Ogoni

An ethnic minority of about 500,000 (1990) occupying an impoverished area of about 350 sq mi in the Niger river delta of Nigeria.

The Ogoni speak Khana, Gokama, and Eleme languages that form a distinct branch of the Benue-Congo language family. They are fishermen and farmers, yams being the principal crop. In 1958 oil was discovered under their land. In protest at the pollution from the oil wells and their lack of any benefit from oil revenues, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) was founded in 1990 to seek both political autonomy and compensation for the destruction of their environment from the Nigerian government.

The Ogoniland resistance organization was founded 1990. The Ogoni claim that their land has been heavily polluted by the Shell oil company's activities and oil spills, although some of the damage has been caused by Ogoni sabotage. Shell withdrew from the area 1993 following sabotage of its pipelines. By 1995 more than 1,800 Ogoni people had been killed by Nigerian troops who regard them as secessionists. The activist and environmental campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941–95), who had led the campaign for Ogoni self-determination, was executed along with eight colleagues by the Nigerian military government in 1995, prompting the Commonwealth to suspend Nigeria's membership.

Unemployment among the Ogoni is 85% and literacy 20% (1994); few households have electricity or running water.