328bn Worth of Oil Revenue Has Been Lost Since Shell’s Exit from Ogoni – MOSOP
The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), has said that since Shell’s exit from Ogoni, Rivers State, at least 6.4 billion barrels of oil conservatively estimated at $328bn
had been lost due to wrong approaches deployed by the government to address the Ogoni problem.
President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, stated this in his address at an event to commemorate the 28th memorial of the Ogoni 9.
According to him, the Ogoniland has a proven capacity to produce 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
“It is an unfortunate paradox that since 1958 when crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in Ogoni, and 1993 when the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited was compelled to shut down operations in the area due to mounting civil protests, an estimated $30billion worth of oil was thought to have been extracted from Ogoni lands.
“But the unbelievable reality is that given the current technology for crude oil extraction, the soil upon which the Ogoni people walk has a proven capacity to produce 500,000 barrels of oil daily, estimated at $40 million per day.
It then follows that in the past 30 years of Shell’s exit from Ogoni, at least 6,475,000,000 barrels of oil conservatively estimated at $328,500,000,000 have been lost to wrong approaches deployed to address the Ogoni problem. This figure is derived at a conservative estimated base price of $50 per barrel during the period.
“The soil upon which an estimated One Million Ogoni people walk daily in misery, without jobs, security, physical infrastructure such as electricity, schools, hospitals, roads and more. The Ogoni story is the pathetic narrative of a national shame, and we all have a responsibility to rewrite this story for the better and reset the future and destiny of Ogonis living and yet unborn,” he said.
He called on President Bola Tinubu, to exonerate the nine Ogoni Indigenes who were executed during the military regime of Gen. Sani Abacha.
“That the input and voice of the Ogoni people is a prerequisite to paving the way for an acceptable solution which MOSOP will drive within the stakeholder’s engagement meetings.
“That an order be made for a judicial review of the unjust sentencing and execution of nine Ogoni rights campaigners namely Ken Saro-Wiwa, John Kpuinen, Dr Nubari Kiobel, Nordu Eawo, Baribor Bera, Saturday Doobee, Felix Nuate, Paul Levura and Daniel Gbokoo.
“That an order be made to stop further harassment, killings, or intimation of the Ogoni people by any entity or group while the suggested cause of action is diligently and genuinely pursued.”
