MOSOP urges Buhari to rise above politics in Ogoni cleanup

SPDC JV spends N21.7b for community development in Bayelsa

The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rise above politics and ensure that the fund for the cleanup of Ogoniland was released to the Ogoni Trust Fund (OTF).

Its President, Legborsi Pyagbara, said while the Ogoni await the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, oil companies that wish to do business in Ogoni should wait for the adoption of the report of pan-Ogoni Committee set up to draw a template for oil production in the area.

Pyagbara, who is also a member of the governing council of Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), told journalists in Port Harcourt that MOSOP welcome the recent presidential directive on the release of funds for the Ogoni cleanup. He said: “We thank the President for personally getting involved in the matter of financing. We are, however, urging the President to rise above politics and ensure that the fund is made available and put into the proper vehicle, which is the Ogoni Trust Fund.”

He explained that MOSOP’s attention had been drawn to claims by some companies that MOSOP had endorsed them to resume oil production in Ogoniland, but denied the claim, stressing: “MOSOP never endorsed any company, neither is it promoting any company to take over the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.”

Meanwhile, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), yesterday disclosed that communities in Bayelsa State have so far received N21.71 billion from the company and its joint venture (JV) partners for developmental projects between 2006 and 2017.

The company said the figure was the highest of SPDC and its partners’ investments so far in the Niger Delta region and represented the total funds disbursed to the 14 Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) clusters in the state since the commencement of community development initiative in 2006.Its General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, disclosed this while presenting the 2018 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes to journalists in Yenagoa.

He said if subtracted from the N41.10 billion invested in the 37 active GMoU clusters in the Niger Delta, Bayelsa State’s remittances represented more than half of the total sum spent on GMoUs in the region.

Meanwhile, to check incessant flood along the Itu and Uyo axis, the Federal Government has appropriated N1.2 billion for erosion and road projects in Akwa Ibom State.In addition, it has also awarded rehabilitation works on the Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene axis and eight kilometres Oron-Calabar Road multi-billion naira project to Julius Berger Plc.Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, disclosed this when he hosted Akwa Ibom Community during the 2019 Democracy Day celebration in Abuja.