Daily Trust (Abuja)
26 October 2009
Abuja — The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday offered to embark on an indefinite ceasefire as a result of the willingness of the Federal Government to dialogue with it.
A statement by the group's spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, said it welcomed the readiness of the government "to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with every group or individual towards achieving a lasting peace in the Niger Delta."
"To encourage the process of dialogue", brokered by Henry Okah, ex MEND leader, "between the government and MEND to negotiate its demands for a lasting peace in the Niger Delta", MEND has now replaced Ms. Annkio Briggs, who opted out on her own, with Amagbe Denzel Kentebe.
When contacted as to whether MEND would facilitate Shell's purported repair of its facilities, one of the new commanders of the movement, Commander Tek, said it won't.
Although he said the timeless prolongation of its ceasefire was to allow peace to reign so that development could come to the impoverished region, Tek said the movement would not play any role in policing any spot where Shell or any other multinational oil company will be resuscitating its operations.
"We'll not support Shell to do the job. We know the company coming to do the job in Escravos. It is Gazprom, which has teamed up with Nigeria to form Nigaz. We will not support them", Tek emphasized. He did not say what they will do to the contrary.
Meanwhile, the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), has taken Nigeria and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) before the Secretry-General of the United Nations (UN) for planning to carry-out a clean-up exercise in Ogoniland without its involvement, and Ogoni stakeholders.
The exclusion of the Ogoni people in the planned clean-up, MOSOP stressed, negates UN's emphasizes on grassroots participation and partnership by people from the affected communities, and the clean-up agents.
According to MOSOP president, Goodluck Diigbo, even though Ogoni people had long asked for a clean-up in Ogoniland following years of environmental degradation caused by oil exploration, the approach of the Federal Government, Shell and the United Nation's Environmental Programme (UNEP), which eight man team, led by Mike Cowing arrived the country recently to train local people that would participate in the exercise violates UN's stipulation in such matters.
He added that the Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment (PIPE), an NGO with the UN with over 240 affiliates operating in the United States of America in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was solidly behind MOSOP in the quest to ensure openness and transparency in the Ogoniland UNEP Clean-Up Project.
Among other request, MOSOP wants the UN to recall Mr. Mike Cowing for having wrongly handled the implementation process of the Ogoni Clean-Up Project; make open the implementation process, which it noted had been carried out behind the scene by Nigerian politicians; and directly supervise immediate grassroots stakeholders meeting, to ensure easy access of the over 300 environmentally devastated sites.
"When the Ogoni people made the demand on Shell to clean-up its environmental disaster in Ogoniland, Shell felt offended and went on to collaborate with corrupt Nigerian leaders to cause the hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other of his colleagues. Saro-Wiwa, a powerful voice, alongside the current MOSOP President/Spokesman, Goodluck Diigbo had both insisted on environmental impact assessment study to ascertain the extent of Shell environmental devastation in Ogoni and. The Ogoni people through MOSOP have always asked for a proper clean-up to be effected in their land, which is what the current clean-up attempt should focus" the petition by MOSOP read in part.
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