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MOSOP Gives Shell 7-Day Ultimatum

Daily Champion (Lagos)
NEWS
October 21, 2004
Posted to the web October 21, 2004

By Dennis Naku
Port Harcourt
Firm Denies Allegations
FRESH crisis is brewing in Ogoniland as the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni
People (MOSOP) issued oil multinational, Shell Petroleum Development Company
(SPDC) a seven-day ultimatum, beginning October 16 this year, to withdraw all
military and para-military forces deployed to protect the firms facilities in
the area.
The ultimatum is expected to end tomorrow even as Shell denied deploying or
controlling troops deployed to Ogoniland.
MOSOP warned that at the deadline, if SPDC failed to comply, the organisation
would mobilise Ogonis for non-violent mass action, adding that Shell should be
held responsible for the consequences of the planned protest.
The MOSOP demand on Shell is part of an eight-point resolution adopted by its
congress which rose from a meeting in Ogoniland.
The resolution was signed by MOSOP president, Mr Ledun Mitee, and made
available to Daily Champion.
Mitee alleged that the presence of armed military personnel to protect Shell
installations is intimidating and intended to facilitate the resumption of the
firm's operations in Ogoniland.
He added that such alleged move by the company to resume operations in
Ogoniland without due consultation with Ogonis, is a hostile act and a
declaration of war.
The MOSOP president explained that the ultimatum is to prevent an alleged
imminent violation of the human rights of Ogoni people and a breach of the
peace resulting from the activities of the forces.
"SPDC should within seven days of the publication of the resolution withdraw
the forces, stop further acts of hostility such as attempts to resume
operations under any guise without proper consultation with the Ogoni people,
and the deliberate manipulation of the leadership of Ogoni communities in order
to cause divisions," he said.
Mitee stressed that the resolution of congress gives the executive committee to
withdraw the said forces and discontinue further acts of aggression within the
stipulated period.
He implored SPDC to quickly initiate a genuine process of engagement that will
lead to the resolution of the outstanding differences between Ogoni people and
the firm dwelling on other burning national issues, MOSOP expressed dismay over
the continued delay in releasing the report of the Human Rights Violations
Investigations Commission (HRVIC) headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, and urged
the federal government to make the report public.
MOSOP also called on all local government chairmen in Ogoniland to render
satisfactory accounts of the monthly statutory allocations received by their
respective councils and embark on tangible development projects that will
impact positively on the lives of the people.
The call had become pertinent in view of recent increase in the financial
allocations to local government councils across the country, MOSOP stated.
Failure by the council chairmen to demonstrate such positive impact and
transparency shall result in the employment of constitutional actions by the
Ogoni people to withdraw the mandate of the chairmen", MOSOP said.
The relationship between the Ogonis and SPDC reached a head during the late Gen
Sani Abacha regime when crisis in the oil-producing area against the firm,
forced Shell to withdraw from the area.
Leading environmental rights activist and Ogoni Leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa was
hanged by that regime over the Ogoni-Shell crisis.
But, Shell said it did not deploy or control the deployment of troops to
Ogoniland.
An official of the firm's public affairs department, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, told Daily Champion yesterday that "if MOSOP has legitimate
concerns, it should channel same to Shell management and we'll look at them."
The official, who said Shell management was yet to receive the Mosop ultimatum,
insisted that if there are troops guarding the company's facilities in
Ogoniland, Shell did not deploy and cannot control them.

   

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