The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called for the carving out of Ogoni blocs in Oil Mining Lease (OML 11) from the existing concession agreement between Sahara Energy and WAGL.

MOSOP made the call in a joint statement signed by its President, Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, and its past factional leaders, Feghalo Nsuke and Priince Nuyete Biira, which was read on Saturday during the commemoration of the 33rd edition of Ogoni Day.

The statement was read by King Samuel Nnee Gbenemene of Tai Kingdom, who is also the Converner of Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers on behalf of the Ogoni people.

MOSOP leaders demanded that the Ogoni blocs in OML 11 should be carved out and be given to an indigenous firm that would be committed to the development of the area.

“MOSOP demands the unbundling, removal or carve-out of the Ogoni fields from the existing Financial and Technical Services Agreement (FTSA) between Sahara and WAGL for the OML 11 concession and the assigning of the Ogoni bloc to an indigenous operator that is acceptable to all parties and willing to make concessions and commit a fair proportion of its earnings for Ogoni development through the immediate establishment of an Ogoni Foundation or Trust.

“The details of the operationalization to ensure transparency and effectiveness will be made known in a couple of weeks,” MOSOP said.

The statement also called for the clearing of the names of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis who where murdered during the Gen. Sani Abacha military regime in 1993 of any wrongdoing and also confer posthumous national honours on all the 13 Ogoni martyrs.

MOSOP in the statement lamented that about 500,000 barrels of daily crude oil was trapped under the Ogoni soil since 1993 that Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)exited Ogoni land due to disagreement with the people.

The monarch read that the people had been denied the benefit of the over 500,000 barrels per day oil trapped under the Ogoni fields, expressing the resolve of the Ogoni people to support oil resumption in the area through a special purpose vehicle which would drive development in Ogoniland.

“The commencement of a judicial review to clear the name of Ogoni Great Martyr Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa and eight  of his fellow martyrs and granting posthumous national honour to the foremost martyrs of the Ogoni struggle, also known as the Ogoni 13″, who were executed on November 10, 1995 during the regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha,” Nnee read.

The monarch said the idea of Ogoni control of its resources resonates with the goals of their founding fathers and are enforceable within the context of extant laws of the Nigerian  federation, calling for cooperation and support from all Ogonis to achieve the goals.

The body also frowned at the pace of work being done by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project,(HYPREP), calling on the agency to fastrack the evacuation of underground oil and provide potable drinking water and also establish a mechanism within HYPREP to compensate for livelihood losses due to environmental pollution.

MOSOP also called for the fastracking of the Presidential assent to the bill for an act establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, Saakpenwa in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers.

The body thanked President Bola Tinubu and Gov. Siminalayi Fubara for their love towards the Ogoni people.

In a remark, the Head, Media and Communications, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, Mr Enuolare Mba-Nwigoh, represented by the project’s Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, assured the people of Ogoni of the agency’s commitment to ensuring environmental sustainability in the area.

He urged the Ogoni people to be patient and peaceful with the ongoing project.

Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Derek Mene, called for unity and love amongst Ogonis to move the area forward.

Mene also called on the youths to queue behind leaders of the area and avoid acts capable of causing disaffection in Ogoniland.