The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has warned foreign investors of the existence of scammers in Ogoni and Nigeria whose tactics is to promise to give out the Ogoni oil against the true wishes of the Ogoni people. President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, gave the warning in a statement circulated to newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday. Nsuke advised prospective investors to conduct background checks with relevant government authorities and credible Ogoni organisations to escape being a victim of these scammers.
Nsuke warned that the scammers go by various names and are highly deceitful. He said foreign investors should be aware that “Ogoni Oil” is not for sale and no one should deceive them to think that the Ogoni people are desperate to give up their natural endowments for peanuts. He said that though MOSOP was not completely averse to oil production in Ogoni, its position remains that the process should be conducted to address the conflicts and critical issues surrounding Shell’s exit from Ogoni to avoid further blood bath and human rights violations as was experienced in the past.
Nsuke warned that anyone promising foreign investors that there is oil in Ogoni and they have the capacity to give out the Ogoni oil should be treated as a scammer, According to him, the struggle which compelled Shell’s exit from Ogoni cost an estimated 4,000 lives which came to a head with the November 10, 1995 hanging of nine activists including celebrated rights campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa.
“MOSOP notes that over 4,000 lives were lost to Shell and state repression in military operations in Ogoni and over 300,000 Ogonis have died in the past 60 years due to environmental pollution related illnesses. It is therefore our position that oil exploration is something we have to be cautious about and manage appropriately to avoid more Ogoni deaths” he said.
Nsuke also said any attempt to resume oil production in Ogoni will cause civil unrest and government response will be to draft in the military who end up killing people. He warned that killing the Ogoni people could draw the sympathy of the Niger Delta region and create crises in the region and these must be avoided.
“As the leading organisation which mobilized the Ogoni people to challenge their tormentors, MOSOP wants to state unequivocally that the circumstances which led to Shell’s exit from Ogoni remain unresolved. As a movement, we have not resolved to invite any foreign investor into Ogoni for oil exploration and we urge investors to be mindful of assurances of such possibilities and treat such offers as high profile scam” Nsuke further said.
He said the Ogoni environment cannot at this time support oil exploration and any promises for oil production in Ogoni would be a scam warning that anyone promising Ogoni oil to any foreign or local investor is a scammer..
We further note that as the only movement with the express mandate of the Ogoni people, clearly stated in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, and as the movement whose mobilization and struggles forced Shell out of Ogoni, we are fully aware of the huge costs in human lives and material losses which came with the struggles to end the political marginalization and degradation of Ogoni lands by Shell. We will ensure that all critical stakeholders are consulted to ensure that no lives are further lost in the process. We are also deeply concerned that Ogoni interests and the environment will no longer be endangered.
These, we can categorically state have not been concluded and therefore urge investors to be mindful of scammers who run to them with assurances of a possible entry into Ogoni for oil extraction business.
“We therefore unambiguously declare our rejection of oil resumption in Ogoni to safeguard our peace, our lives and our environment”. Nsuke said.
