Dr. Fabeke Douglas of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative has challenged the Ogoni Dialogue Committee to publish the names of the 40 Ogoni people allegedly allocated employment slots by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Douglas made the call recently in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, while questioning the transparency surrounding the alleged employment allocation.
He urged the committee to make public the names of those who allegedly benefited from the slots, saying such disclosure would promote transparency and accountability.
According to him, he had earlier warned against what he described as possible deception by the Federal Government, stressing that the committee must be cautious not to compromise the interests of the Ogoni people.
Douglas also called for truth, unity and accountability among Ogoni stakeholders amid recent developments concerning the proposed resumption of oil exploration in the area.
He said Chief Lesi Maol was not responsible for the current issues surrounding the proposed oil resumption, describing him as a supporter of Ogoni youths.
“Chief Lesi Maol is not the problem in Ogoni, and can never be,” Douglas said, adding that he had conducted an investigation into the issues and would release his findings in the coming days.
He appealed to Chief Gani Topa and other Ogoni stakeholders to refrain from attacking one another on social media, stressing the need for unity in addressing issues affecting the people.
Douglas maintained that Ogoni’s oil resources could not be extracted without addressing conditions set by the people, adding that the issues surrounding Ogoni had international significance.
He called for greater involvement of the international community in resolving the issues and urged that any agreement reached between Ogoni representatives and the Federal Government should be subjected to transparent scrutiny.
Douglas further urged Ogoni stakeholders to unite and support initiatives that advance the interests of the people, insisting that division would no longer serve the community.
He said the Ogoni Liberation Initiative would release further information in the coming days to help Ogoni people better understand the issues and determine a way forward.
