Stop The Tricks, Don’t Bring In NPDC Through The Back Door – Ogonis Warn Peter Meedee, Collaborators
Not satisfied with the clandestine activities of one Mr. Peter Meedee and his collaborators in Ogoni, particularly their renewed (covert) attempt to resume oil production in the area against the view of the people, a group of opinion leaders and key stakeholders in Ogoni, under the aegis of Ogoni Ethnic Nationality, has cautioned against the implication of such unpopular move, describing it as dubious and ill-conceived.
The Ogoni Ethnic Nationality says the manner Mr. Meedee and some political chiefs have carried on their quest to return shell to Ogoni for the commencement of oil drilling and related activities called for concern, considering the sensitive nature of that undertaking, and the resolute position of the masses against such return at the moment.
The Ogoni people believe that Mr. Meedee and his co travelers are getting it wrong as such move will not work, particularly now that all attention is on the anticipated clean-up exercise which has been flagged off by government, even though not much has been heard from the federal government since after the widely publicized event.
The people view the steps taken by Mr. Meedee and co to dialogue with Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, as being selfish and deceptive, as they continue to lauder the move by the Nigerian company, which is from every indication a subsidiary of SPDC that was responsible for the untold woes and anguish melted on the people in cause of oil exploitation in the area, saying such efforts should be checked as it is designed to again mortgage the interest of Ogoni to a company that won’t better the lot of the people but add to the perennial suffering and poverty in the area.
The Ogoni representative group also explains that it is aware that Mr. Meedee is apparently acting the All Progressives Congress script of trying to cause crisis in Ogoni through this very controversial issue, describing the action as dirty politics, unpatriotic and driven by greed and selfishness.
It is shameful and disappointing that even the so-called leaders who have lost relevance and value in Ogoni will rather than accept the reality of time, continue to engage in activities that would destroy and mortgage the future of the emerging generation and growing population of the people of Ogoni.
Most appalling is the fact that the factional KAGOTE leadership, which is an arm of the APC in Ogoni, has continue to place selfish desire above popular resolve and interest.
We have thought that Mr. Meedee and his fellow APC leaders in Ogoni will demonstrably commit themselves to the success of the Ogoni clean-up exercise rather than engaging in actions that do not guarantee that success but thwart it.
Mr. Meedee needs to desist from causing crisis in Ogoni with his NPDC renewed deceptive and destructive initiative, as there are indicators to the real motive behind the current interactions and invitation of the oil company to Ogoni.
In our opinion, and the truth of the matter is that the clean-up exercise and NPDC incursion into Ogoni are two huge issues that any concerned Ogoni man would take seriously. It is also of fact that no business minded company will prefer lavishing or throwing money around without getting something in return. So, Mr. Meedee’s claim that NPDC is only interested in addressing the livelihood issue in Ogoni is misleading and spurious, as there are covert interests underneath, taking of the Ogoni oil through the back door.
The Ogon Ethnic Nationality, aware of potential danger in the wrong and unpopular process, therefore join other well-meaning people and groups, particularly the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, to call on all those linked to it and are desirous to see to the illegal and therefore unacceptable move to commence oil production in Ogoni now by SPDC or NDDC without cleaning up the mess by same polluter, to desist and allow the people decide what affect them accordingly.
The group also calls on the people of Ogoni to beware and resist the antics of Mr. Meedee, his compromised chiefs and the APC leaders, who have offered Ogoni up for sale to their choice oil company without considering the plight of the people and the communities, explaining that the current leadership of the factional KAGOTE under Mr. Meedee, does not have the integrity, acceptance and credibility to discuss or negotiate any serious issue for that matter on behalf of the people of Ogoni and should therefore be ignored.
Signed:
Batombari Ledogho
National Cordinator
Ogoni Ethnic Nationality