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Hectares Land Grab Unsettling Ogoni in Rivers—MOSOP
The Movement for the
Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) told Watchdogreporters that
the current move by government to grab around 300,000 hectares
of land in the Ogoni axis of Rivers State was unsettling the
endangered ethnic group.
Many of the landowners
and farmers, affected by the alleged government takeover bid,
according to MOSOP are not even aware of the development.MOSOP
Information Officer, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap, told Watchdogreporters
in a statement that the landowners are not aware that the state
government is about to take their lands.
The Ogoni group is also
calling the attention of the government to the fact that there
is an intrinsic link between the survival of the Ogoni and their
lands, adding, ''it is therefore imperative that in this
democratic dispensation, the state government should imbibe and
espouse the benefits of wide and adequate consultations in
situations where they would deprive communities and individuals
of their livelihoods and their ability to survive''.
The Rivers State
Government in an advertorial published on Friday, July 15, 2011,
announced that it intends to expropriate over 258,954 hectares
of land from Ogoni for overriding public purpose – the
development of a new town by the Federal Government.
The advert however,
called on anyone who has right or interest in the expropriated
lands to put in their claim within two weeks from the date of
the advert.
''We find it difficult
to rationalize government’s insistence on seizing another
258,954 hectares of land in Nyokuru and Beeri communities in
Khana Local Government area immediately after an earlier
controversial land grab of over 100,000 hectares spanning Tai
and Khana Local Government areas and which has claimed three
innocent lives. We are concerned that government has
deliberately ignored the fact that its spate of land seizure in
Ogoni would have dire implications on local communities'', MOSOP
said.
MOSOP said they are
aware that the discredited Land Use Act, the abrogation of which
the governor himself has championed; vests authority over land
in the state Governor. We are however concerned at the tone of
the advert and the willingness of the state governor to take
advantage of this obnoxious law to deprive communities and
individuals of their right to livelihood and survival without
transparent and adequate consultation.
According to them,
''this coercive tendency no doubt betrays sinister intent as
this appears not to fit into the development agenda of the
present national government. It is suspicious that while the
story circulated earlier related to an industrial estate, we are
now reading about development of a new town. It is on record
that past regimes have seized colossal amount of lands from
Ogoni communities for new town development only to abandon the
project.
''Besides, huge amount
of our lands have been captured for oil and gas production, many
others grabbed by past administrations for some other
development initiatives but abandoned and are wasting. We
condemn this colonizing scramble for Ogoni through land
grabbing, which will no doubt generate unmanageable land
shortage for local subsistence food production and other uses
especially housing development.
''Internationally
recognized best practice in land resettlement schemes require
that when government expropriates lands from communities for
overriding public purpose, it must first offer those who have
lost lands, an alternative and suitably situated land,
acceptable to them and on which they can continue their farming.
It also requires that adequate compensation be paid to affected
landowners and farmers for crops and other improvements on the
land, taking care to compute the life span of perennial crops
and the aggregate income landowners and farmers would have
earned during the lifespan of such crop. The two weeks time
frame set out in the advertorial is certainly grossly
insufficient to resolve these issues.
''We deplore the
unwarranted resort to intimidation, threats and ultimatum aimed
at frustrating our weak and disempowered rural folks. Where
things are done properly, the time frame would have been
flexible enough to accommodate the disadvantaged circumstances
of the landowners and farmers. The landowners and farmers are
rural dwellers without access to newspapers and thus a two week
ultimatum is unrealistic''.
In the mean time, the
Ogoni group claimed that they have uncovered a plot by some
local politicians, chiefs and their friends to allegedly destroy
the ir apex organisation, MOSOP, using state machinery. ''At a
meeting hosted by a high chief in Korokoro village in Tai local
government area on Saturday, July 16, 2011, the group expressed
worry at the undying influence of MOSOP in Ogoni and beyond and
their inability control the movement and resolved to destabilize
it.'', MOSOP alleged.
They are also claiming
that the alleged trouble-makers are angered that the ir strength
is not being deplored to advance their political agenda and
vowed to form an alternative platform that would be more
powerful than MOSOP and agreed to consult other like minds,
which has already begun.
''While MOSOP
recognizes the right to freedom of association and thus
unopposed to people genuinely coming together, we are concerned
about the destructive intent of the group. It is our view that
Ogoni development would be better enhanced if we jettison
devious sentiments and close ranks. We therefore call on the
group to reform its relational attitude and approach as such
machinations are no longer fashionable'', Kpalap said.
MOSOP, according to him,
''is strengthened by the fact that our cause is justifiable and
legitimate. And since murderous regimes could not decimate the
organization, the current challenge, which is not happening for
the first time, is doomed to fail''.
MOSOP has equally
reiterated their call for the withdrawal of soldiers from Ogoni
farms as since their occupation of the controversial areas, food
production has been hampered due to molestation and other abuses
including rape and arbitrary detention. ''Similarly, we urge
government to prosecute the police killers of Messrs. Goteh
Keenom and Dambani, the Ogoni youths murdered in cold blood at
Zor-Sogho on June 12, 2011. Currently, police officers suspected
to have killed the leader of the dreaded Boko Hara sect are
standing trial for the crime. It will amount to double-standard
if ours become different'', the group said.
Though government is
claiming that they have made proper consultation in Sogho and
Ueken communities with respect to their proposed “banana
plantation” and land grabbing interest. In both communities,
MOSOP does not appear to be persuaded.
''Those that signed the
circulated documents were hand-picked loyalists of politicians
and some local chiefs with deep relationship with the state
administration but have no connection to the controversial
farmlands. To strengthen this fact, all the documents alleged to
have emerged from Sogho were littered with names of the children
of HRM King W.Z.P. Nziidee yet the family the investigation
revealed holds no right to the land in issue. In fact all the
signees have fled Sogho as the dubious deal became exposed.
''Landowners and
farmers in Sogho and Ueken indicated that no one whatsoever has
ever consulted them. In Ueken last week, a Tai local government
area team led by the council Chairman, Mr. Gbenekanu Kuanpie was
disgraced out of the community.
''The team had visited
to persuade the people to accept and support the state
government’s land grabs interest for its banana farm project.
The people reportedly roundly condemned their mission and drove
them out of Ueken. The question is, if proper consultation has
been conducted, why did the council team visit Ueken last week
and why were they disgraced?
Since this incident,
landowners and farmers identified to have championed the
protests are being threatened. Mr. Godfrey Kpoobe’s life has
been threatened several times and he is now living fear for his
life'', MOSOP said.
The Ogoni group is also
reiterating their position of an overwhelming majority in Ogoni
including Ueken, Sogho and Okwale that the proposed banana farm
project is not in our interest, adding, ''we suggest that other
suitable projects be considered for Ogoni in consultation with
the people''.
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