Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, has rejected Sahara Energy, Shell, NPDC/NNPC, BelemaOil, and RoboMicheal for the operatorship of OML 11.
President of MOSOP, Mr. Fegalo Nsuke who gave the warning said every oil firms interested in Ogoni oilfields should steer clear until the demands of the people of Ogoni have been properly addressed and met by the Federal Government.
Nsuke disclosed that Sahara Energy, a company belonging to the 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, was lobbying for the operatorship of OML11.
Nsuke called on the promoters of Sahara Energy to stop forthwith, saying that their activities portend real threats to the peace and stability of Ogoniland, which was currently shaky at the moment.
“The attention of MOSOP has been drawn to an intensive promotion of Sahara Energy, a company with a strong affinity to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the ill-fated governorship candidate of APC in the last election, Pst. Tonye Cole, as a possible operator of the Ogoni oilfields, OML 11.
“MOSOP wishes to state its unequivocal rejection of Sahara Energy and all other schemers including Shell, NPDC/NNPC, BelemaOil and RoboMicheal for the Ogoni oilfields until the fundamental demands of the Ogoni people are properly negotiated.
“We note that the demands of the Ogoni are justifiable and include a fair demand for political rights to self-determination which is currently enjoyed by other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
“We further urge the management of Sahara Energy to disabuse their minds and bury all intentions to lobby for OML11 as the contentious issues raised by the Ogoni people are yet to be addressed and the issues are far beyond the capacity or any other oil firm to address,” Nsuke said.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, recently directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, to take over the operatorship of the entire OML11, Ogoni oilfield, from the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.
Buhari had specifically directed NNPC and NPDC, to ensure a smooth re-entry into OML11 oilfield given the delicate situation of Ogoniland, and also to confirm the assumption of the operatorship by May 2nd, 2019.
