Ogoni people
Encyclopedia
Ogoni people are one of the many indigenous peoples
in the region of southeast Nigeria
. They share common oil related environmental problem with the Ijaw people of Niger Delta, but Ogonis are not listed in the list of people historically belonging to Niger Delta. They number about one point five million people and live in a 404 square miles (1,046.4 km²) homeland which they also refer to as Ogoni, or Ogoniland.
The Ogoni rose to international attention after a massive public protest campaign against Shell Oil
, led by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
(MOSOP).
on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea
, east of the city of Port Harcourt. It extends across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) Khana
, Gokana
, Tai
, and Eleme. Traditionally, Ogoniland is divided into the six kingdoms of Babbe, Eleme, Gokana
, Ken-Khana, Nyo-Khana, and Tai.
The Ogoni speak the related, mutually intelligible languages of Khana
, Gokana
, Tai (Tẹẹ), Eleme and Ban Ogoi part of the linguistic diversity of the Niger Delta.
in 1885, British soldiers arrived in Ogoni by 1901. Major resistance to their presence continued through 1914.
The Ogoni were integrated into a succession of economic systems at a pace that was extremely rapid and exacted a great toll from them. At the turn of the twentieth century, “the world to them did not extend beyond the next three or four villages,” but that soon changed. Ken Saro-Wiwa
, the late president of MOSOP, described the transition this way: “if you then think that within the space of seventy years they were struck by the combined forces of modernity, colonialism
, the money economy, indigenous colonialism and then the Nigerian Civil War
, and that they had to adjust to these forces without adequate preparation or direction, you will appreciate the bafflement of the Ogoni people and the subsequent confusion engendered in the society.”
for many years. In 1993, following protests that were designed to stop contractors from laying a new pipeline for Shell, the Mobile Police Force men (MPF) raided the area to quell the unrest. In the chaos that followed, it has been alleged that 27 villages were raided, resulting in the death of 2,000 Ogoni people and displacement of 80,000.
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
in the region of southeast Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. They share common oil related environmental problem with the Ijaw people of Niger Delta, but Ogonis are not listed in the list of people historically belonging to Niger Delta. They number about one point five million people and live in a 404 square miles (1,046.4 km²) homeland which they also refer to as Ogoni, or Ogoniland.
The Ogoni rose to international attention after a massive public protest campaign against Shell Oil
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, led by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People is a campaigning organization representing the Ogoni people. Ogoniland is situated north-east of Niger Delta...
(MOSOP).
Geography
The territory is located in Rivers StateRivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
, east of the city of Port Harcourt. It extends across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) Khana
Khana, Nigeria
Khana is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Bori.It has an area of 560 km² and a population of 294,217 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 504....
, Gokana
Gokana, Nigeria
Gokana is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kpor.It has an area of 126 km² and a population of 228,828 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 504....
, Tai
Tai, Nigeria
Tai is a Local Government Area of Rivers State in Nigeria. It covers an area of 159 sq.km and at the 2006 Census it had a population of 117,797...
, and Eleme. Traditionally, Ogoniland is divided into the six kingdoms of Babbe, Eleme, Gokana
Gokana kingdom
Gokana kingdom is one of the six kingdoms of the Ogoni people in Ogoni in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. "Gokana kingdom" has geographic, historic and ethno-linguistic elements with some 130,000 Gokana language speakers located in the Gokana Local Government Area in Rivers State. Gokana...
, Ken-Khana, Nyo-Khana, and Tai.
The Ogoni speak the related, mutually intelligible languages of Khana
Khana language
Khana , or Ogoni proper, is the prestige variety of the Ogoni languages. It is the lingua franca of speakers of the East Ogoni languages....
, Gokana
Gokana language
Gokana is an Ogoni language spoken by some 130,000 people in Rivers State, Nigeria.-References:***Brosnahan, L. F. "Outlines of the Phonology of the Gokana Dialect of Ogoni" Journal of West African Languages 1: pp. 43–48...
, Tai (Tẹẹ), Eleme and Ban Ogoi part of the linguistic diversity of the Niger Delta.
History
Like many peoples on the Guinea coast, the Ogoni have an internal political structure subject to community by community arrangement, including appointment of chiefs and community development bodies, some recognized by government and others not. They survived the period of the slave trade in relative isolation, and did not lose any of their members to enslavement. After Nigeria was colonized by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1885, British soldiers arrived in Ogoni by 1901. Major resistance to their presence continued through 1914.
The Ogoni were integrated into a succession of economic systems at a pace that was extremely rapid and exacted a great toll from them. At the turn of the twentieth century, “the world to them did not extend beyond the next three or four villages,” but that soon changed. Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Kenule "Ken" Beeson Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian author, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize...
, the late president of MOSOP, described the transition this way: “if you then think that within the space of seventy years they were struck by the combined forces of modernity, colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, the money economy, indigenous colonialism and then the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
, and that they had to adjust to these forces without adequate preparation or direction, you will appreciate the bafflement of the Ogoni people and the subsequent confusion engendered in the society.”
Human Rights Violations
The Ogoni people have been victims of human right violationsHuman rights in Nigeria
Nigeria's human rights record remains poor and government officials at all levels continue to commit serious abuses.According to the U.S. Department of State, the most significant human rights problems are: extrajudicial killings and use of excessive force by security forces; impunity for abuses by...
for many years. In 1993, following protests that were designed to stop contractors from laying a new pipeline for Shell, the Mobile Police Force men (MPF) raided the area to quell the unrest. In the chaos that followed, it has been alleged that 27 villages were raided, resulting in the death of 2,000 Ogoni people and displacement of 80,000.