Ogoni Oil/Gas Resumption: Enough Is Enough, KAGOTE Tackles Ogoni Liberation Initiative
…Says OLI Had ‘Questionable, Doubtful’ Pedigree
…Vows To End Cult-Related Killings In Ogoni
As growing condemnation greets the alleged plan by the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI) for resumption of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Ogoniland, the elite body of Ogoni people, KAGOTE has distanced itself and urged the general public to disregard reports authorizing the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC) to commence oil and gas production in Ogoniland.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt on Friday, President of KAGOTE, Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah said the so-called OLI lacked integrity and could not have represented or spoken on behalf of Ogoni people as, according to him, the group had questionable and doubtful pedigree.
While stressing that nobodyowned the means or facility to mine oil and gas in Ogoniland, Hon. Deeyah made it clear that Ogoni belonged to the Federation of Nigeria and are bound by its laws, adding that Ogoni people would not decide which company ‘comes or which company would not come’.
“But we have a long history when it comes to oil exploration. We’ve lost some of our best with killings and all sorts of things. We believe that such a process, if the government is actually desirous of mining oil, there would be a process of consultation and dialogue with the people”, he said.
The KAGOTE leader who was accompanied to the press conference by Elder Obele Chu (Eleme), Hon. Dominic Saatah (Gokana) and Dr. Mesua Wilson Nwibari (Tai), said Ogoni had such illustrious sons as Senator Magnus Abe who is on the Board of the NNPC and parent company of NPDC; a serving Senator Barry Mpigi and Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, stating that the trio and other prominent sons of Ogoni were not in the picture about any planned resumption of oil and gas exploration in the area.
He further expressed surprised that not even one of the four local government chairmen in Ogoniland including the informal leadership were in the know about the sudden development.
“OLI or whatever they call themselves does not have the legitimate mandate to invite any group to come and mine oil in Ogoniland”, he declared, while directing the group to stop what it called a sinister move, forthwith.
Hon. Deeyah disclosed that a broad based meeting of Ogoni leaders and people of all shades of opinion would be convened in the coming days to chart the way forward. His words: “It is in that meeting we are going to agree on what to expect. We rejected Shell and so if another organization is going to come, what other things are they going to do better than Shell? That would form the fulcrum of this upcoming meeting of Ogoni leaders”.
Deeyah also sounded a note of warning to those behind the recent killings in Ogoni, to desist from the barbaric acts, as KAGOTE willtake necessary steps to bring an end to the madness.
“We have liaised with relevant security agencies in the state, and they have given assurance to arrest and prosecute anyone who does as much as shooting knockouts to disturb the peace of any community in Ogoniland. Security agencies would do everything within their powers to apprehend such person or persons. Enough is enough”, he declared.
