President of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, has challenged a recent statement by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Bayo Ojulari, on the proposed resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.
Fabeke described the statement as terrible and warned that oil resumption in Ogoni must follow due process and established legal procedures.
In an interview with our correspondent, Fabeke said he carefully reviewed Ojulari’s comments on the planned oil resumption and concluded that the declaration may have been made under pressure.
“It appears that certain groups are attempting to legitimise questionable actions. While we are not inherently opposed to oil resumption, we intend to scrutinise Ojulari’s statement in the coming days.”
He said the NNPCL boss ought to have reviewed all relevant records, particularly those relating to Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11 and the 2022 Appeal Court judgment on the matter.
Fabeke also alleged that there were irregularities and possible backroom dealings involving government officials and representatives of the Rivers State Government, which he said he had previously criticised publicly.
“I would have expected the Group Managing Director to meticulously examine all records before making such a sensitive statement. You cannot simply come to Ogoni and declare that the people have opened up for oil resumption. That is a very costly mistake,” he said.
According to him, any move towards oil resumption must follow an agreed procedure and respect existing court judgments and arrangements reached between the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders.
“There was a case and a judgment. There were conditions, procedures and arrangements. Anybody who wants to talk about oil resumption must first ratify that judgment,” Fabeke insisted.
He warned that the NNPCL boss could face legal action over his comments, noting that such statements could create the impression that community leaders were being compromised.
Fabeke said his organisation would soon issue a formal response to the NNPCL statement and vowed that alleged injustices against the Ogoni people would be resisted.
“2026 will not be too easy for the oppressors of Ogoni. We are not against oil resumption, but it must be done the right way. There is a procedure, and we will continue to insist on it”.
He added that several letters and reports sent to the NNPCL leadership on the matter had gone unanswered.
Fabeke called on the Federal Government and NNPCL to engage stakeholders transparently and lawfully, warning that any attempt to bypass due process would be strongly opposed by the Ogoni people.
