The turbulent year 2020 may have ended on a positive note for the controversial Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11, mostly in Ogoni oil fields, following an order by the Rivers State government to reopen Kidney Island.
A terse statement from the Rivers State government signed by Kelvin Ebiri, Special Assistant (SA) Media to the governor, said the action followed a meeting with the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kolo Kyari, in Port Harcourt on Thursday, December 31, 2020.
Kidney Island is a key facility in Port Harcourt that operates the oil field. The Rivers State sealed the place on December 23, 2020, basing its action on its purported acquisition of 45 per cent equity in the Lease to redeem the victory said to have been won by the Ogoni communities against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in the matter.
The Rivers State government led by Gov Nyesom Wike said in 2019 that it rushed to pay the judgment debt to acquire the equity on behalf of the Ogoni people. On December 23, the governor said it had sealed Kidney Island to achieve effective possession of the key facility.
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SPDC reacted, saying the action of the host state was premature and unlawful because there are still many pending appeals on the matter.
Now, following the intervention of the NNPC, the state government has stepped down its action. The short government statement said: “Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, after a meeting with the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, in Port Harcourt on Thursday, has directed the immediate reopening of Kidney Island in Port Harcourt for the operators.
Kyari commended Governor Wike and the Government of Rivers State for their cooperation, while further discussion to resolve the underlying issues continues.”
SPDC is yet to react.
