Following the Court of Appeal landmark judgment which handed over the management of Oil Mining License (OML) 11 to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) after about 30 years, the leader of Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), Rev. (Dr) Douglas Fabekee, has vowed that Shell Petroleum Development Company which instituted the suit will not be allowed to return to their land.
Fabekee, who expressed happiness over the judgment, said:“The people of Ogoni will never allow Shell into their territory.’’
Speaking at Bori at an event organized by OLI to celebrate the judgment, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the peaceful environment for the event to hold.
Persecondnews recalls the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had last week upturned the August 23, 2019 ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which held that the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was entitled to the renewal of the Lease on OML 11.
In the ruling, the Appellate Court held that the Minister of Petroleum Resources has the discretion whether or not to renew the OML 11 Lease in favor of SPDC.
The court further held that “the minister rightly exercised his discretion in awarding the OML 11 Lease to NPDC’’, a subsidiary of NNPC.
“I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for providing us with a peaceful country and for us to gather here today.
Under no circumstance will Shell return to Ogoni. Ogoni people are happy with the Appeal Court judgment that handed OML 11 to NNPC.
“We are here today for two occasions. First is to celebrate the Appeal Court judgment against Shell, which have taken the OML 11 license from Shell and given it to NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC. Secondly, we are today demonstrating to the federal government of Nigeria that the Ogoni people will no longer work with Shell.
“Shell should not appeal that judgement because even if it is in their favour, we are not going to accept it. We are ready to work with NPDC, we are ready to work with the federal government,’’ Fabekee said.
In his response, the NPDC Managing Director, Engr. Mohammed Ali Zara, expressed his commitment to work with the leadership of Ogoni Liberation Initiative for the development of communities in Ogoniland in Rivers State.
According to him, the event is a clear testimony and demonstration of the strong and cordial relationship that has existed between the NPDC and the community over the years.
He said having listened to the great speeches and presentations made by stakeholders in the community, the government truly understands their concerns, yearnings and expectations.
On the damage done to the environment and the economic loss suffered by the people over the years, Ali Zara said projects would be implemented to restore piece, tranquility and progress for the good people of this community and Nigeria at large.
“On behalf of my colleagues, I wish to thank you immensely for the initiative. Indeed, this is a clear testimony and demonstration of a strong and cordial relationship that exist between us the years. This, for us is our social license to operate in this peace-loving community.
“No doubt, our confidence had been further boosted by this show of love and solidarity. We have listened to great statements made here today and in our last engagements and want to say that true, we understand your concerns, yearnings and expectations.
“Indeed, the damage done to the environment losses suffered over the years cannot be over-emphasized. We share in your pains, first and famous as Nigerians, and as your partner to restore peace, tranquility and progress for the good people of Ogoni community and Nigeria at large,’’ he said.
“As we have always maintained, it is in our collective national interest to urgently and speedily restore the needed normalcy that will create the enabling conditions for the accelerated socio-economic development that will give way for the remediation of the degraded and serially damaged environment to its natural state.’’
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