SEIZING THE MOMENT IN OGONI The hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni activists including the murder of four Ogoni elders have proved to be wound that time has not been able to heal. The passage of time has failed to alleviate the pains associated with the act. Government did well by establishing the presidential
initiative for Ogoni-
Shell Reconciliation after it discovered this reality in middle of 2005. The name of the committee suggests government’s interest in the revenue derivable from the area rather than reconciliation which would have begun from reconciling the locals among themselves and there after
reconcile the locals and Shell. This mistake was corrected by the facilitator of the presidential initiative, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, when at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ogoni memorial at Bori, he declared that he was “seizing the moment” to deal with the main issue of consolidation which he termed “internal reconciliation”. He explained that his brief from the president was to reconcile the Ogonis and Shell but as a pastor, he had to consolidate the reconciliation already achieved at Oputa panel by helping the Ogonis find
peace within themselves as individuals and families. He further revealed that the families of all the 13 Ogonis who died were represented in the state government house at the same time for the first time in 10 years, signaling their readiness to face their greater challenges with Shell. The main challenge of reconciliation actually lies in reconciling with Shell. For Ken Saro-Wiwa had insisted before the tribunal that sentenced him and the eight of his kinsmen to death that they were not the only
people on
trial but Shell was also on trial. According to him Shell had only postponed its trial but its day will sure come. He predicted that the ecological war the company was waging in the area will surely be called to question and the war crime committed by the company will be punished in due course. The indigenes of Ogoni took these statements literally. Many Ogonis still take reconciliation with Shell with doubt. For instance, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) claimed that shell is yet to show any firm commitment to match their words with their action. They insist that “Shell must publicly apologize to the Ogoni people and clear up the painful mess it has inflicted on our people. We wish to make it clear that anything short of this will be unacceptable to our people”, said Barrister Kpalap, MOSOP’s information officer. Ogoni people among others suffer unjust economic relations in Nigeria. Their condition of living worsens as more oil revenue is extracted from their soil. This scenario coupled with the attendant environmental degradation led to the formation of MOSOP. MOSOP is driven by the conviction that the “environment is man’s first right” according to Ken Saro-Wiwa. Although Shell is not literally on trial today, the Ogoni problem has become a global issue which has prepared the companies’ minds towards accountability. The crisis may have caused Ken Saro-Wiwa’s death, yet the sacrifice was not in vain as the Ogoni has now become synonymous with struggle, people’s power and symbol of exploitation that are going in the Niger Delta. The age-long crisis between shell and the Ogoni people has made it necessary to review the concept of corporate social responsibility. Many companies misunderstand social responsibility to mean whatever their corporate affairs executives unilaterally say is the need of the people. They may commit so much money on social responsibility without making any impact on the communities which matter most in this context. Kukah advised the government to listen to the people to avoid the tragedies that are playing out themselves elsewhere. He expressed his desire to reconcile all the parties but warned that the committee can only seek peace that is based on justice and equity and not peace at all cost. The presidential Reconciliation Initiative facilitator, added that the parties cannot be forced to reconcile rather reconciliation should proceed from genuine actions of both parties and a willingness to approach the peace table with a level of trust. The Ogoni people should take a step of faith which may be propelled by a concrete evidence of developmental efforts of the company towards the communities. No one should deny the Ogoni people that as their communities have been devastated for long. There is still doubt in their minds understandably, but it will amount to disappointment if the Ogoni people allow the doubt to deny them the opportunity offered by the peace initiative without “seizing the moment”.
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