KEY POINTS
- ODC denies selecting the 40 NNPCL job beneficiaries.
- Committee rejects claims of involvement in government contracts.
- ODC says there is no confirmation of renewed oil production in Ogoniland.
The Ogoni Dialogue Committee, ODC, has denied allegations that it influenced the selection of 40 Ogoni people recently offered employment opportunities by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The committee said it had no role in the recruitment or final selection of the beneficiaries, insisting that the process was conducted by NNPCL in line with its established recruitment procedures.
The ODC is currently engaging with the Federal Government over plans surrounding the possible resumption of oil and gas activities in Ogoniland. As part of those engagements, employment opportunities for qualified Ogoni youths were identified as one of the measures that could help build confidence among stakeholders.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ODC Chairman, Professor Don Baridam, dismissed allegations made by KAGOTE and other groups, describing them as false and misleading.
Baridam explained that the 40 beneficiaries were selected from a pool of qualified Ogoni applicants already available in NNPCL’s recruitment database.
According to him, the applicants had previously applied for positions with the company, participated in its recruitment processes and performed well enough to remain eligible for consideration.
He said NNPCL had made it clear that it would not abandon its professional standards or compromise its recruitment procedures simply because the employment opportunities were part of discussions involving the ODC.
The committee chairman stressed that the ODC did not nominate or handpick the successful candidates.
He explained that although the employment initiative was discussed during engagements between Ogoni representatives and the Federal Government, the responsibility for recruitment and selection remained entirely with NNPCL.
ODC Members Submitted Names
The committee acknowledged that some of its members submitted names of people they believed should be considered for the available positions.
However, Baridam maintained that those submissions did not determine who eventually secured employment.
He said the recruitment exercise did not pass through the ODC and that the committee had no authority to decide which applicants would be employed.
The clarification was aimed at distancing the committee from allegations that the 40 positions were distributed as political or personal patronage.
Baridam insisted that the committee’s involvement was limited to discussions around the employment initiative as part of broader efforts to rebuild trust and confidence between the Ogoni community and the Federal Government.
The ODC also rejected allegations that it had awarded, distributed or influenced the allocation of government or NNPCL contracts.
Baridam said contract awards were outside the committee’s mandate and that the ODC neither possessed the authority nor the administrative structure to allocate government contracts.
He stressed that the committee had never participated in the award or distribution of contracts and urged members of the public to disregard claims suggesting otherwise.
According to him, attempts to link the committee with government or NNPCL contract allocations were inaccurate and did not reflect the committee’s actual responsibilities.The committee also addressed reports of renewed oil and gas activities in Ogoniland.
Baridam said the ODC had not received information confirming that commercial oil and gas production had resumed under the proposed Ogoni re-entry programme.
He said NNPCL had also indicated that it was not aware of reports concerning alleged oil-rig operations in the area.
Reports of possible oil-related activities in Alesa-Eleme are, however, being investigated, according to the committee.
The ODC’s position underscores the uncertainty surrounding the reported activities as discussions continue between Ogoni stakeholders and the Federal Government over the future of oil and gas operations in the area.
The committee’s latest clarification is expected to help separate its ongoing dialogue with the Federal Government from the recruitment and contracting responsibilities of NNPCL and other government agencies.
While employment opportunities remain part of confidence-building discussions, the ODC said the actual recruitment process must remain subject to professional standards and established procedures.
The committee also maintained that its mandate does not extend to awarding government contracts, while further investigations are expected to establish the facts surrounding reports of renewed oil activities in Ogoniland.
