The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called on its former president, Legborsi Pyagbara, and the newly appointed Minister of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Sulaiman Hassan, not to cause crisis in Ogoniland.

The new President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, who was inaugurated on January 4 this year, made the call on Friday in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State during a tour of the MOSOP head office in the area.

Nsuke said: “MOSOP wants to make it clear that Pyagbara is no longer in charge of the organisation as every claim he could make to the presidency of MOSOP had been lost following the expiration of his tenure of office on December 31, 2018 and therefore, the Ogoni people will not welcome any visit initiated by him for the Minister or his representatives.”

Nsuke used the opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the Federal Ministry of Environment noting that following a change in the leadership of MOSOP which saw the inauguration of the new executives on January 4 this year during the annual Ogoni Day, any visit of the Minister or his representatives without the consent of the Ogoni people could lead to a conflict and should be avoided.

“The Ogoni people, we must say, will resist every attempt to disregard their decision on the leadership of MOSOP which has been expressed by the emergence of Mr Fegalo Nsuke as the new president of MOSOP,” he said.

The new MOSOP President said “the desperation of people whose tenure has expired and yet will want to conduct a faulty cleanup is clear sign that the Ogoni cleanup fund is in danger.”

He called on the Ogonis to arise and defend their collective heritage and stop whoever wants to toy with their rights to a dignified life.