Precious Anga
Lagos — The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has alleged that crude oil drilling has commenced secretly in some Ogoni communities despite ongoing discussions between the Federal Government and representatives of the people over the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area.
MOSOP said the Ogoni people had accepted the prospect of renewed oil production because of their confidence in the leaders participating in the dialogue, but expressed concern over reports of alleged compromise and corruption within the process.
The organisation also demanded the publication of the names of 40 Ogoni youths reportedly employed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, alleging that foreigners were included on the list.
The allegations were contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday by MOSOP Secretary-General, Stephen Nmane, and made available to journalists.
Nmane alleged that drilling activities had been observed in parts of Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas without the knowledge or consent of the communities.
In the statement titled, “Alarming Compromise of The Ogoni Oil Production Resumption Process: The Reported Massive Corruption of Leaders of The ODC,” MOSOP condemned what it described as an attempt to re-enter Ogoni through the “back door”.
“It is appalling as it is disappointing that while dialogue between Abuja and Ogoni is ongoing, preliminary oil production is operationalised in parts of Ogoni by the Federal Government without the consent and social licence of the Ogoni community.
“In Ban-Ogoi and Alesa-Eleme areas, oil drilling with its attendant health and environmental toxicity is ongoing.
“To us, this is in bad faith as it betrayed the godly spirit of the dialogue.
“Therefore, we cannot but condemn this forced re-entry through the back door. Thus, we demand immediate halt of the operations and the needful done,” the statement read.
MOSOP further said it was concerned about a report circulating in Ogoni and on social media alleging “massive economic corruption” involving some key leaders of the Ogoni oil resumption dialogue process.
The group called on the Ogoni Dialogue Committee and its leadership to publicly respond to the allegations, saying any compromise by those facilitating the process could undermine public confidence and deprive communities of expected benefits.
It alleged that some senior members of the committee had been compromised to facilitate the resumption of oil operations, claiming that youths who protested at operational bases were allegedly directed by engineers at the sites to approach an ODC leader.
MOSOP also alleged that the committee’s facilitators were linked to a multi-million-dollar oil pipeline contract expected to run across Ogoni oil fields ahead of full-scale oil production.
The organisation urged the Federal Government and prospective investors to conduct proper due diligence before entering agreements with individuals or groups claiming to represent Ogoni.
“We wish to make it categorically clear that all entered agreements on behalf of Ogoni are shoddy, unacceptable, and null and void,” the statement added.
MOSOP, however, urged Ogoni people to remain calm and law-abiding while the allegations are addressed, stressing that the controversy should not derail efforts to secure sustainable benefits from the proposed resumption of oil production.
