Tina Amanda
Stakeholders and Leaders in Ogoni have expressed readiness to work with the federal government through Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC to save Ogoni communities from years of environmental pollution and degradation caused by Oil spill.
The Ogoni Stakeholders unanimously came to the resolution in a communique delivered by Leader of Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, during the official visit of NPDC team led by Ali Zarah, to inspect some oil facilities, targeted on Ogoni Economic Recovery and Industrial Development, at Bori in Khana local government area of Rivers state.
They demand the Implementation of emergency measures including a portable drinking water in all communities in Ogoniland with a water treatment plant, training of youths, women and health audit of the Ogoni people.
They further demand all Shell’s facilities in Ogoni land should be decommissioned to pave way for a better environment as recommended by United Nation Environmental program, based on the Appeal Court judgement of 16 August, 2021.
“The people and land of Ogoni must be free from marginalization and strangulation which our martyrs died for in all aspect of our economics Activities.
“The Ogoni determination to realize and sustain economic superstructure for persistence survival and prosperity, is pronounced in Partnership With the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Ogoni decayed environment should be cleaned up, restored and continually managed from further degradation. Adequate compensation should be paid to the Ogoni people for decades of oil and gas mining in the tribe with its attendant bad effect, without equitable reward and reciprocal alleviation of poverty and betterment of the land.
“The Ogoni people are ready for oil and gas business deal in the land to entrench development in partnership with the NNPC/THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA through a transformed template and practical community development delivered by the Host communities. Shell’s facilitates in the land should be decommissioned because we do not want to see them again in Ogoni”
They, however, called on all Ogoni leaders to jettison internal deprivation and cheat for their selfish goal and tow the path of wealth collectivism.
“We call on every son and daughter of Ogoniland to ensure unity, one voice, one vision, peace and love for actualization and acceleration of sustained development in Ogoni ethnic nationality.
“The Ogoni people will not work under any political manipulation that will affect the development and smooth operation in the Land without capturing the interest of the people. We stand by every word drafted here and will implement it to the letter, and also ready to give the Federal Government of Nigeria a maximum cooperation to achieved it aim for the successful and benefit of the Nation and the Ogoni people.”
They called for the re-visit of the Ogoni clean up exercise that have lingered for years without implementation.
“The issue of clean-up in Ogoniland should be re-visited and the Government should mandate the handling agency to expedite actions and clean the land in tune with the UNEP Report’s recommendation or allow the Ogoni people to bring investors that would perfectly implement the UNEP report’s recommendations to the letter.”
On his part, General Manager Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, Ali Zarah, assured the Ogoni people that federal government is really concerned with their economic losses and years of environmental pollution, noting that they are committed to the remediation process in no distance time.
“We share in your pains, first and foremost as Nigeria and as partners in the project to restore peace, tranquility and progress for the good people of Ogoni communities and Nigeria at large.
“It is in our collective national interest to urgently and speedily restore the needed normalcies that will create the enabling conditions for accelerated Socio-economic development and give way for the remediation of the great severely damaged environment to it’s natural state.”
