From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Some indigenes of Ogoni in Rivers State have threatened to disrupt and legally challenge the alleged move by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to auction the Oil Mining Licence (OML) 11 asset.
The indigenes, under the umbrella of a non-governmental organization, Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), insisted that the plan to auction the OML-11 secretly contravenes the promise by the NPDC Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Ali-Zarah, as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
OLI maintained that Buhari had given a directive that the people of Ogoni would be carried along regarding the OML-11 as they were directly affected by the environmental pollution caused by the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The OML-11 was operated by the Shell (SPDC) joint venture, but the company was later vacated from Ogoniland in 1993, after several massive protests led by late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. They argued that Shell`s years of operations had devastated the Ogoni environment with no benefit to the people. President of Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Douglas Fabeke, who spoke on behalf of the indigenes, frowned at the proposed plan by the NPDC to auction the OML-11 without considering the plights of the people for proper clean-up of oil-impacted sites in Ogoniland and some unresolved crises that emanated as a result of the OML-11.
Fabeke claimed that the NNPC had concluded the move to sell the OML-11 to Sahara Energy and Shell.
He noted that companies lobbying to acquire the licence without proper negotiation with the indigenous people might find it difficult to operate in the Ogoniland.
He said such an asset should be sold to those who understand the plights of Ogoni people and are willing to develop the area.