onatisi: GEJ SIMPLY DOESNT KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING AND WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO I THINK IT IS RIGHT IF WE CALL THAT CLUELESS.I AM TOTALLY DISSAPOINTED IN THIS GUY.I DONT THINK WE NEED TO HAVE ANYONE FROM GEJ REGION AS A PRESIDENT AGAIN IN THIS COUNTRY.OTHER AFRICAN LEADERS WILL JUST BE LAUGHING.SEE WETTING OBJ CAUSED NOW HE HAS GONE TO OTTA HOW I WISH BOKO HARAM WILL BOMB THAT PLACE

onatisi: GEJ SIMPLY DOESNT KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING AND WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO I THINK IT IS RIGHT IF WE CALL THAT CLUELESS.I AM TOTALLY DISSAPOINTED IN THIS GUY.I DONT THINK WE NEED TO HAVE ANYONE FROM GEJ REGION AS A PRESIDENT AGAIN IN THIS COUNTRY.OTHER AFRICAN LEADERS WILL JUST BE LAUGHING.SEE WETTING OBJ CAUSED NOW HE HAS GONE TO OTTA HOW I WISH BOKO HARAM WILL BOMB THAT PLACE

Pukkah: With this ill-advised response, the President has dignified and recognized the leadership and mode of communication of this sinister group called Boko Haram. He can no longer claim not to see their subsequent videos or letters or other forms of communication.

Of course many people were not expecting that Jonathan would resign over the content of that video. It was just a bluff on the part of Boko Haram and the President buckled. A better way to respond to it would have been to locate the source of the video or the location of the group through superior Intelligence and come down very hard on the perpetrators and their backers.

Mr President should expect many more videos, or other forms of Boko Haram communication, in the days ahead.

ArQueBusieR: He shouldn't have replied.

REVOLUTNIS:
Ogoni Declares "Self-Government"
Posted: August 3, 2012 - 02:02
Ogoni Flag
By Dr. Goodluck Diigbo/Tambari Deekor



“We are acting with legitimacy to reclaim all of our rights, without exception,” says Goodluck Diigbo





Jubilations are continuing throughout Ogoniland after the Ogoni people in southern Nigeria, today, Thursday, 2nd of August declared political autonomy.



In a live broadcast on a newly established radio station: Voice of Ogoni, MOSOP President/Spokesman, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo vowed that:“By this declaration of political autonomy, we, the Ogoni people are determined to enforce the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, without fear or retreat,” Diigbo said.



Diigbo affirmed that self-government within Nigeria will secure for the Ogoni people, their indigenous rights, enable them to meet their needs and interests and finally end internal colonialism.



Diigbo said self-government became urgent recognizing the need to arrive at a consensus to collectively review the disputed UNEP Ogoniland Oil Assessment report, because any dialogue must be with the genuinely elected representatives of the people expected to enforce indigenous rights without dictation.



In the broadcast, Diigbo further underscored the reason for the urgency of self-government for Ogoni: “Concerned that in the absence of a responsive government that the indigenous people of Ogoni will continue to suffer from historic injustices.”



Diigbo stated: “In order to make indigenous rights practicable in Ogoni, we have through a very transparent electoral college process, beginning with community by community elections, set up 272 village councils, while the village councils in turn elected representatives for 33 district councils and the district representatives went on to elect representatives to serve at the center as custodians of customs and traditions, otherwise called lawmakers.”



“The law makers in turn elected the executive arm of the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA) with checks and balances inbuilt to ensure corruption-free, effective, efficient and answerable system of grassroots self-government instead of the old, corrupt and mismanaged local government system endured by the Ogoni for decades,” Diigbo explained.



“In taking these measures, we are quite aware of the discomfort to about 56 local politicians that control local government politics in Ogoni, however, we care more about the 1.2 million people that have for too long been excluded,” he stated.



He announced that a Transitional Committee was already set up to facilitate dialogue to ensure peaceful transition, within 30 days, while consultation with the national government and international community begins without delay.



Diigbo emphasized the need for Ogonis to remain law-abiding and act nonviolently; saying “we are acting with legitimacy to reclaim all of our rights, without exception, and for the sake of peace and security; let no one test the collective will of the Ogoni people, because we will not surrender our indigenous rights anymore.”



Excerpts:



In 1990, we the people of Ogoni presented the Ogoni Bill of Rights to the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in which the Ogoni nonviolently demanded among other indigenous rights:



· Political autonomy to participate in the affairs of the Republic as a distinct and separate indigenous unit (by whatever name called), provided that this autonomy guarantees political control of Ogoni affairs by Ogoni people; The right to control and use a fair proportion of Ogoni economic resources for Ogoni development; adequate representations, as of right, in all Nigerian national institutions, and the right to protect the Ogoni environment and ecology from further degradation as recognized under international law to which Nigeria is obligated.



Nigeria, a multi-ethnic nation state, a legacy of the British colonial administration, granted political independence October 1, 1960, after the British violated Ogoni independence in 1901, did not respond to the Ogoni, inhabiting their ancestral land in southern Nigeria.



When in the struggle for indigenous political autonomy; especially, in matters concerning confiscation of sacred ancestral lands for oil production without prior informed consent, there comes a moment to assert powers derived from the consent of the people and Nature’s blessings in order to protect, preserve and pass on inherited sacred ancestral heritage to succeeding indigenous generations. On behalf of the entire Ogoni people, I am highly honored to present these issues surrounding the proposed Ogoni Declaration of Political Autonomy.



Part of Full Text



30. That despite the fact that the “Nigerian Constitution” and other laws and policies provide for a local government system, in reality, the local government constitutional provisions meant to extend the principle of Federalism to its logical conclusion, by bringing the government to the grassroots level, do not apply in Ogoniland as a result of corruption and public deception by local and state political actors and the lack of enforcement of the shaky “Nigerian constitution” by the federal government;



31. That, this is because quite often local governments are frequently dissolved in Ogoniland without any explanation rendered to the Ogoni people;



32. That, essential appointments into local government service are often suspended for several years without information to the Ogoni people about the reason for such suspension, when the local authorities still operate budgetary provisions for needed manpower;



33. That the elected representatives who have supported this proposed declaration of political autonomy for the Ogoni people as they have bitterly complained that the present system of local government in Nigeria does not allow them the freedom to govern according to the wishes of the people;



34. That individual local government chairman has to remit monthly allowances in substantial amounts to those politicians at the state and national levels that put them into office;



35. That since local government operators are often imposed on the people, they, the local operators are required to compensate for the way they are often put into office through massive and violent rigging of elections;



36. That in the circumstance, the local operators, expected to respond to yearnings of their grassroots constituencies have become perpetually vulnerable to threats of illegal removal from office without reference to the electorate;



37. That, we the Ogoni people take very serious, the complaint by the Ogoni local officials that have confessed that they still hold office because they are able to settle their political godfathers, meaning political stalwarts that planted them as conduit pipe for siphoning funds meant to help in the development of Ogoni villages and wellbeing of Ogonis;



38. That the application indigenous rights will end this manner of abuse of power and mismanagement of public resources as the representatives of the people have been duly elected by the people in Ogoni, and controlled by the people and to end the system whereby politicians handpicked by political operators at the national and state levels, remain in office without accountability to the people as long as they satisfy those who put them into office.



39. That the local government employees, some in service for over 30 years cannot even afford a good meal with their families, but have seen politicians that come into the local councils buying houses in Port Harcourt and Abuja, even in overseas countries within six months in office.



40. That we believe that the Ogoni people are equal to all other Nigerians that now lord it over the Ogoni by means of indirect internal colonial rule through the corrupt local government system, which violates indigenous rights of the Ogoni people.



Concluding Declaration:



“Now, therefore, acting on the General Assembly mandate on the questions relating to the Political Autonomy of Ogoni in southern Nigeria, and in the spirit of the General Assembly motion DPA/001/2012, and its resolutions DPA/002/2012 and DPA/003/2012 adopted and approved on July 31, 2012; in accordance with the wishes of the Ogoni people contained in the Ogoni Bill of Rights of 26 August, 1990 as revised on the 26th of August 1991; expressing the collective will of the good people of Ogoni in the referendum of 2010 and the second referendum of 2011, obeying the command by the Ogoni people and their elected representatives from 33 district councils, comprising over 272 village councils, living in the six kingdoms of Ogoni, namely: Babbe, Eleme, Gokana, Kenkhana, Nyokhana and Tai and two administrative units: Ban Goi and the Bori National Territory; conducting this solemn affair in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 13, 2007, guided by the purposes and principles of international law in accordance with the United Nations Charter, I, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, hereby make this historic statement, to announce the proclamation of this General Assembly Declaration of Political Autonomy for the Self-determination or Self-government of the Ogoni people within Nigeria, today, the 2nd Day of August, 2012. So declared, and so be it; for the advancement of liberty in freedom and the preservation of the ancestral heritage of the Ogoni people.”



Thank you.



Signed by:

Dr. Goodluck Diigbo

MOSOP President/Spokesman



Contact:

Tambari Deekor

Associate Editor, MOSOP Media

tdeekor88@gmail.com

lanetrips: He shd not av suggested a dialogue wit dis islamic sect in d first place.now dey take him for a joke.next thing dey wld say is dey want him to leave d country

PStylish: Chei!

Why are most nairalanders so dumb?

Someone suggests the President shouldnt have responded. Next, a bundle of i.di.ots line up behind him in support like they were not entitled to come up with their own thought out opinion or someone will flog or chide them for doing so.

If the President didnt respond they'll say he is scared and weak. Now he has responded, you are complaining.

BH and their backers are getting extremely frustrated by the failure of their evils whims and caprices to shake the President.
GEJ's response can be interpreted by the discerning as " do your worst guys, bomb the whole north down, kill yourselves.i dont give a damn. aint resigning or quitting any time soon."

Of course BH has not affected the nations economy/revenue generation one bit. We keep growing year in year out.
Every right thinking serious investor knows his destination for business - the south.
The south has always been the life wire of the nation since the colonial era. In fact, the amalgamation was done to balance the deficit incurred by running the north with the excess gotten from the south.

BH is like a tsetse fly on a man's scrot.u.m (ba.lls). It cant be killed with a sledge hammer otherwise...

Who said GEJ never knew the BH sponsors and their objective? He's simply flowing with the rhythm
thereby frustrating them. OBJ must have schooled him.

Ride on GEJ !!!

afrikanns: If ur resignation will be 4 the benefit of the nigerians, i think it is advisable u do that asap. Like discipline white and asians people will do, please mr.presi. Take the bold step 4 the good of all.

Billyonaire: Responding is necessary, let me explain. Not long ago, the 19 Governors from the North held a meeting at Abuja, and declared that the North is prepared to take over power come 2015. There was no condemnation of Boko Haram! Then all of a sudden, Boko Haram has changed demand from Islamization of Nigeria to Resignation of President. Is it surprising that the demand of Boko Haram, is now similar to the demand of the 19 Northern Governors ? Your guess is as good as mine.

Meristem:
Fact. The question is what do we do Yield to their imbecilic demands and set a dangerous trend of bowing to terrorists?
My friend, use your brain!

---

Pukkah: With this ill-advised response, the President has dignified and recognized the leadership and mode of communication of this sinister group called Boko Haram. He can no longer claim not to see their subsequent videos or letters or other forms of communication.
Of course many people were not expecting that Jonathan would resign over the content of that video. It was just a bluff on the part of Boko Haram and the President buckled. A better way to respond to it would have been to locate the source of the video or the location of the group through superior Intelligence and come down very hard on the perpetrators and their backers.
Mr President should expect many more videos, or other forms of Boko Haram communication, in the days ahead.

onatisi: GEJ HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST SENSELESS PRESIDENT NIGERIA HAS EVER HAD ,I CANT BELIEVE HE ANSWERED THOSE GUYS,NOW THEY HAVE GOTTEN WHAT THEY WANTED A DIRECT VERBAL CONFRONTATION WITH THEM.HAS OBAMA EVER REPLIED AL QEADA?HE IS THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHEIF YET HE IS REPLYING A STUPID COMMENT FROM BOKO HARAM,NOW WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING MORE DEADLY AND DEVASTATING ATTACKS,BOKO HARAM GUYS WILL BE JUBILATING NOW IN THEIR CAMP,

onatisi: GEJ HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST SENSELESS PRESIDENT NIGERIA HAS EVER HAD ,I CANT BELIEVE HE ANSWERED THOSE GUYS,NOW THEY HAVE GOTTEN WHAT THEY WANTED A DIRECT VERBAL CONFRONTATION WITH THEM.HAS OBAMA EVER REPLIED AL QEADA?HE IS THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHEIF YET HE IS REPLYING A STUPID COMMENT FROM BOKO HARAM,NOW WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING MORE DEADLY AND DEVASTATING ATTACKS,BOKO HARAM GUYS WILL BE JUBILATING NOW IN THEIR CAMP,

ArQueBusieR: He shouldn't have replied.

malele:

Oga nawah for u ooo, because one person fail from that region means nobody has leadership skills there again. Anyway if they can't rule again just be prepared to give them there own country.

Biggyd2: Now the government can never claim that they are "faceless". They couldn't have responded to a ghost, abi?

kobikwelu: na todayy??

Nigerians always have a very short memory..
i remmember when OBj was in power...everybody was lamenting that ObJ was the worst president this country ever had..infact people in some quaters were praying for a coup...when Umaru went into power the same people were also calling him the worst president we ever had and the most selfish!!!
Now GEJ don enter..na still the same headline...***yawn***

Abeg make una go sleep....and stop blaming the Government for everything...that ship is old, battered and has sailed a looong time ago...

look for new stories...

Lameos!!!

jmaine: Oga J no suppose answer at all . . .moreso, when a recent interpretation of the video i read, specifically said the "resign part" was a media importation cos Shekau never implied that except the convert to Islam part

PointB: Na wa o.
This kind of response I expected is for Mr. President to grab at least 3 boko haram commanders or sponsors under watch, to let the boko bastards know where power lies.

GEJ no fall my hand o