The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Limited says it is ready to commence production in abandoned oil wells to the benefit of community and the country.
NPDC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The Managing Director of NPDC, Mohammed AliZarah, spoke at an event by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, according to a statement signed by Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager (Public Affairs), NNPC.
He said that the company understood the concerns and yearnings of the Ogoni people and shared in their pain.
According to him, the NPDC and the Federal Government (FG) would work with the communities to ensure their environment was remediated and the activities not impact negatively on their environment but bring them development, employment and growth.
He said the organisation of the event by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative and the turn-up of various people including traditional rulers, youths and women had buoyed the confidence of the company
Mr AliZarah observed that it was in the best collective national interest of the country to speedily restore the environment of Ogoniland, and create the needed condition for the social economic development of the communities.
On the communique submitted by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative signed by leaders of various communities that make up Ogoni land, AliZarah assured them that he would send the document to the management of the NNPC for onward transmission to the relevant quarters including the President.
Earlier, Douglas Fabeke, the Convener and leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, organisers of the event, said the Ogoni people welcomed with great joy the intervention of the FG and the takeover of the oil exploration sites by NPDC following the judgement of the Appeal Court in Abuja.
He described the judgment and subsequent takeover of the sites by NPDC as liberation for the Ogoni people.
The communique, among other things, requested that the issue of clean-up in Ogoniland be re-visited and the Government should mandate the handling agency to expedite actions and clean the land in tune with the UNEP Report’s recommendation.
It also requested to allow the Ogoni people to bring investors that would perfectly implement the UNEP report’s recommendations to the letter.
It also called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the provisions of infrastructure to the Ogoni people.
