OPL 245 Deal Is A Dummy Sold To Nigeria, Say CSOs

**To Hold Anti-Corruption Protest In Abuja Tuesday

Bayo Akinloye

A coalition of civil society organisations has described the sale of the oil bloc, OPP 245, as a dummy sold to the Nigerian government, calling for a mass protest by the public in Abuja, tomorrow.

According to a statement by the groups, the anti-corruption “awareness march holds 8 am at Unity Fountain, Abuja”.

Hundreds of anti-corruption crusaders, civil society groups, students, workers and women groups are expected to gather at the rally.

The protest is being coordinated by the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, (CSNAC) led by the Human Environment Development Agenda, (HEDA).

The CSNAC official, Sina Odugbemi, said: “Most important, at the end of the workshop, it became very clear that OPL 245 deal viewed under the prism of experts is nothing but a dummy sold to Nigeria. More than meet the ordinary eyes was also revealed, the scandalous revelation of a monumental fraud committed against Nigeria by Shell and ENI and top government functionaries such as the erstwhile Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, which became apparent given a closer look by experts.”

He said as a way of sensitizing Nigerians on questionable circumstances surrounding the OPL 245 which experts said would cost Nigeria to lose an estimated $6 billion or more, rights groups would stage the rally in Abuja to stir “greater sanctions against corrupt individuals and corporate organisations”.

The organisers said the rally would draw public attention to the “brazen stealing of public funds associated with the Malabu oil scandal”, alleging billions of naira of public funds went into private pockets in the Malabu case involving oil giants and several Nigerian officials.

HEDA Resource Centre in conjunction with local and international partners had drawn public attention to the “fraudulent deals in the Malabu case”. In April, the groups made a public presentation in Abuja detailing the corruption practices associated with the “scam”.

It was followed by a two-day training workshop for members of the Civil Society, Government Anti-Corruption Agencies, NGOs, CSOs and the media. HEDA said the training objective was to further acquaint participants with technical details on the award of oil licenses leaning more towards the old suspicion that the award of OPL 245 was fraught with questionable undercurrent aimed at shortchanging Nigeria