The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni people, MOSOP has cautioned the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company(NPDC) against resuming oil drilling in Ogoni land without meeting the conditions of Ogoni people.
President of MOSOP, Prince Bira who briefed journalists in Port Harcourt after a steering committee meeting of the group vowed that Ogoni people would resist any plot by NPDC to come into Ogoni, “through the back doors”.
He noted that the consent of Ogoni people must be sought before any exploration activity would commence.
Said he; “The right things must be done. I could remember in 2018, MOSOP set up a template committee to draft what was called a memorandum of benchmark for engagement between the Ogoni community and companies desiring to take over the ‘operatorships’ of the Ogoni oil field, OML 11 and that committee was headed by professor Ben Naneh and as I speak to you, the template is available”.
“We have what we call free proud and informed consent. The Ogoni people’s consent must be sought because we have suffered tremendously in the course of this struggle”.
“The Ogoni people believe certain conditions of Ogoni people have to be met before oil exploration would resume in the area”, he said.
The group gave the warning following recent visit of NPDC to Ogoniland ahead of the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area.
The Managing Director of NPDC, Mohammad Ali Zara who was speaking during the visit said the invitation by Ogoni people was, “a social licence to operate in this peace loving community.”
Ali Zara also acknowledged the sufferings of Ogoni people over the years due to the activities of oil companies and maintained that, “It is our collective national interest to immediately restore the needed normalcy that will create the enabling conditions for the accelerated socio-economic development of the area.”
