Int’l Human Rights Commission appoints Essien as director

The Director General of the Institute of Oil and Gas Research and Hydrocarbon Studies (IOGRHS), Amb. Moses Essien, has been appointed as the Director of Oil and Gas Companies Operations (African Region) of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Geneva, Switzerland.

In his letter of appointment signed by the President of IHRC, Dr. Joseph Rankin, the African Region of IHRC authorised Essien to take full initiatives on human rights protection and transact all such matters as might pertain to bilateral relations in accordance with agreed procedures.

Amb. Essien, a senior research fellow, is to also adopt resolutions and make recommendations on substantive topics of the United Nations Human Rights Protection (UNHRP).

The African Executive Committee of the African Region in Nairobi, Kenya, posted Essien to the Republic of Mozambique as the ambassador plenipotentiary with direct responsibility to take necessary steps in line with the laws of the Republic of Mozambique to study and implement the agenda of the IHRC, including verification and examination of all human rights issues, particularly oil and gas activities in the Mozambique.

Amb. Essien is to ensure that they conform to the prescriptions outlined by United Nations (UN) protocols and procedures. It is also part of his responsibility to push and persuade the President, oil organisations, people and Government of Mozambique to ratify all UN protocols in respect of human rights abuses.

The Government of Mozambique, through the Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos EP (National Hydrocarbon Corporation), holds the exclusive right and controls the prospecting, exploration, production, transportation, commercialisation, refining, transformation of liquid and gas hydrocarbons, including petrochemicals and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Gas For Liquids (GFL) activities.

Huge deposits of natural gas have been discovered in Tamande and Tande in the South of Mozambique and in the Rovuma Basin offshore area close to the border of the Republic of Tanzania.