•MOSOP, CSOs, environmentalists kick
By Adewale Sanyaolu
Unless swift and decisive action is taken, the federal government’s ambitions to boost oil revenue through renewed discussions on resuming oil exploration in Ogoniland, a practice halted since 1993, may face setbacks.
At the heart of the controversy is the resistance of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and 21 other Civil Society and environment groups.
They are kicking against their exclusion from a recent meeting held last week at the instance of President Bola Tinubu, who invited some Ogoniland monarchs, Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and top government officials led by the National Security Adviser, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, to find a lasting solution to the Ogoniland crisis with the possibility of resuming oil production in the area.
In 2011, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report documenting the devastating impact of the oil industry in Ogoniland and set out urgent recommendations for clean-up.
Latest findings highlight that the “emergency measures” proposed by UNEP have not been properly implemented and that the $1 billion clean-up project launched by the Nigerian government in 2016 has been ineffective.
A recent publication by the Associated Press, quoting leaked documents of the United Nations, hinted that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), set up by the Federal Government to implement UNEP recommendations for the cleanup of Ogoniland, has failed in its assignment, considering the lack of accountability in government affairs.
“But it is nonetheless disturbing that the agency established to clean up crude oil spill contamination in Ogoni, Rivers State, has gulped almost $1 billion without much to show for it,” the report stated.
As the AP report pointed out, the HYPREP-selected cleanup contractors had no relevant experience, while also sending soil samples to laboratories that didn’t have the equipment for tests they claimed to perform. In addition, auditors were physically blocked from ensuring work had been completed.
For over five decades, oil and gas extraction have caused large-scale, continued contamination of the water and soil in Ogoni communities. The continued and systematic failure of oil companies and the government to clean up has left hundreds of thousands of Ogoni people facing serious health risks, struggling to access safe drinking water, and unable to earn a living.
At the heart of the controversy is Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), operator of the SPDC JV, which was accused of large-scale environmental pollution in Ogoniland.
SPDC, which carried out exploration and production operations in Ogoniland from the 1950s to the early 1990s, ceased operations in 1993 following a rise in violence, threats to staff, and attacks on facilities.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed details of the meeting in a statement titled “President Tinubu pledges peace, justice, development in Ogoniland.”
At the meeting, Tinubu called for unity and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
“We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others. We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development, and a clean environment back to Ogoniland,” President Tinubu said.
The umbrella body of the Ogoni people last Tuesday said any meeting by the Federal Government aimed at resuming oil exploration in the area without involving key stakeholders would not be accepted.
MOSOP President, Olu Wai-Ogosu, argued that a lack of broad-based consultation with recognised Ogoni leadership could undermine ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts.
Also last Wednesday, one of the leaders of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, stated that those invited to the meeting were not in touch with the grassroots, decrying the exclusion of Ogoni youths and women from the meeting, saying their input and position were important on the issue at stake.
Nsuke stated, “MOSOP was not notified so that we could send a representative to the meeting. It is not about picking people from the corners. MOSOP ought to have been notified and we send a representative or a delegation to that meeting.”
Nsuke said the second issue would be the injustice done to Ogoni, adding, “They (the Federal Government) cannot sweep under the carpet the issue that thousands of Ogoni people were killed because of oil, especially the gruesome murder of nine prominent Ogoni men on November 10, 1995.”
He insisted that the gruesome murder of Ogoni hero, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight of his kinsmen was an issue that could not be underestimated by anyone because “it has the capacity to mess up everything.”
“And that delegation would have presented the position of MOSOP. So, MOSOP was not represented.”
He said if MOSOP was notified, it would have convened a steering committee meeting and gone to Abuja first with the issue of justice for the people.
“All that MOSOP would have demanded and spoken about is justice for the Ogoni people; first is the issue of marginalisation, the denial of the rights of the Ogoni people to function within Nigeria as Ogoni people. That demands that because of the extent of resources that are being extracted out of Ogoni, a certain percentage of those resources should be committed to building a future for the Ogoni people to develop Ogoni,” he said.
On their part, concerned civil society organisations in the Niger Delta met at the Port Harcourt office of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria at the weekend to deliberate on the meeting held between President Tinubu and some select Ogoni monarchs.
The group included Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative (MEDI), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Ogoni Solidarity Forum Nigeria, South-South Youths Initiative, Peoples Advancement Centre Environmental Rights Action, Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre.
Others are Social Action, We The People, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Lekeh Development Centre, Rainbowwatch Development Centre, Kalop Environmental Centre, Pilex Centre, CEE-HOPE, HEDA Resource Centre, Peace Point Development Foundation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL).
A statement by the group, made available to Daily Sun, pointed out that while recognising and condemning the nation’s dependence on fossil fuel, it is insensitive for the administration to open any form of discussion with a handpicked group of Ogoni leaders for such talks, noting that the overall will of the majority of Ogonis is paramount in this matter.
The groups expressed their unequivocal condemnation of the planned resumption of oil exploration and production activities in Ogoniland.
“This decision disregards the enduring environmental, social, and economic injustices faced by the Ogoni people and undermines efforts toward sustainable development, environmental justice, community empowerment, and cleanup of the devastated environment,” the statement read.
They lamented that Ogoniland has been a symbol of environmental degradation caused by decades of reckless oil exploitation and decrepit equipment.
Reports, including the UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland of 2011, have documented the catastrophic consequences of oil spills, gas flaring, and poor remediation efforts, leaving the land, water, and air severely polluted. The livelihoods and health of the Ogoni people have suffered immeasurably, with no substantial accountability from the oil industry or adequate redress from the government.
The groups explained that they had expected this administration would have called for a multi-stakeholder meeting in Ogoniland to listen to the plight of the Ogonis and also agree with them on how best to tackle the poverty and hunger occasioned by their loss of livelihoods caused by years of pollution and resultant poisoning of their land and waters.
The group has therefore demanded that the Government should halt all plans for resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland until there is meaningful consultation with the Ogoni people and full remediation of the damaged environment.
They called for not one more oil well to be drilled in the Niger Delta, and the government and oil companies should commence immediate and total cleanup of the region.
They also demanded that $1 trillion be earmarked for immediate cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for loss of livelihoods.
Other demands include: immediate review of the Kangaroo military trial and execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa with other martyrs and their exoneration, immediate and unconditional release of the confiscated Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Bus sculpture held by Nigeria Customs since 2015.
Full implementation of the UNEP report and ensuring that the cleanup and restoration of Ogoniland are prioritised and carried out transparently and effectively. More funding should be allocated to HYPREP to hasten their actions on the cleanup.
“Ensure justice for the Ogoni people by addressing historical grievances, including compensation for environmental and economic losses and accountability for decades of ecological destruction.
Community participation and a guarantee that decisions affecting Ogoniland follow the respect for the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the communities,” the statement concluded.