The attention of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has been drawn to series of meetings between the temporary coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Philip Shekwolo and one Prince Biira, posing as representing MOSOP, in an attempt to defraud the Ogoni people.
MOSOP can confirm that HYPREP and Prof. Shekwolo are funding division in MOSOP and by extension in Ogoniland, ignoring the court judgment on the 4th of May 2020 that nullified everything that Prince Biira stands for. MOSOP is advising Prof. Shekwolo to stop further destabilization of Ogoniland by illegally sharing the Ogoni clean-up money with Shell contractors and characters like Prince Biira, Douglas Fabeke and some Ogoni politicians.
Prof. Shekwolo is an errand boy to SPDC and we know he is in HYPREP as part of a wider conspiracy against MOSOP and the Ogoni people. It’s almost a year that he has been a temporary coordinator but we are yet to see a demonstration of competence on his part in HYPREP. In view of this, MOSOP is calling on the minister of Environment and the Federal Government to replace Prof. Shekwolo immediately with a competent Ogoni indigene to navigate HYPREP to success for the benefit of the Ogoni people.
MOSOP is not surprised at the recent Abuja court announcement, as we knew that re-entry into Ogoni had been on the agenda of Shell and the Nigerian Government for many years. On the 1st of March 2019, there was a presidential directive to the “Nigeria National Petroleum Company” (NNPC), the “Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NNDC). The two companies were directed by the president to take over the operatorship from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), of the entire OML. 11 not later than 30th of April 2019, not ensure smooth re-entry, given the delicate situation in Ogoniland.
This confirms that the so called judgment delivered recently in Abuja in respect of NPDC taking over the slot for SPDC was just a creation. SPDC is the technical partner of the Joint Venture arrangement and will always be. NNPC does not have the capacity, NPDC is only involved in support activities for the mining industry.
26 years ago, in 1993, MOSOP and the Ogoni people had declared Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company “persona non grata” in Ogoni for non-payment of rents, royalties, as well as (asking) Shell to account for its ecological war waged on Ogoniland.
MOSOP is advising Ogoni people who are working to bring NPDC and SPDC to Ogoniland to remember the history of our struggle, that they will be held responsible for any Ogoni blood spilt as a result of their actions.
Ogoni people see SPDC, NNPC and NPDC as partners in crime and any attempt to invade, trespass and encroach into Ogoniland without proper consultation with MOSOP and the necessary stakeholders in Ogoniland, will be highly resisted.
Signed:
Camrd. Lazarus Tamana
Mosop President