Dear Ogoni People: Happy Ogoni Day to you all! It is a great joy to see 2010 and especially our liberation day, Jan. 4. Thank you very much for what you are doing to keeping the true flag of MOSOP flying despite the many odds. The world is presently aware of the intimidatory styles Amaechi, Mitee and their Ogoni petty oppressors and thugs are using to try to cow you from turning out in mass to observe this noble and history-making day. Come out and celebrate with the new MOSOP president Mr. Goodluck Diigbo.
The use of the Nigerian Military Joint Taskforce (JTF) to beat up, injure and threaten those who came out to prepare BMGS for this celebration can not and should not stop us from pouring out in hundreds of thousands on the Bori streets and all Ogoni villages. The Ogoni Children's Cultural and Fundamental Rights Council (OCAFAC USA) hereby condemn in strong terms this harassment and intimidation at BMGS Bori Ogoni on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. OCAFAC hereby notify the federal and state government and Mitee that should anything criminal happen to Ogonis on Jan. 4, they must be held accountable.
All the personnel of the military, police and other security operatives involved in any act of harassment and lawlessness among others shall be brought to book as well. Jan. 4 is our day; a peaceful and nonviolent day of celebration for that matter; and the Nigerian government especially Rivers State and Amaechi can not take this day and joy from us. Ogoni people be merry and dance their guns to silence!
If they have planned to use BMGS, the dream and hand-work of Timothy Naakuu Paul Birabi (the Ogoni Star whose works inspired Ken Saro-Wiwa) for their usual Ogoni-Peoples Democrazy party's (PDP) Annual meeting do not worry them. Let them go ahead for the world to see how MOSOP under Mitee, has over the years become a feasting ground for Rivers State or Nigerian polithiefcians. They will tell us the story about their evil will against us sooner than later. As Saro-Wiwa, the spirit of Ogoni said, “We are going to demand our rights peacefully, nonviolently and shall win!”
The government will not succeed with their divide and conquer or in whatever plans they have against our survival. All intimidation and diabolic design aimed as ground-testing to see our resolve when they make their final move to force into our oilfields shall fail. Jan. 4, 1993, was the day we won this battle though still working hard to clear some minor debris and canker worms away for lasting victory. OCAFAC calls on all of you therefore not to be afraid as we have never being afraid. If we were able to defy their dreaded and genocidal Rivers State Internal Security Taskforce in ’93 and 96 under military dictatorship especially, nothing can stop us this time.
There is no such time they will triumph over us because it is our constitutional right and moral responsibility to seek freedom, equality, justice and peace. Therefore come out and stand together for these common and moral good. Stand for environmental justice, proper cleaning standards as acceptable internationally for Ogoni and others whose environment have been ruined. They can not beat our resolve to salvage our Motherland.
We join you to reject the backdoor and below international cleaning standards Amaechi, Mitee and Mike Cowing of the UNEP are trying to force on Ogoni. We learnt their environmental assessment report is even ready yet no practical work has been undertaken on the degraded sites.
They of course failed from the moment the plan to invade the village of Mr. Goodluck Diigbo, the uncompromising and generally accepted MOSOP president and spokesman was broached. We can not be deterred as victory is ours! God bless and protect all of you (us) from Mitee, the government forces and their many errant boys and girls or men and women.
They may be laughing today, but genocide is not selective, they must know. Laughing last is why we are struggling the way we do and nothing can keep us from achieving our dreams, particularly the dream of Ogonis ruling themselves. That dream is here and can never die.
Happy Ogoni Day!
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ben Wuloo Ikari, Director and founder of OCAFAC USA.
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