Emmanuel Ukudolo l Wednesday, August 02, 2017
OGONI, Rivers, Nigeria – Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) have received 7 day ultimatum to stop all engagements focused on resuming oil production in Ogoniland.
Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), who gave the ultimatum noted that in the recent months, there has been intense and deliberate attempts by the oil industry to return to Ogoni oilfields through the back door without any broad-based discussion with the Ogoni people.
MOSOP said the development has potential to ignite a blaze of conflict and violence that will skirt this forceful attempt to return to the area.
“Shell and Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) is keen on using their divide and rule tactics to polarise the Ogoni community and pit them against one another. This approach is completely condemnable and detestable and will be totally resisted by the Ogoni people”, MOSOP said in a statement signed by its President Legborsi Saro Pyagbara.
MOSOP explained that if there is credible interest in resuming production, the Federal Government and the prospective oil companies should together to initiate a broad-based discussion with representation from all sectors of the Ogoni community.
“Based on the UNEP report, government and companies must undertake a credible environmental impact assessment of proposed oil operations in Ogoniland, to include social and health dimensions, as well as a public consultation process as is the current industry standard”, MOSOP said.
According to MOSOP, the Ogoni people had all been involved in the Ogoni struggle adding that every community in Ogoni had been affected one way or the other by the conflict over oil.
“The attempt by the oil industry and the government to divide the Ogoni nationality along the lines of oil bearing and non-oil bearing is unacceptable and will be resisted”, MOSOP warned, stressing that any agreement that will be agreed must be one global all-inclusive agreement signed by representatives of the Ogoni community and not fragmented and compartmentalised along community lines, which MOSOP said will cause internal divisions.
See full statement below.
OGONILAND AND PRESSURE FOR THE RESUMPTION OF OIL PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Following the launch of the Ogoni Bill of Rights on August 26, 1990, and public actions and protests that took place across Ogoniland in 1993, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the then main operator of the Ogoni Oil Block, was forced to pull out of Ogoniland.
This forced pull out was necessitated by the series of non-violent actions engendered by the Ogoni people in recognition of the massive environmental pollution that attended Shell’s operations in Ogoniland, absence of clear and focused Community Development Agreements (CDAs) and Community Benefit Sharing Agreements (CBAs) that recognises the rights of communities to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Ever since 1990 we have been striving for effective participation of the Ogoni people in the development process as is now widely obtained globally in the 21st Century.
In the course of this struggle, over two thousand souls were killed by the invading military, fourteen (14) Ogoni communities decimated and destroyed and several others fled into exile. Ogoni refugees are still held up in Benin Republic and sought sanctuaries in other parts of the world.
RECENT INCURSION
In the recent months, there had been intense and deliberate attempts by the oil industry to return to the Ogoni oilfields through the back door without any broad-based discussion with the Ogoni people with the potential of igniting a blaze of conflict and violence that will skirt this forceful attempt to return to the area.
Shell and Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) is keen on using their divide and rule tactics to polarise the Ogoni community and pit them against one another. This approach is completely condemnable and detestable and will be totally resisted by the Ogoni people.
It is especially disappointing because we have seen divisive efforts to re-enter Ogoni for oil production over the last decade all of which have ended in failure. In each case the lack of transparency and attempts to deal with local actors in isolation was the fundamental failure.
It is instructive to note that whilst the government of Nigeria commissioned the UNEP to carry out an assessment of Ogoniland whose report had called for a total clean-up and restoration of Ogoniland, it is disappointing that the same government is going about trying to force their way through the back door to commence operations in Ogoniland without addressing the key concerns that had been raised by the Ogoni people across the years.
THE WAY FORWARD
1. Shell and NPDC should cease engagements focused on resuming oil production in Ogoni within seven days
2. If there is credible interest in resuming production the Federal Government and the prospective oil companies should together initiate a broad-based discussion with representation from all sectors of the Ogoni community
3. Based on the UNEP report, government and companies undertake a credible environmental impact assessment of proposed oil operations in Ogoniland, to include social and health dimensions, as well as a public consultation process as is the current industry standard
4. Place full implementation of UNEP report on the list as a pre-condition before any oil exploration commences.
5. Ensure that the Free, Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC) of the Ogoni People is embedded within the framework of any discussion with the oil sector and the government relating to resumption of oil production in Ogoniland
6. The Ogoni people had all been involved in the Ogoni struggle and every community in Ogoni had been affected one way or the other by the conflict over oil. The attempt by the oil industry and the government to divide the Ogoni nationality along the lines of oil bearing and non-oil bearing is unacceptable and will be resisted
7. In respect of (6) above, any agreement that will be agreed must be one global all-inclusive agreement signed by representatives of the Ogoni community and not fragmented and compartmentalised along community lines, as this will certainly cause internal divisions.
CONCLUSION
We are seizing this opportunity to inform the people of the world of the potential crisis and violence that the government of Nigeria and the Shell PDC/NPDC plan to inflict on the Ogoni people. We want to stress that no oil production can take place in Ogoni without a clear process of clean up achieved and broad public discussion about the future of oil operations in Ogoniland.
Signed:
Legborsi Saro Pyagbara
President
MOSOP
01/08/2017
