The Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) has denied influencing the selection of 40 Ogoni indigenes recently offered employment opportunities by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The committee, which is currently engaging the Federal Government over the possible resumption of oil and gas operations in Ogoniland, also dismissed allegations that it awarded contracts or received funds from the government.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, ODC Chairman, Prof. Don Baridam, described claims attributed to the KAGOTE and other groups as false and misleading.
Baridam said the employment opportunities were among the confidence-building measures proposed by the Ogoni delegation during its engagement with the Federal Government. He, however, stressed that the ODC neither selected nor recruited the beneficiaries.
According to him, NNPCL selected the successful candidates from a pool of qualified Ogoni applicants already in its recruitment database.
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“When the issue of employment was raised, NNPCL made it clear that it would not compromise its established professional and recruitment standards,” Baridam said.
He explained that the company informed the committee that it already had several qualified Ogoni applicants in its database who had previously applied, gone through the recruitment process and performed well.
The ODC chairman acknowledged that some members of the committee submitted names of individuals they wished to be considered, but maintained that the nominations did not determine the final selection.
“The recruitment and selection process did not pass through the ODC, nor did the ODC determine who was employed,” he said.
Baridam therefore rejected claims that the committee or its facilitators distributed the jobs as political or personal patronage.
The committee also denied allegations that it was involved in the award or allocation of government and NNPCL contracts.
According to Baridam, contract awards fall outside the mandate of the ODC, which he said lacked the authority and institutional machinery to influence such decisions.
“At no time did the ODC award, allocate, distribute or otherwise become involved in contracts,” he said.
On reports of renewed oil exploration or production activities in Ogoniland, the committee said it had no information confirming that oil and gas production had resumed under the Ogoni re-entry programme.
The ODC said NNPCL had also indicated that it was unaware of alleged oil-rig operations reported in Alesa-Eleme, adding that investigations into the claims were ongoing.
The committee further denied receiving any budgetary allocation, grant or other financial support from the Federal Government.
Baridam described the committee’s participation in the dialogue process as a sacrifice and a service to the Ogoni people.
On the proposed creation of Bori State, the ODC chairman said state creation remained one of the key demands presented to the Federal Government.
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He disclosed that the committee had established a tactical sub-committee to work on the modalities for pursuing the demand, while acknowledging that the process must comply with the constitutional requirements for state creation.
Baridam said the dialogue process had also progressed to efforts to harmonise outstanding issues arising from the ODC report, the Federal Government’s response and the report of a technical committee.
He said a Joint Harmonisation Committee, comprising representatives of the Federal Government and the Ogoni people, was being considered to develop an interim memorandum of understanding on areas where both sides had reached agreement.
The ODC appealed to KAGOTE and other Ogoni stakeholders to channel their concerns through constructive engagement.
The committee said it remained open to contributions that could strengthen the dialogue process and promote peace, environmental restoration, and sustainable development in Ogoniland.
