Ogoni youths have given the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria certain conditions to fulfil as a means of eliminating frequent fire outbreaks on the company�s facilities in the area.
The conditions are the raising of a surveillance team to monitor the company�s numerous oil wells and facilities in Ogoni and frequent interaction with the natives of the area.
The President of the National Council of Ogoni Youths, Mr. Marvin Yobana, laid down the conditions at a news conference in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
Yobana, who condemned the denial of access to the company to put out raging fires in two oil wells in Gokana Local Government Area, said that it was also wrong for the company to accuse the people of demanding money as a ransom.
�We hereby completely dissociate ourselves from the blockade that has made it impossible for the SPDC to put out the fire which has been raging in Bomu oil well 41 and 50 since January 3, 2007.
�But we must also point out that it is wrong for the company to neglect the oil facilities over the years only to report to the communities when there is a fire disaster. The disaster was not caused by any Ogoni person but was borne out of neglect over the years.�
While calling for the immediate granting of access to the company to extinguish the fire, Yobana said that the youth group had begun a process of enlightenment to checkmate the frequent vandalisation of pipelines in the area as well as armed robbery and other undesirable tendencies in Ogoni.
The NCOY leader said that the programme would be carried out in the four local government areas of Ogoni, starting with Eleme and ending with Gokana.
Shell had raised the alarm last Thursday that the communities around the two oil wells had prevented it from containing wellhead fires, which had been raging since January 3, 2007.