By: Felix Ikpotor
Some Ogonis under the aegis of Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates (KSWA) has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to immediately relieve the Minister for State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu of his duty following what they termed as his non-chalant attitude towards the Ogoni people and his ploy to encourage Shell’s continues stay in the area.
National Co-ordinator of the body, Chief Gani Topba stated this while interacting with journalists in Port Harcourt recently.
Topba described the minster as the number one enemy of the Ogoni people.
He said: “ The minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu is the number one enemy of the Ogoni for saying that the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogonis was not enough to make the federal government to deny Shell Petroleum Development Company of their request for the renewal of license for OML 11 which comprised of oil wells in Ogoniland”.
Topba further wondered why the minister will have the effrontery to say that even when the international community has criticized Shell’s actions in the area.
The group used the medium to debunk claims that its activities are being sponsored by an indigenous oil-firm, Belema Oil, insisting that he was the one that fought the company out of the area in 2014.
He maintained that his problem is not with Belema which he said no stake in Ogoni but with RoboMichael who has initially obtained legal license to mine oil in Ogoni and also gotten endorsement from the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers.
KSWA insisted that until proper negotiation with the Ogoni people is done, no company will be allowed to mine oil in the area, saying it is following the footsteps of its slain hero, Ken Saro-Wiwa.
