The National Union of Ogoni Students International (NUOS INTL USA), in collaboration with several human rights organisations, has vehemently condemned Royal Dutch Shell’s reported $2 billion sale of Ogoni oil, calling it a fraudulent deal and a blatant violation of Ogoni economic and national security.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday and jointly signed by NUOS Int’l President, Pius Nwinee, and the Coordinator of the Center for Democracy, Human Rights and Anti-Corruption International (CDHRAC Int’l), Cornelius Dumerenee, the groups described the sale as a scam designed to further exploit the Ogoni people.
Joining the condemnation were several advocacy groups, including the People Advancement Center and Mideckoe Environmental Development, who raised alarm over the Federal Government’s role in facilitating the deal. They cited comments made by the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs. Olu Arowolo Verheijen, who had announced that Shell’s sale of its onshore assets to local companies marked the end of the oil giant’s century-long operations in the Niger Delta. However, the Ogoni groups dismissed this claim, stating that Shell’s actions were nothing more than an attempt to rob the Ogoni people of their future.
The statement minced no words in describing Shell’s legacy in Ogoniland.
“For over six decades, Shell has looted the resources of the Ogoni people with impunity, aided by successive Nigerian governments. Now, in a final act of betrayal, they seek to sell what they do not own,” the groups declared.
They further accused the United Kingdom of being complicit in smuggling Shell into Ogoniland, alleging that the company was brought in without the consent of the people, purely to serve British political and economic interests.
The Ogoni groups also linked the controversial sale to the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists by the Nigerian military junta, branding it as an ongoing effort to silence the people and erase their struggle for justice.
“The Royal Dutch Shell stole our past, stole our present, and now wants to steal our future. We will not stand by while they sell the bones of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Ogoni Four, and the over 3,000 Ogoni people murdered in state-sponsored violence,” the statement read.
Rejecting Shell’s purported divestment, the groups insisted that Ogoni oil belongs solely to the Ogoni people and should not be subject to sale, transfer, or divestment.
“We categorically state that Shell remains persona non grata in Ogoniland. The company has no oil to sell, only liabilities. It cannot pass its environmental and human rights atrocities to any new buyer or partner,” they asserted.
The statement further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to:
Exonerate Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight Ogoni activists executed in 1995
Rebuild the 17 Ogoni towns and villages destroyed in conflicts allegedly instigated by Shell and the Nigerian government
Create Bori State for the Ogoni, Andoni, and Opobo people
Upgrade the newly established University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni to a full-fledged institution offering medical and agricultural programs
A Warning to the Nigerian Government and Prospective Buyers
The Ogoni groups issued a stern warning to both the Nigerian government and any company seeking to acquire Shell’s onshore assets, stating that any attempt to forcefully resume oil production in Ogoniland would be met with fierce resistance.
“Ogoniland is not for sale. We will not allow Shell or any government-backed entity to exploit our resources while our people suffer. The era of oil theft and deception is over,” they declared.
As tensions rise over the controversial sale, all eyes are now on the Nigerian government to see whether it will heed the call for justice or continue its longstanding complicity in Ogoni exploitation.
PIONEER NEWS 