News
OML 11: Group Hails Court Ruling Against SPDC
A group under the aegis of Conscience of Ogoni People (COOP), has commended the resourcefulness and forthrightness of the Nigerian Judiciary.
In a statement while reacting to the judgement of the Court of Appeal that set aside the earlier judgement of the Federal High Court given in favour of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 2019, the group said that by reversing the lower court, despite the subterranean move by SPDC to re-enter Ogoni land, the court has demonstrated they were, indeed, the last hope of the common man.
The statement signed by the leader, Chief Gani Topba, also commended the Federal Government for listening to the plea of the people and taking the decision not to renew OML 11 for the SPDC.
The statement reads; “It is with joy and jubilation that we received the news of the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division in Appeal No: CA/A/824/2019 – THE MINISTER OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES & ANOR v. THE SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF NIGERIA LIMITED delivered today, Friday, August 20, 2021, which set aside the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court given in favour of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) sometime in 2019, and sacked the SPDC from Ogoniland.
“Recall that we had in 2019 informed you of the subterranean move by the SPDC to re-enter Ogoniland through the back door via Suit No: CS/524/19 filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in which the court ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to renew SPDC’s lease in OML 11 for another 20 years.
“Upon receipt of the judgment of the Federal High Court, the leadership of the COOP engaged the Federal Government of Nigeria and impressed on the government the need to appeal the said judgment in the interest of Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“The government appealed the said judgment of the Federal High Court in the same 2019. This appeal was decided today by a three-man Panel of the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal in reversing the lower court on the issue of renewal held that the Minister of Petroleum Resources has discretion under the Petroleum Act to renew or decline to accede to the application for grant of a renewal of an oil mining lease by an applicant. The Court of Appeal further held that the decision of the Minister of Petroleum Resources not to renew OML 11 for the SPDC was in order, valid and cannot be questioned.
“This judgment, therefore, effectively brings to an end the stranglehold of the SPDC over OML 11 (Ogoni Fields) which has lasted for over six decades, beginning from 1958, and which brought to the Ogoni people nothing but military oppression, genocide, economic strangulation, misery, acute poverty, environmental degradation and gross human rights violations that culminated in the execution of the Ogoni heroes, Ken Saro-Wiwa and his fellow martyrs-in-struggle.
“ As we join millions of people of conscience across the world to bid the SPDC farewell from Ogoniland today upon the dissolution of the slavish and colonial ties that held us together for these over six decades, we salute the courage and decisiveness of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, who doubles as the substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Mele Kyari, the security agencies and all stakeholders who listened to the plea of the people and took the decision not to renew OML 11 for the SPDC.
“We thank them all for the victory recorded today through our collective efforts. We also commend the resourcefulness and forthrightness of the Nigerian Judiciary which by today’s judgment has reinforced our belief that the Judiciary is indeed the last home of the common man.
“We are excited because today the exit of the SPDC from Ogoniland which was foretold by our hero, Ken Saro-Wiwa, has been actualized in our lifetime and through the collective sacrifice of Ogoni people. As at today, all rights and interests in and over OML 11 (Ogoni fields) have reverted to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We have already set our agenda for a robust engagement with the Federal Government of Nigeria on the possibility of returning to the negotiation table with a view to resolving the legacy issues that occasioned the Ogoni agitation.
“We trust the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately open lines of communication with Ogoni leaders of thought with a view to commencing preliminary talks. We are very optimistic that the exit of the SPDC will open new vistas towards unleashing the full oil and gas potentials of the Ogoni fields and its development in a transparent and environmentally sound manner for the benefit of all stakeholders.
“On behalf of the Ogoni people, we wish to state that never again shall we allow any lessee or operator of OML 11 (Ogoni fields) to impoverish our people, destroy our livelihoods and economy and render our environment an ecological wasteland by adopting bad oilfield practice in the development of the Ogoni oil block.
“We make bold to assure that Ogoni people will continue to peacefully and non-violently resist every repeat of the SPDC treatment. We appeal to Ogoni people to give the Federal Government of Nigeria the necessary support and opportunity to right the wrongs of the past through transparent dialogue, collaboration and inclusion in the development of OML 11 (Ogoni fields).
“We call on Ogoni people to be resolute and steadfast as we shall collectively mobilize our people to non-violently and peacefully fight for our rights as indigenous people recognised under international law and we shall win”.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.