The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has faulted the management of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) over alleged secrecy and lack of transparency in the ongoing dialogue on oil production resumption in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

MOSOP, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Stephen Nmane, said the committee’s recent response to concerns raised by Ogoni stakeholders had failed to provide convincing explanations, insisting that the development had instead heightened concerns over the management of the process.

The group said the concerns centred on alleged secrecy, denial, lack of transparency and accountability, as well as allegations of corruption involving some leaders of the dialogue body.

On the 40 employment opportunities reportedly provided to Ogoni by the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), MOSOP demanded the publication of the approved list of beneficiaries.

It alleged that key members of the ODC had disclosed that a majority of those on the approved list were nominees of prominent leaders of the committee and their loyalists.
MOSOP challenged the committee to publish the authentic NNPCL-approved list in its possession if it disagreed with the allegation.

The organisation also criticised the alleged inclusion of non-indigenes in the employment slots, describing the decision as insensitive to the unemployment crisis confronting qualified Ogoni graduates.

According to MOSOP, the 40 positions were provided under a confidence-building arrangement and should therefore be treated as opportunities specifically linked to Ogoni communities.

The group further rejected the explanation that the employment slots were drawn from a national merit pool to ensure quality, arguing that such an arrangement would undermine the special consideration ordinarily given to host or operational communities in the oil industry.

MOSOP also raised concerns over alleged ongoing oil production activities in parts of Ogoni, particularly Ban-Ogoi and Alesa-Eleme, claiming that the activities were taking place without the consent or social licence of the Ogoni community.

It alleged that some ODC members were aware of the developments, questioning the committee’s claim of ignorance.

“Whether directly linked to the dialogue process or not, oil is fundamental to the Ogoni struggle for justice,” the group said, recalling the deaths of more than 2,000 Ogoni people and a generation of its leadership during the struggle over oil exploitation.

MOSOP questioned why oil drilling operations were allegedly continuing in Ogoni when, according to the group, no agreement had been reached on the resumption of oil production.

It also faulted the ODC for limiting its proposed investigation to the Alesa-Eleme case while allegedly failing to address reported activities in Ban-Ogoi.

On contracts for confidence-building projects, MOSOP said its concern was not about the mandate or distribution of contracts, but about the identities of contractors, project scopes and whether the projects were being properly executed.

The group questioned how monitoring committees set up by the ODC could effectively assess the quality and progress of projects if information about the contractors and project specifications was not made public.

MOSOP described the ODC’s response as a “face-saving device” against questions raised by stakeholders, insisting that transparency and accountability were essential to the success of the dialogue process.

The organisation also rejected suggestions that those questioning the process were attempting to truncate the dialogue.

MOSOP maintained that it was not opposed to the resumption of oil production in Ogoni, but insisted that any arrangement must be based on transparent, broad-based consultations and an agreement that protects the interests of the Ogoni people.

The group accused the ODC of improperly representing Ogoni and alleged that its activities had been shrouded in secrecy to the extent that some members of the committee and the wider Ogoni community were also expressing concerns.

MOSOP urged the committee to change its approach, warning that continued failure to address the concerns of the people could undermine confidence in the dialogue process.