Ogoni Warns SPDC Against Resumption Of Oil Production

The raging war between the Ogoni communities in Rivers State and the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited reached a dangerous crescendo, last Wednesday, as the hosts of the Royal Dutch conglomerate warned it against any attempt to surreptitiously resume oil production activities in the area.
It would be recalled that the Ogonis lost some of their illustrious sons, led by the environmental rights activist, late Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa, to agitation against the company’s operations in the land, during the reins of military junta, late Gen Sani Abacha, through hanging.
A statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, threatened dire consequences, if the oil company defies its order under any guise.
The statement reads in full; “The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) wishes to state its displeasure over an attempt by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited to forcefully resume oil production in Ogoniland.
“We state unequivocally that the actions of Shell are unacceptable to the Ogoni people. We note that Shell and its allies are still persona non grata in Ogoniland, and consequently, any attempt to forcefully resume oil production in Ogoni without properly negotiating with all stakeholders will surely be resisted by the Ogoni people, and could lead to a breakdown of the peace and possible military crackdown as usual.
“MOSOP, therefore, demands the immediate withdrawal of all equipment belonging to Shell in Ogoniland.
“We still hold Shell responsible for the killing of our leaders in 1994, 1995 and the subsequent persecution of our people which led to the death of over 4,000 others between 1993 and 1999.
“We maintain that Shell or any of its allies are not wanted in Ogoniland. We call on the Ogoni people to stand against Shell in any form they manifest, be it Belema Oil Producing Nigeria Limited, Robo Michael, National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) or in any form they may choose to disguise.
“We urge the Nigerian government to put an end to this continuous harassment of our people over oil, and address our demands which are clearly stated in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, and in particular, we demand the release of funds for the clean-up of our devastated environment,” the statement added.
But in a swift reaction to MOSOP’s threat, a spokesman for the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) said: “The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) has no plans to resume oil production in Ogoni land which was stopped in 1993.
“SPDC is carrying out repair work on the 24-inch Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) which passes through parts of Ogoni land and beyond.
“The scope of work involves replacement of sections of the existing pipeline. No new pipelines are being laid. The 24-inch TNP has been shut in since 2013 awaiting this maintenance”, the Shell statement noted.
It added that “The maintenance work involves repairs on the 24-inch TNP both in the Ogoni axis and beyond. The affected communities have been adequately engaged and their support secured prior to mobilisation of the repair crew.
“The repair work is providing employment and other benefits for the host communities. The works are restricted and contained within SPDC’s right of way and so far, no third party land has been impacted,” the spokesperson added.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana