Oil Exploration: FG’s Move To Return To Ogoni Faces Hurdles

PORT HARCOURT – Following the Federal Govern­ment’s efforts to improve crude oil production to four million barrels per day (bpd) and gas to 12 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day, Pres­ident Bola Tinubu is leaving no stone unturned in the effort to achieve his ambitious oil and gas target.

The Presidency is focused on reac­tivating the dormant oil fields of Ogo­niland, Rivers State, which exploration stopped in the early 1990’s, consequent upon the execution of a foremost envi­ronmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wi­wa, and others by the military junta led by General Sani Abacha.

Anticipating the resumption of oil and gas exploration, President Tinubu had directed the engagement of critical stakeholders and interest groups with a view to addressing pending crucial is­sues, and ratifying the establishment of a University of Environmental Technol­ogy in Ogoni to soften the ground.

The efforts of the government have, however, been rather difficult as several groups have risen to present significant challenges to the return efforts over en­vironmental issues.

There had been a massive protest on Saturday that disrupted a planned oil re­sumption congress in Bori, the tradition­al headquarters of the Ogoni in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The protest was carried out to regis­ter their displeasure in the way the oil resumption plan was being carried out.

The congress was organised by a group reportedly set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to facilitate the process and sensitise the people on the planned resumption of exploration.

MASSIVE PROTEST

The protesters bore placards with var­ious inscriptions like, ‘Ledum Mitee and Ribadu, Leave Ogoni Alone’, ‘On Ogoni Development Authority We Stand’, and ‘Exonerate Ken Saro-Wiwa’, among others.

A faction of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) led by Fehalo Nsuke had also expressed displeasure over their exclusion from the process.

Nsuke, in a statement, accused Riba­du of bias and turning his back against MOSOP after an earlier commitment to ensure that the group’s position was con­sidered in the dialogue process.

Nsuke said the struggle of the Ogoni people had been championed by MOSOP, noting that the Ogoni people were very conscious of the sensitive situation and would rely on the position of MOSOP on the way to go, expressing worries that MOSOP, being left out, could create dis­trust in the hearts of the Ogoni people.

MOSOP also lamented that the pro­cess was being rushed in a way that could generate tension, anxiety, and cri­sis in Ogoni.

Also expressing displeasure over the modus operandi of the dialogue is a coalition of civil society groups known as the Ken Saro-Wiwa Exoneration Campaign (KSWEC), which, on Friday, called for honesty and transparency in the process.

The group said the approach being adopted was not acceptable to the Ogoni people and called for the exoneration of nine Ogoni activists killed alongside Ken Saro-Wiwa by the Nigerian government on November 10, 1995.

The coalition however called for a panel of investigation to unravel the im­mediate and remote causes of the death of four Ogoni leaders killed earlier on May 21, 1994.

Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed on the orders of General Sani Abacha after a widely condemned trial in Port Harcourt.

The convicts were denied the right to appeal their sentences.

Another aggrieved group, Ogoni in the United States and Canada, similarly condemned the planned resumption of oil production in Ogoni and called for the exoneration of the innocent men, including Ken Saro-Wiwa.

IN DEFENCE OF FG

Meanwhile, The Democratic Front (TDF) has said that the approval of a university in Ogoni was a statement of intent by the Federal Government to the people to heal the long-standing griev­ances against the government.

The group, in a statement by the chairman, Malam Danjuma Muham­mad, said the university would serve as a reminder of efforts to solve environ­mental issues in the area.

“We recall that the Ogoni people, for years, had to go through the agony of environmental pollution and degra­dation caused by oil spillage and other activities of oil prospecting companies in the region.

“Years of neglect have also enabled a degeneration of the Ogoni environ­mental issues into an ethno-political crisis that is still lingering since the late Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of MOSOP were executed in 1995.

“It is against this backdrop that we commend President Bola Tinubu for the wisdom in institutionalizing a per­manent solution through meeting key Ogoni stakeholders,” the group said.

The group noted that the university would serve as a symbolic monument to the tragic environmental history of the Ogoni people and a precursor for deter­rence against the mis-governance that triggered it.

It added: “We commend the President for his depth of knowledge of history, and his thoughtful decision.

“We also urge the people of Ogoni and, indeed, all oil-producing commu­nities in the country, to see this gesture as an opportunity to pursue academic excellence, with particular emphasis on the protection of their economic envi­ronment.”

DEMAND FOR FRESH MOU

On their part, landlords of oil and gas facilities in Ogoniland have de­manded that a fresh Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is undertaken among the prospecting companies, host landlords and the government before oil exploration can resume in the area.

The Landlords, under the aegis of Ogoni Bonafide Host Landlords, also demanded that a backlog of land rent arrears starting from 1957 till date owed them by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDCL) be paid.

The landlords argued that since the Ogoni people operate families and indi­vidual land ownership, the land upon which oil facilities are sited belong to individuals and could not be forcefully or illegally acquired without dialogue with the authentic owners.

They emphasised that oil resump­tion in Ogoniland can never be achieved through the backdoor to the detriment of the landlords, hence exploration in the area must be done in line with inter­national best practices and regulations, vowing to resist any forceful oil explora­tion resumption with all they have.

The Landlords’ position was con­tained in a joint statement signed by Engr. Benjamin Harry, General Co­ordinator/Contact Man, Chief Ken­neth Keke, Coordinator Eleme LGA, Comrade Kenneth Toate, Coordinator Gokana LGA, Pst. David Sudoo, Coordi­nator Khana LGA, Pst. Abam Saturday Kpokpone, Coordinator Tai LGA, Mene- Dumbari Kpakol and Comrade, Blessing Bariyereba

They said: “Ogoni is an integral part of the Nigerian nation which has contributed its quota immensely in oil/ mineral resources to the growth and de­velopment of Nigeria, over the years and it deserves such projects.

“We commend all efforts that facili­tated the realization of the dream which was abandoned by the previous admin­istrations.

“Flowing from the above, we hereby bring to the Ogoni people, the Nigeri­an Government and the International Communities the following: “That the Ogoni people operates on families/indi­vidual land ownership as such, the land upon which those oil facilities traverse/ occupy are individual or families lands, which cannot be forcefully or illegally acquired without dialogue with the au­thentic owners.

“That the backlog of land rent pay­ment since 1957 till date must be paid by SPDC to the landlords before any discus­sion can commence on oil resumption.

“That fresh MOU must be signed between the Government, the prospect­ing companies and the Host landlords, throughout Ogoni land.

“That a perimeter survey must be carried out to confirm the authentic landlords and the dimension of land that may be acquired in line with the Land Lease Act.

“That oil resumption or re-entry in Ogoni can never be achieved through the backdoor to the detriment of the landlords.

“That any operation in Ogoni land must be done in line with the interna­tional best practices/regulations.

“That landlords can never be short­changed by politicians or traditional rulers or the elites of the communities any longer.

“That Ken Saro Wiwa and other Ogoni martyrs paid the Supreme price in the course of their struggles for Ogoni freedom and we cannot tolerate further bloodshed in the land. To that effect, gov­ernment should follow the path of truth only the truth can set them free. As we shall resist all forms of forceful resump­tion with the last drop of our blood.

“That the Ogoni landlords signed pact, gave consent/authorization in the ongoing oil companies, MOU, CSR land grabbing, investigation, approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria and domiciled to the Domicile Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

“We are calling on SPDC to stop all forms of operation/sectional replace­ment in Ogoni land henceforth pending the determination of our matter un­der investigation, with MOU CSR land grabbing on going and landlords fully settled.”

The Landlords who also applauded President Bola Tinubu For signing into law the establishment of the University of Environment in Ogoni land, said the president’s gesture demonstrates his love and commitment towards the develop­ment of Ogoni land.

ANXIETY OVER FG’S RETURN

Expressing worries over the plan of the Federal Government to resume oil and gas exploration in Ogoniland, the former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said the move was premature.

The former NIMASA DG who spoke on Channels Television Programme, Politics Today, on Wednesday, said: “If I must be sincere with you, it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land.

“What I think, and I think that is the part the government has also chosen, is to do further consultations, build trust and show genuine commitment to real environmental governance.

“The challenge all along has been the opaque nature of oil exploration not just in Ogoni land but also in the entire Niger Delta.

“And the fact that the way benefits derivable from oil exploration is distrib­uted to the exclusion of the people of the Niger Delta is a big question mark. And until we address that in a transparent manner, then we will not make much progress.”

In a text to SUNDAY INDEPENDENT at the weekend, titled, “Bracing up for Another Phase of the Ogoni Struggle,” an environmental activist and ANEEJ Programme Manager, Innocent Edem­hanria, who wrote in from Benin City, noted that the extensive pollution caused by oil spills in Ogoniland is staggering.

He wrote: “Between 1976 and 1991, an estimated 2,976 oil spills occurred, releasing about 2.1 million barrels of oil—nearly 40% of Shell’s global spills.

“One of the worst spills, in 1970, lasted for three weeks, leaving a lasting scar on the land and the people.

“In response to these injustices, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) was formed, leading to the Ogoni Bill of Rights in 1990.

“This document demanded the pro­tection of Ogoniland from further en­vironmental destruction and called out both multinational oil companies and the Nigerian government for their role in what was termed ‘genocide’.

“Under the leadership of Ken Sa­ro-Wiwa, MOSOP mobilized widespread resistance, leading to Shell’s exit from Ogoniland in 1993.

“The Nigerian government’s re­sponse was brutal. The military cracked down on the movement, culminating in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other MOSOP leaders in 1995 after a sham trial.

“Their deaths sent shockwaves around the world, highlighting the ex­tent of state repression in the fight over oil resources.

“Since then, oil production in Ogo­niland has largely remained on hold due to security concerns and community resistance.”

He continued: “In 2006, the Nigerian government commissioned the Unit­ed Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess the extent of pollution in Ogoniland.

WHAT THE UNEP REPORT SAID

“The UNEP report, released in 2011, confirmed what the Ogoni people had long known—their land and water were severely contaminated, requiring urgent cleanup.

“The report recommended a com­prehensive environmental restoration project, warning that the pollution was so severe that some communities were drinking water with benzene levels 900 times above WHO safety standards.

“To implement the cleanup, the Hy­drocarbon Pollution Remediation Proj­ect (HYPREP) was launched in 2012, and in 2016, the Nigerian government officially began the process.

“However, the progress has been painfully slow. Many Ogoni leaders and environmental activists have criticized the government for its lack of urgency and inadequate financial commitment to the cleanup.

“Now, the Nigerian government is sig­naling a renewed interest in resuming oil production in Ogoniland.

“This has led to a division among Ogo­ni leaders—some see this as an opportu­nity for economic growth, while others insist that the cleanup must be completed before any discussion of oil production can take place.

“President Bola Tinubu’s recent en­gagements with Ogoni leaders, including the establishment of the Federal Univer­sity of Environment and Technology in Ogoni, have been welcomed as steps in the right direction. “