Ognoni Group’s Ultimatum Threatens Nigeria’s Oil Production

Nigeria’s crude oil output and revenue are under peril, as certain youth leaders in Ogoni, Rivers State, have given the Federal Government 24 hours, which ends on Monday, to reinstate Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, the dismissed Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

This ultimatum follows the presidency’s announcement on Saturday of a leadership change at HYPREP, replacing Prof. Zabbey, an Ogoni native, with Dr. Olufemi Adekanbi.

The group has threatened to halt all oil activity in the region if the federal government does not reinstall Prof Zabbey.

On Sunday, delegates from the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), the Ogoni Youths Federation, the Ogoni Students Association Worldwide, and the Association of Ogoni Martyrs, among others, expressed their displeasure.

They contend that Ogoni has suitable professionals to lead the project, which was started with the Ogoni people’s labor and sacrifices and does not require federal support.

The student leaders stressed that if the presidency did not return Prof. Zabbey, whom they thought was doing well, they would have no alternative but to close all project locations.
Brinuazor Emmanuel, President of NYCOP, and Daniel Karakpon, National President of Ogoni Students Worldwide, spoke out, emphasizing their determination to oppose the resumption of Dr Olufemi Adekambi, the newly appointed HYPREP Project Coordinator, who is scheduled to begin officially on Monday after his appointment began on Saturday, July 13.

Meanwhile, men and officers from the Rivers State Police Command are barricading Stadium Road in Port Harcourt, where the office is located.

The threat comes after Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited declared a state of urgency on crude oil output.

Nigeria’s crude oil production has been low in recent years, with the country failing to reach its Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries production limit of 1.5 million barrels per day.
Mele Kyari, CEO of the NNPCL, blamed the low production on pipeline damage and oil theft.

According to OPEC’s Monthly Oil Market Report for July, quoting direct sources, Nigeria’s oil production in June was 1.276 million barrels per day (bpd). In May, the country’s oil production fell from 1.28 million barrels per day (mbpd) in April to 1.25 million.

Crude oil exports provide for around 80 percent of the federal government’s revenue.