Lorine Emenike
Some prominent Ogonis under the aegis of Gbokabari Ogoni, the Elders Forum of Ogoni people, have disowned the Ogoni Stakeholders’ engagement with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
The prominent Ogonis which include Senator Bennett Birabi, Dr. Desmond Nbete, Mr. Ledum Mitee, Baritor L. Kpugi, Professor John Nba and others, regretted that based on the invitation sent to a few selected persons, the resumption of oil and gas activities in Ogoni land is now a condition precedent for the clean up and remediation of the Ogoni environment.
The group said that it is saddened and concerned about the development, stressing that the issue of the resumption of oil and gas activities in Ogoni is a sensitive one that requires a broad spectrum of the people.
According, to a press release made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, the forum further regretted that ” two years after the much-publicized flag-off ceremony for the clean-up of Ogoni land as recommended by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) by the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is now tying the expected commencement of the clean-up and remediation process to resumption of oil and gas activities in our land by his preferred company”
The Ogoni elders also described the proposed stakeholder’s engagement as a sham aimed at merely endorsing a decision already taken “to forge a dubious so-called Ogoni endorsement of a particular company to resume oil and gas activities in Ogoni land without transparency”.
According to the statement: “We wish to reiterate for the avoidance of doubt that the people of Ogoni are not opposed to the resumption of oil and gas production activities in Ogoni land. ”
“However, our position is that resumption of oil production should not be made a condition, precedent to the clean-up and the remediation which is already long overdue.
“The engagement process should be thorough, broad-based and transparent. Ensuring that the free prior and informed consent of the critical stakeholders in Ogoni is sought and obtained without being coerced before the resumption of oil production activities and incline with global best practices is paramount” the elders said.
