By Brave Dickson
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has accused the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) of blackmailing Ogoni youths, urging the agency to stop forthwith.
President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke who said this in Abuja, added that HYPREP was attempting to blackmail Ogoni youths as those responsible for oil theft in the region.
A statement credited to MOSOP and made available to our correspondent said: “Nsuke was responding to HYPREP’s claim that the Ogoni cleanup will address oil theft issues and said HYPREP was attempting to blackmail Ogoni youths as oil thieves.”
He described HYPREP’s claim as illogical and irrational, noting that attempting to accuse and blame the Ogoni people for oil theft in the Niger Delta was to exonerate Shell from the massive pollution on Ogoni soil.
Nsuke accused HYPREP of betrayal in an attempt to impress and protect its funding sources. He said HYPREP was sacrificing the Ogoni people for money and trying to absolve Shell from the massive pollution in the Niger Delta and to put the blame on jobless youths.
Nsuke called on HYPREP to face its job of cleaning decades of pollution in Ogoni and to implement its 2017 decision and also embark on an integrated water project for Ogoni so as to put an end to the poison called water which is killing the people.
“HYPREP is supposed to be primarily concerned with the cleanup of oil pollution. It should focus on that and not try to blame innocent Ogoni youths,” Nsuke said.