President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has directed and approved the take over of the  operatorship of the entire Oil Mining Lease 11 (OML11) from Shell petroleum Development Company (SPDC) by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) along with its subsidiary, National Petroleum development Company (/NPDC) s

OML 11 which contains oil wells in the Ogoniland lies in the southeastern Niger Delta and contains 33 oil and gas fields of which eight are producing as at 2017.

SPDC had abandoned activities in the Ogoni section of the lease for about 26 years following the crisis that erupted following the killing of prominent Ogoni leaders including Ken Saro-Wiwa.

The takeover by NNPC.NPDC is expected to tske place 30 April 2019 and they are to ensure smooth re-entry given the delicate situation in Ogoniland.

The NNPC/NPDC is expected to confirm by 2 May 2019 of the assumption of the operatorship, according to the sources.