As the Ogoni people mark the 2026 anniversary of Ogoni Day, a call has gone out to Ogoni elites to resist being used by self-serving individuals to undermine the long-standing struggle and dignity of the Ogoni people.
The Director-General of the Ogoni Development Foundation, Victor Wisdom, made the call in a goodwill message to the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) during the January 4 Ogoni Day commemoration.
Comrade Wisdom said the Ogoni people have paid a supreme price to keep the movement alive, despite decades of environmental degradation and neglect in the area.
He expressed concern over what he described as a growing push to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land without the fulfillment of any aspect of the Ogoni Bill of Rights.
According to him, the Ogoni Bill of Rights is anchored on two key principles: resource control and political autonomy.
Comrade Wisdom noted that these demands could be realized through the creation of a state for the Ogoni people and the granting of equity rights to Ogonis in the joint venture of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11.
He advised the Ogoni people to resist and reject any resumption of oil exploration activities unless they are fully recognized and included as critical stakeholders in the oil business.
