Contrary to some unpleasant views and opinions emanating from certain quarters, it is important to emphatically and unequivocally states that the Ogoni people are not against resumption of oil and gas production in the area.
However, there are recommendations from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Report which ought to be put in place, as it is currently being implemented by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in preparation for the resumption of oil and gas exploration.
When the people of Ogoni came out emmasse Thirty-five (35) years ago to campaign against oil pollution, environmental degradation of their land, political marginalization, economic strangulation, cultural balkanization and lack of social amenities such as good roads, electricity, hospitals and potable drinking water; they knew exactly what they wanted and equally knew how to get their needs met.
Having successfully declared Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) persona non grata and barred the company from operating in Ogoniland, Ogoni people took their agonies beyond the shores of Nigeria and in no distant time, their compaigns had gone global, attracting the attention of the international community, including the United Nations.
Thus, in 2008, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Report was borne out of partnership arrangement between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to “Improve the environmental condition in Ogoni land.”
According to a joint statement published in HYPREP HERALD of January 2024, between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): “UNEP was requested to support the Federal Government of Nigeria in assessing the heavily oil-polluted environment of Ogoniland and provide recommendations on it’s Clean-Up.
UNEP completed its comprehensive scientific study with an assessment report published in 2011 and recommended a major Clean-Up initiative that may last up to Twenty-five (25) years and cost us up to US 1 Billion Dollars for the first five (5) years.”
The statement further stated: “UNEP’s report and recommendations were accepted by stakeholders including the Ogoni community, the Federal Government of Nigeria and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which pioneered oil development in the Niger Delta.”
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Put succinctly, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Report is a detailed or comprehensive scientific assessment of the heavily oil-polluted environment of Ogoniland accompanying with an all encompassing recommendations that seeks to ameliorate, revive and regenerate the critical conditions of the land together with the provision of sustainable sources of livelihoods to the people of Ogoni – many of whom had suffered deprivation, for a long while, in the midst plenty of natural resources.
Following the adoption of the UNEP’s Report by all relevant parties, the Federal Government of Nigeria under the then President Mohammadu Buhari, took the bold steps, not only to own the report but also kick-started the implementation of the recommendations.
To begin with, in 2017, the Federal Government of Nigeria created an agency known as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to spearheading the implementation of the UNEP’S Report. In other words, what came to be known as the Ogoni Clean-Up, came into being as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to actualizing in practical terms, the recommendations emanated from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Report with the aim of reviving the land and the people of Ogoni in particular and the Niger Delta in general.
Ogoni Clean-Up, being managed and coordinated by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), with supports and partnerships from key stakeholders, simply refers to the Remediation processes. While remediation (clean up) means “Detoxifying or reducing pollutants in the environmental media (example soil, water) to permissible levels.”
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The Clean-Up also entails shoreline remediation and mangroves restoration, the construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environment Restoration (CEER), construction of Ogoni Specialist Hospital, provision of potable pipe-borne water, provision of livelihoods (economic activities that people engage in for their living), such as the various capacity trainings for Ogoni youths, business support grants to Ogoni women to boost their businesses, scholarships awards (for Masters and PhD students) of Ogoni extraction amongst others.
As a matter of fact, the Ogoni Clean-Up right from it’s inception has had it’s challenges. One of the major challenges that confronted the Clean-Up was lack of political will to commence the remediation as scheduled. Even the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF – a pressure group of the Niger Delta people) has acknowledged that “The long delay in starting the Ogoni Clean-Up has sapped confidence locally and had caused the broader Niger Delta to doubt the intentions of Government.”
Another serious challenge to the Clean-Up, especially at the initial stage, was hostilities from indigene communities, who did not partly understand the scope of the project and how it would benefit them, and majorly due to the modus operandi by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
Also, the issues of numerous court’s cases from land owners, individuals, and communities against the project that almost slow down or mar the progress of the remediation. Others include: chasing after contactors who had absconded with the project’s funds after collected mobilization for their jobs and issues of funding, just to mention but a few.
However, it is a cheering development that after some decades of inactivity in the area, oil and gas exploration shall soon return to Ogoni land. Most essentially is the fact that President Bola Tinubu has not only shown interest in this regard, he recently constituted an Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) to ensure that every voice in Ogoni is heard in preparation for the resumption of oil and gas production in Ogoniland.
Good, as the President has kick-started the process of oil and gas resumption, the Ogoni people are of the opinions that certain conditions should be met to improve their living standards in preparation to the commencement of the resumption of oil and gas production. One of such burning issues in the hearts of Ogoni people is the creation of a State for them. It will be called an Ogoni State or Bori State or given whatever name.
Ogoni people demand for State creation for them in the believe that the resources in the proposed new State are enough to fund its development. Hence, the new State would not be a parasitic State but would rather be a viable State – sustaining itself and contributing significantly to the national purse.
Furthermore, Ogoni people would like to restates the fact that they still uphold the demands as contained in the Ogoni Bill of Rights.
In addition, it is equally important to demand that the Environment House in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, should be renamed after Mene Archimedes Bro. David (ABD) Nedom (Mene Kuura Eera Gio 1 of Ogoniland) as a way to immortalize his name, for being the first Nigerian from the Ogoni extraction in Rivers State, Niger Delta, who campaigned against crude oil pollution and environmental degradation in the early 1970’s from the facilities of the then multi-national oil company known as Shell British Petroleum (Shell BP).
While it is necessary to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for approving the establishment of a Federal University of Environment and Technology to be situated at Saakpewan in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, it is the hope and prayers of the Ogoni people that the President will actualizes his decision by timely constituting the Governing Council of the University in preparation for the take-off of the institution, and begins in earnest, the construction of the campuses of the citadel of learning. “A stitch in time saves nine!”
