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MOSOP gives Shell 7-day ultimatum
•Firm denies allegations
DENNIS NAKU,
Port Harcourt
F RESH crisis is brewing in
Ogoniland as the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) issued oil
multinational, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) a seven-day ultimatum,
beginning October 16 this year, to withdraw all military and para-military
forces deployed to protect the firms facilities in the area.
The ultimatum is expected to end tomorrow even as Shell
denied deploying or controlling troops deployed to Ogoniland.
MOSOP warned that at the deadline, if SPDC
failed to comply, the organisation would mobilise Ogonis for non-violent mass
action, adding that Shell should be held responsible for the consequences of the
planned protest.
The MOSOP demand on Shell is part of an
eight-point resolution adopted by its congress which rose from a meeting in
Ogoniland.
The resolution was signed by MOSOP
president, Mr Ledun Mitee, and made available to
Daily Champion.
Mitee alleged that the presence of armed
military personnel to protect Shell installations is intimidating and intended
to facilitate the resumption of the firm’s operations in Ogoniland.
He added that such alleged move by the
company to resume operations in Ogoniland without due consultation with Ogonis,
is a hostile act and a declaration of war.
The MOSOP president explained that the
ultimatum is to prevent an alleged imminent violation of the human rights of
Ogoni people and a breach of the peace resulting from the activities of the
forces.
"SPDC should within seven days of the
publication of the resolution withdraw the forces, stop further acts of
hostility such as attempts to resume operations under any guise without proper
consultation with the Ogoni people, and the deliberate manipulation of the
leadership of Ogoni communities in order to cause divisions," he said.
Mitee stressed that the resolution of
congress gives the executive committee to withdraw the said forces and
discontinue further acts of aggression within the stipulated period.
He implored SPDC to quickly initiate a
genuine process of engagement that will lead to the resolution of the
outstanding differences between Ogoni people and the firm dwelling on other
burning national issues, MOSOP expressed dismay over the continued delay in
releasing the report of the Human Rights Violations Investigations Commission (HRVIC)
headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, and urged the federal government to make the
report public.
MOSOP also called on all local government
chairmen in Ogoniland to render satisfactory accounts of the monthly statutory
allocations received by their respective councils and embark on tangible
development projects that will impact positively on the lives of the people.
The call had become pertinent in view of
recent increase in the financial allocations to local government councils across
the country, MOSOP stated.
Failure by the council chairmen to
demonstrate such positive impact and transparency shall result in the employment
of constitutional actions by the Ogoni people to withdraw the mandate of the
chairmen", MOSOP said.
The relationship between the Ogonis and
SPDC reached a head during the late Gen Sani Abacha regime when crisis in the
oil-producing area against the firm, forced Shell to withdraw from the area.
Leading environmental rights activist and
Ogoni Leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged by that regime over the Ogoni-Shell
crisis.
But, Shell said it did not deploy or
control the deployment of troops to Ogoniland.
An official of the firm’s public affairs
department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Champion
yesterday that "if MOSOP has legitimate concerns, it should channel same to
Shell management and we’ll look at them."
The official, who said Shell management
was yet to receive the Mosop ultimatum, insisted that if there are troops
guarding the company’s facilities in Ogoniland, Shell did not deploy and cannot
control them.
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