Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Conscience of Ogoni People, COOP, has expressed optimism that the newly-appointed Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Melee Kyari, would resolve all pending issues surrounding Oil Mining Lease, OML, 11 and smooth resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland.
COOP, hitherto known as the Ken Saro Wiwa Associates, said this in a congratulatory letter sent to Kyari over his appointment, which was obtained by our correspondent in Port Harcourt.
National Coordinator of COOP, Chief Gani Topba, said the group had no doubt Kyari would de-escalate the crisis surrounding OML11, which his predecessors could not solve, owing to his experience having risen through the NNPC ranks to become a Group General Manager and Nigeria’s representative to OPEC.
Topba said the group was optimistic that Kyari’s ability to resolve the protracted OML11 debacle which has defied solution for more than 26 years, would position him on the global map as an astute administrator and score his administration as GMD very high.
He described COOP as an organisation committed to the resolution of the dispute between Ogoni people and the Federal Government over injustices meted on them, which led to the halting of oil and gas operations in Ogoniland in the last 26 years, when Shell was declared persona non grata in 1993.
The letter read in parts, “COOP wishes to seize this medium to congratulate you on your well-deserved appointment as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. We also wish to thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, for finding you worthy of appointment to this important office.
“You are not new to NNPC. As a seasoned geologist, you rose through the ranks in NNPC to become the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division and you have also since May 2018 doubled as Nigeria’s representative to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
“We, therefore, have no doubt in our minds that you will bring your wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry to bear on your leadership of NNPC and in the discharge of the monumental obligations which this highly exalted office has placed at your doorstep.
“Namely, deepening smooth stakeholders’ relationships, building trust, de-escalating crises and resolution of all pending OML 11 (Ogoni Fields) legacy issues which your predecessors could not resolve.”
