Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has written to President Bola Tinubu over the looming ‘oil war’ in the Ogoni kingdom of Rivers State, following secret moves by some oil firms to resume production.
In the letter titled, ‘OML 11: unholy secret deals in Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) threatens oil resumption in Ogoni,’ its President, Fegalo Nsuke, said: “Since 1993 we had disagreements with the former operator, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), oil fields have remained redundant, stranded and undeveloped.
According to Nsuke, after 30 years of crisis that affected the national economy, the unfortunate situation has frustrated a proven oil production capacity of 500,000 barrels per day in Ogoni.
He said: “Despite this enormous oil wealth, we are without electricity, water, and healthcare, while the environment is polluted and unfit for human habitation. We call on the President to prevail on the “unholy deal” between NNPC and Sahara Energy.”
MOSOP expressed concern about the activities of NNPC and Sahara Energy, which, it said, are aimed at frustrating the current peace efforts, despite the group’s rejection of the companies due to their display of untrustworthy character and traits not different from SPDC.
They noted: “Under the last administration, Sahara Energy surreptitiously signed a Financial and Technical Services Agreement with WAGL Energy Limited, an affiliate of the NNPC. In 2023, without due process, the oil firm further attempted to buy the OML 11 asset at a paltry sum of $250 million.”
“Their attitude to the coercive takeover of the Ogoni oilfields does not just threaten the peace of the people but signals a potential for a fresh regional crisis given the fact that repression will attract the sympathy of the rest of the Niger Delta region. The threats must be avoided and eliminated by keeping oil companies off limits of the area.
“We, however, demand that there should be removal of Ogoni fields from the existing FTSA between Sahara and WAGL for OML 11 concession, which did not follow due process in assigning Ogoni block, and transfer them to an operator that is acceptable to all parties, and who is willing to make concessions for development.”