Ogoni People Urge Revisit Of UNEP Report On Oil Spillage

Convener and leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Rev. Douglas Fabeke (left), presenting a communique from the Ogoni leaders to the Managing Director, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),. Mohammed Ali-Zarah, who was invited as a guest to the Ogoni Liberation Day celebration which held in Bori, Rivers State… Tuesday.

The Ogoni people have requested that the government revisit the clean-up in Ogoniland while the agency handling it, expedite actions and clean the land in tune with the recommendation of the UNEP Reports recommendation.

Leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Douglas Fabeke who disclosed this, however, said the government, in the alternative, should allow the Ogoni people to bring experts that would perfectly implement the recommendations of the UNEP Report to the letter.

The requests were contained in a communique presented Tuesday to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company at the Ogoni Liberation Day in Bori, where Fabeke also requested that the government expedite action on the provisions of infrastructure to the Ogoni people.

“The Ogoni people will not work under any political manipulation that will affect the development and smooth operation in the land without capturing the interest of the people. We stand by every word drafted here and will implement it to the letter, and also ready to give the Federal Government of Nigeria maximum cooperation to achieve its aim for the success and benefit of the nation and the Ogoni people.” the communique stated.

Speaking at the event, Fabeke stated that Ogoni leaders have resolved to eschew bitterness and work with the Federal Government to ensure that the people benefitted from the resources in their land.

He welcomed a partnership with the NNPC and the Federal Government of Nigeria through a transformed template and practical community development delivered by the host communities.

“The Ogoni people are ready to do all forms of businesses with the State, Federal and Global Corporate Communities for the development of our land, provided the business is anchored upon Ogoni development,” he said.

Following the oil spillage that rendered their land unproductive, the people have over the years been at loggerhead with oil companies operating in the region until recently when the Appeal court decided the case on OML 11 in favour of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

Convener and leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Rev. Douglas Fabeke (left), presenting a communique from the Ogoni leaders to the Managing Director, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),. Mohammed Ali-Zarah, who was invited as a guest to the Ogoni Liberation Day celebration which held in Bori, Rivers State… Tuesday.

Fabeke commended the Court of Appeal for the judgement confirming NPDC as the valid operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11, stressing that the Ogoni people welcomed with great joy the intervention of the Federal Government and the takeover of the oil assets by NPDC following the judgement of the Appeal Court in Abuja.

The Ogoni leader described the judgment that handed OML11 to NPDC as liberation for the Ogoni people, stressing that the people of Ogoni have “looked forward to this freedom over the years”.

He further praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his administration’s commitment to the development of Ogoniland, adding that his people would support all efforts aimed at restoring the environment and exploring its huge natural resources for the benefit of all.

The Managing Director, NPDC), Mohammed Ali-Zarah, said the company understood the concerns and yearnings of the Ogoni people and shared in their pain.

He said NPDC and the Federal Government would work with the Ogoni people to bring development, employment and growth to the land, remediate the environment and ensure that future exploration and production activities do not impact negatively on the environment.

Ali-Zarah noted that the large turn-out of people, including traditional rulers, at the event was a huge morale boost to NPDC’s confidence in its re-entry plan.

“Indeed, this is a clear testimonial and demonstration of the strong cordial relationship that has existed between us over the years. This, for us, is our social license to operate in this peace-loving community”, the Managing Director said.

He observed that it was in the best interest of the country to speedily restore the environment of Ogoniland and create the needed condition for the social economic development of the communities.

“As a viable partner, we would join you to pursue the greater good of our people and the nation. We stand with you and would work with you to achieve this within the shortest possible time,” he said.

On the communique submitted by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative signed by leaders of various communities that make up Ogoniland, Ali-Zarah assured them that he would send the document to the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for onward transmission to the relevant quarters, including the Presidency.

Oil production operations were suspended in Ogoniland in the early 1990s due to disruptions caused by local unrest. The oilfields and other installations have since largely remained dormant.

Hope was, however, rekindled last week following an Appeal Court judgment that paved the way for NPDC to take over the operatorship of the oil assets in Ogoniland from Shell.

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja upturned the August 23, 2019 ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja which held that the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was entitled to the renewal of the Lease on OML 11.

In the ruling, the Appellate Court held that the Minister of Petroleum Resources has the discretion whether or not to renew the OML 11 Lease in favour of SPDC. The Court further held that the Minister rightly exercised his discretion in awarding the OML 11 Lease to NPDC, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).