Shell Petroleum, Fraud And Deception Personified – Ambassador Kirika

…We’ve been looted, deceived and abandoned by Shell Petroleum and FG.

…For the deception, fraud and death, Ogoni nation issues threat to Shell Petroleum.

By Miracle Enuji

Ambassador Prince Victor Kirika, a leader of the Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State, has deprecated the deception contrived by the Shell Petroleum Development Company against the Ogoni people. In an interview granted to our correspondent, Ambassador Kirika fingered the Federal Government for its complicity in the deception of the Ogoni people by purported flag off of Clean-up and reclamation exercise which have since been abandoned.

According to Ambassador Kirika, “We agreed with the UNEC Report that Shell and Federal Government should commence a Clean-up in Ogoni land which they came, they flagged off but we never knew that they were deceiving us. They deceived us because they wanted the APC candidate, Magnus Abe to emerge as Senator. There is nothing like Clean-up in Ogoni land.

“If anybody says that there is a clean up in Ogoni land, let the person come out and show me. I was born and brought up in the village. I am a grassroots man.”

Ambassador Kirika lambasted the Shell Petroleum Development Company for being unworthy of its name by bringing underdevelopment and death to the Ogoni nation. He submitted that the company has taken everything that the Ogoni people had by expropriating and looting over $49bn out of Ogoni land even before their killing of the renowned Ogoni Environmental Activist, Ken Saro Wiwa in 1995.

In his words, “Shell connived with Abacha and killed Ogoni people. They rendered many of the Ogoni people homeless, they raped our women. So we can not sit down and watch these people go away with our money.

“The Ogoni people can never sit down again and watch strangers, foreigners come and take everything that belongs to us. We shall fight them but not in a violent manner. That is why we are filing a suit at the International Court of Justice demanding Shell to give us 50% of $49bn they have taken from Ogoni land.

“They should commence a sincere Clean-up. We all know what clean up is all about. If you go to some foreign countries, like Dubai, Australia, Singapore you will see how Clean-up has been done. These places are like heaven.

“When you come to Ogoni land, you will cry for the Ogoni people. 98% of Ogoni youths that are graduates, they survive on riding Okada and $49bn has been taken away from our land. Shell Petroleum are criminals, they are fraudsters, they are killers. They should be prepared because we are meeting in court. I am not afraid of anybody, nobody can intimidate me. Not even the Devil can intimidate me. I am not afraid of the Police either, because even the Ogoni people in the Nigeria Police Force are suffering. Most of the Ogoni Police Officers who were sent arrest me, cried. They are now supporting me. Ogoni people wallow in abject poverty. Poverty is reigning in Ogoni land yet our oil is going out everyday.

“Go to Abuja you will see what I am saying. Abuja is like heaven but where is the money coming from? They are budgeting money to the North East, where is the money coming from? So I am telling the whole world that Ogoni people are suffering and I am begging Shell to peacefully pack their load out of Ogoni land because from January 1st, there will be protests in Ogoni land till they pack out. We do not want them because they are deceivers, they are killers, we are tired of dying. So I am begging them to give us the money they have taken from our land, 50% of $49bn, they should commence full Clean-up in Ogoni land, they should build houses for the people they rendered homeless and for those people they raped, they will face justice.

“By the Grace of God, we are filing a suit at the International Court of Justice and we are going to achieve result before the end of January and we must fight for justice.

“I have every evidence concerning this and I have all the proof that Ogoni people are suffering, that Shell looted our money and as I speak to you they are still lifting oil form Ogoni land.”

Ambassador Kirika concluded by pooh-poohing as fraudulent “ShellWire”, the empowerment programme run by Shell wherein a handful of Ogoni youths are given some tools and a cash sum of One Hundred Thousand. “When I got to Shell, what they are collecting on behalf of these boys was 3 million Naira each, while they connive with politicians from the region to loot the money.”