people by supporting the emergence of an Ogoni person as the flag bearer of your party – Peoples Democratic Party. The Ogoni quest for the Governorship of Rivers State is rightly within the context for which these principles were emplaced and we appeal that you act on them. The Ogoni campaign is situated within the framework of two fundamental variables. First, the campaign is principally to promote ethnic justice and a sense of belonging to the Nigeria project. Amongst the three ethnic blocks that presently constitute Rivers State, Ogoni is the only ethnic block that has not had the opportunity of producing a Governor, Deputy Governor, Speaker or Chief Judge of the State. The tables below amplify the points being made about this. Appointed and Elected Governors of Rivers State S/N NAME PERIOD ETHNIC GROUP 1 Chief Alfred Diete-Spiff 1967-1975 Twon Brass, Nembe (Ijaw) Now in present day Bayelsa State 2 Chief Melford Okilo 1979-1983 Ogbia (Ijaw) Now in present day Bayelsa State 3 Chief Rufus Ada George 1991-1993 Okrika(Ijaw) 4 Dr. Peter Odili 1999-2007 Ndoni(Ndoni) 5 Sir Celestine Omehia May 2007-Oct. Ubima(Ikwerre) 2007 6 Rt.Hon. Chibuike R. Oct.2007-Till date Ubima(Ikwerre) Amaechi Appointed and Elected Deputy Governors of Rivers State 1. Dr. Frank Eke 1979- 1983 Woji (Ikwerre) 2 Dr. Dominic Anucha Oct. 1983-Dec. Omuma (Etche) 1983 3 Mr. S.K. Dagogo-Jack 1888-1991 Abonnema (Ijaw) 4 Dr. Peter Odili 1992-1993 Ndoni 5 Sir. Gabriel Toby 1999-2007 Opobo (Ijaw) 6 Engr. Tele Ikuru Oct.2007-Till date Andoni (Ijaw) Elected Speakers of The Rivers State House of Assembly S/N NAME PERIOD IN OFFICE ETHNIC NATIONALITY 1. (i) Rt. Hon. Dominic C. Anucha 1979-1983 Omuma (Etche) (ii) Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Briggs R. Rosebury Oct. 1983-Dec 1983 Degema (Ijaw) 2. Rt. Hon. Enegesi Claudius 1991-1993 Ogbia (Ijaw) Rt. Hon. Ezekwem Stephen Ahoada (Ekpeye) Rt. Hon. Tuesday C. Kemeagbeye Ekeremor (Ijaw) Rt. Hon. Ongolo Talford Southern Ijaw (Ijaw) 3. Rt. Hon. Chubuike R. Amaechi 1999-2007 Ubima (Ikwerre) 4. Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry 2007-2011 Degema (Ijaw) 5. Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree 2011-Date Asari Toru (Ijaw) N/B: The 3rd Assembly (1991-1993) had four speakers Past Chief Judges of the Rivers State Judiciary S/N CHIEF JUDGE ETHNIC PERIOD GROUP/NATIONALITY 1. Hon. Justice Sir Michael H. F. Holden KT, CBE, ED. United Kingdom 1970 – 1976 2. Hon. Justice (Chief) Ambrose E. Allagoa Nembe(Ijaw) 1978 – 1979 3. Hon. Justice (Chief )Donald Graham-Douglas Abonnema(Ijaw) 1979 – 1992 4. Hon. Justice (Chief) K. D. Ungbuku Ijaw 1992 – 1996 5. Hon. Justice F. N. N. Ichoku Omoku (Ogba) 1996 – 2001 6. Hon. Justice Iche Nwenenda Ndu (OFR) Ikwerre 2001 – 2013 7. Hon Justice Peter N. C. Agumagu (Acting) Ikwerre 2013-- 2014 Further, Ogoni’s quest for Governorship is predicated on the need to ensure balance amongst the senatorial districts. The distribution of the governorship slots amongst the Senatorial Districts in Rivers State since 1999 is indicated below: S/N DISTRICT GOVERNOR ETHNIC NATIONALITY PERIOD Rivers West Dr.
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