By  Jimitota Onoyume, Port Harcourt

INDICATIONS that all is  not well in Ogoni emerged on August 2 when a faction of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, led by Dr Goodluck Diigbo declared autonomy for the people of oil-rich Ogoni in Rivers State.

His declaration via emails to media houses hinged his actions on the long neglect of the area by successive governments in the country.

“Ogoni people are in a very difficult situation right now. The land has been totally devastated as a result of 55 years of petroleum operations, so it becomes very urgent because if you want to talk about anything concerning the land which to the Ogoni people is not just land but life and also god.

“We should remain part of Nigeria – we are not saying we are out of Nigeria. We have a choice as part of this declaration to be part of it or out of it and at this moment we are part of Nigeria”, the MOSOP factional leader said.

Damaged ecosystem from oil spill

In another email, Diigbo maintained that his faction of MOSOP was the authentic apex body of Ogoni.

Meantime, the Prof Ben Naneen-led MOSOP dissociated Ogoni from the declaration. According to him, there was no place where Ogoni resolved to declare political autonomy.

Naneen acknowledged the poverty and devastation in the area occasioned by pollution from oil exploration and neglect by government but he said no decision was ever taken by the Ogoni to seek the path of sovereignty as a solution.

He said the Ogoni would continue to explore non-violent means to press for the attention of the Federal Government.  The MOSOP factional leader also urged the government to create a state for the area, stressing that such a move would fast track development in Ogoni land.

Naneen called on Nigerians to ignore the Diigbo faction, arguing that his own group was the mainstream platform for Ogoni struggle. His words: “Ogoni people are dissatisfied with their condition in our country, Nigeria. But they do not believe the sovereign option is the answer.

They are convinced that their non-violent struggle and the support of the international community will eventually make the Nigerian government respond positively to Ogoni’s legitimate demands. One of these key demands is the creation of Bori State. Another is the effective implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoni.”

It is clear that the stage is set for the battle of who controls Ogoni between the Diigbo faction and the Naneen group ahead of the implementation of the UNEP Report.

It will be recalled that at a programme organised on June 17 by the Ogoni Church Leaders Council and Ogoni Generation Next project at the All Saints Cathedral Church, Diocese of Ogoni, Anglican Communion, Bori, Naneen, in his address, had said the Ogoni would want to be part of the implementation of the report, a position he re-echoed in a communiqué issued by his group at the end of a meeting on July 7 in Bori.

While the declaration by Diigbo is seen as part of the strategy to properly position his own faction of MOSOP ahead of the implementation of the report, what is certain is that there is a seeming crack in Ogoni. “I think our leaders need to come and urgently address this division”, an Ogoni youth told Sunday Vanguard.

Diigbo at the moment operates from his overseas base. Will he come home for peace talks after his declaration which some in political circle have interpreted as treasonable?  The Ogoni have to act fast to save the area from another fratricidal crisis.