Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — The Conscience of Ogoni People, COOP, has urged the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to intervene in alleged Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd.’s controversial bid to acquire Petroleum Mining Lease, PML 11, without consulting the Ogoni people.

In a letter to Ribadu, COOP alleged that Sahara Energy paid a $300 million bribe to the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to facilitate the acquisition without a free, prior consent of Ogoni people; and warned that the move could spark another round of violence in Ogoniland.

Leader of COOP, Chief Gani Topba, appealed to Ribadu to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited, NPDC to halt all dealings with Sahara Energy regarding PML 11.

Topba in the letter copied to President Bola Tinubu, security chiefs, and international organizations, including the Amnesty International, and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation, accused NNPCL of having a history of granting approvals to oil companies without consulting the Ogoni people, leading to protests and failed ventures.

The group vowed to mobilize protests against the granting of the PML11 license to Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd, saying that it has alerted international organizations to hold the company responsible for any harm caused to the Ogoni people.

“It is with a deep sense of concern that we bring to your most esteemed attention the ongoing clandestine plot by Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sahara Group Limited, acting in concert with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited and certain highly placed persons within the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, to plunge Ogoniland into a fresh round of avoidable crises and bloodbath.

“Our intelligence reveals that under the arrangement, the NNPCL and the NPDC are holding subterranean discussions with Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd with a view to finalising the grant of the lease or operatorship of Petroleum Mining Lease 11 (formerly OML 11 – the Ogoni Fields) to Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd, without any form of consultation with the Ogoni people.

“This action of the NNPCL and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources violates the Ogoni people’s right to free, prior and informed consent and inclusion in discussions over issues that affect not only their environment but also their livelihood support systems.

“To ensure the seamless execution of this behind-the-scene plot, information at our disposal with very compelling evidence is that over $300 Million bribe has been paid to the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, which is intended for use by the FCT Minister in getting the buy-in of certain Ogoni representatives in government to enable Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd acquire the Ogoni oil blocks through the back door.”

COOP said the Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL has been petitioned to provide information on the $300 Million allegedly paid by the NNPCL to the FCT Minister to act as a go-between to facilitate the acceptance of Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd by the Ogoni government representatives.

“The NNPCL has not been able to clear its name from the said bribery allegations and we as Ogoni people have resolved to reject Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd and whatever it represents from entering Ogoniland. We are going to massively mobilise Ogoni people to protest against the granting of the PPL 11 (the Ogoni Fields) license to a company that has not cleared its name from the bribery scandal hanging over it.

“Already, there are palpable tensions in Ogoniland among all strata of the population over the alleged bribe money and how Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd could engage in such plot which has the potential to spark off conflicts with grave implications considering the volatility of the area since the 1990s.

“Thus, the refusal of Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd to consult with the generality of the Ogoni people over its intention to operate the Ogoni blocks but to rather throw away money in a fashion that portrays the company’s lack of regard for the Ogoni people, is a confirmation that the intention of Sahara Energy International Pte Ltd is to throw Ogoniland into unprecedented turmoil and to create a state of insecurity and bloodbath that will pave way for the unilateral acquisition of the oil blocks.

“Perhaps, it is important to inform you that NNPCL has a history of unilaterally granting approvals to oil companies to commence oil operations in Ogoniland without obtaining the social licence of the Ogoni people through robust dialogue and all-inclusive and transparent engagement of the people, all of which have sparked off wild protests both within and outside Ogoniland, resulting in the total failure of such ill-advised venture at the end of the day.”