Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People has fired a fresh salvo at the facilitators of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC), accusing them of operating in secrecy and demanding the immediate publication of the list of 40 Ogoni youths reportedly employed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, MOSOP Secretary-General Stephen Nmane said the committee's recent response to concerns raised by stakeholders had failed to provide convincing explanations, heightening suspicions over the management of the oil resumption process. The organisation insisted that openness by the dialogue committee would elicit the confidence of all stakeholders in Ogoni and encourage them to further embrace the dialogue process.
However, the group said the committee's response had instead deepened suspicion among the Ogoni people. "To us, the ODC facilitators' response disclosed nothing tangible. Rather, it betrayed a concerning attempt to hide the truth," MOSOP said. The organisation demanded a probe into alleged oil production activities ongoing in parts of Ogoni without the consent or social licence of the communities. It described the development as a "forced re-entry through the back door" and demanded an immediate halt to the operations. "It is appalling as it is disappointing that while dialogue between Abuja and Ogoni is ongoing, preliminary oil production is operationalised in parts of Ogoni by the Federal Government without the consent and social licence of the Ogoni community," MOSOP said.
At the heart of the controversy is the handling of 40 employment slots reportedly provided by the Federal Government through NNPCL as part of a confidence-building arrangement. MOSOP demanded the publication of the approved list of beneficiaries, alleging that key members of the ODC had disclosed that a majority of those on the list were nominees of prominent committee leaders and their loyalists. The group 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. "Whilst our qualified graduates throng offices for jobs, our leaders inhumanly consider non-indigenes over the natives in a matter that is exclusive to Ogoni," MOSOP said.
The organisation 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 challenged the committee to publish the authentic NNPCL-approved list in its possession if it disagreed with the allegation. "The people have been unsatisfied with the handling of the offer; hence, the overwhelming insistence that the list of beneficiaries be published," the statement read.
The group particularly faulted the ODC for allegedly limiting its investigation to the Alesa-Eleme operation while failing to address the reported activities in Ban-Ogoi. 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. "Whether directly linked to the dialogue process or not, oil is fundamental to the Ogoni struggle for justice," the group said.
On contracts for confidence-building projects, MOSOP said its concern was not about the mandate of the ODC or the distribution of contracts, but the identities and competence of contractors executing the projects. MOSOP demanded disclosure of project details, including contractors, scope of work, specifications and milestones. The group also rejected any suggestion that its criticism was aimed at frustrating the dialogue process or preventing the resumption of oil production in Ogoni. It said it had consistently maintained that it was not opposed to the resumption of oil production in Ogoni, provided the process was transparent, broad-based and capable of protecting the interests of the people.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments