Douglas Blessing, Port Harcourt
A non-governmental organisation under the aegis of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI) has appealed to the Federal Government to make Ogoni cleanup a legacy project of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group President, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, made the appeal during the presentation of the group 2022 agenda in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Fabeke also appealed to President Buhari to enforce the agency in charge of the cleanup to ensure full implementation of United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to save the lives of Ogoni people.
Fabeke expressed the peoples appreciation on the efforts of President Buhari towards Ogoni cleanup and pleaded that the report be fully implemented before the expiration of President tenure.
He alleged that Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Programme(HYPREP)awards major contracts to companies and individuals as political compensation, adding that no single UNEP recommendation has been effectively implemented.
Fabeke said: “UNEP uncovered that families have for years drank from wells contaminated with benzene- a known carcinogen-at levels over 900 times above World Health Organization guidelines, that he was excited. And today I want the President to revisit this particular promise before he leaves office, in order to leave a good legacy behind.
“The people of our community are excited that the process leading to the restoration of our natural environment has been kick-started.
“For decades our people have, irrespective of being major contributors in oil production in Nigeria since 1958 remained the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. All we have to show for decades of oil exploration and exploitation activities here is a devastated environment.
“Our traditional occupation of fishing and farming are fast going extinct, but we are here today to change this horrible history about our people.
“It is disheartening that not even drinkable water with a treated plant can be found in any of the Ogoni communities: this is the Agony. The entire environment is poisoned and even the air has capacity to send you to death.
“The impact of ecological plunder on the people’s of Ogoni as duly recognized and reported by UNEP has been devastating. The people have not only experienced downward spiral of impoverishment and social decline, but also near genocide where the communities, citizens, everybody and everything was just dying slowly and surely.
Environmental damage in Ogoni has direct effect on the enjoyment of a series of human rights, such as the right to life, to health, to a satisfactory standard of living, to sufficient food, to housing, to education, to work, to culture, to non-discrimination, to dignity and the harmonious development, to individual personality, to security of person and family and to peace”.
The group president also appealed to Buhari to consider his partners who can fund the cleanup of Ogoni land and attract development in the area.
He further stressed the need why Ogoni people should be compensated for decades of environmental pollution suffered as a result of oil exploration.
