By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – A group under the aegis of Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), has said before the federal government could resume oil exploration in the community, certain condition must be met
President of the Group, Dr. Fabeke Douglas who spoke on Tuesday in a statement sent to our correspondent said after 28 years of the unjust killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his kinsmen, on November 10, 1995, during the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s military junta, the community has suffered more devastating neglect.
He said the proposed clean-up by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), has been met with brick walls characterized by fraud. https://sundiatapost.com/ogoni-group-accuses-wike-ex-assembly-members-of-plot-to-raise-political-tension-in-rivers/
He said the alleged $360m that was said to be released for the clean-up of the polluted Ogoni land in the Niger Delta can not be seen to be utilized as the area still wears a sight of abject poverty.
According to him: “28 years after oil exploration activities were halted in Ogoni land, Rivers State, we cannot allow any form of oil activities to take place if certain conditions are not met”, Fabeke said.
He gave the following demands as follows:
“That Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogonis should be exonerated of all the charges that were passed against them and also, the federal government should pay a special compensation to the Ogoni four namely Chief Edward Kobani, Samuel Orage, Theophilus Orage and Mr. Albert Badey, they should be accorded the respect for the their service to the Ogoni people and their contribution to the growth of Rivers State and Nigeria.
“Special compensation and attention be given to the family, as these four leaders were murdered in the presence of the Nigeria security headed by Late Brig-Gen Paul Okuntimo who was a Commander of the formal Internal Security Unit Rivers
State under the administration of Late General Sani Abacha. https://sundiatapost.com/fix-east-west-road-to-avert-protest-ogoni-group-to-fg/
“Mr. Okuntimo was accused of being responsible for the death of over 2000 Ogoni people during the Ogoni crisis that led to the death of Ken Saro Wiwa and the eight others as well as the Ogoni Four.
“We want the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement fully, all the demands of the Ogoni people as enshrined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights that was presented to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the year 1990.
“The Ogoni people are dissatisfied with the clean-up process of Ogoni land being handled by the HydroCarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP) and the management of funds released for the clean- up of the Ogoni environment.
“The funds released for the clean-up have been mis-managed as HYPREP has either failed to execute the projects for which the funds were released, or engaged substandard contractors to carry out the projects.
“Between the year 2021 to 2023, Billions of Naira worth $360m was released to HYPREP for the execution of several projects. But we have seen nothing done.
“Members of Board of Trustees of Ogoni Trust Fund should be investigated on the above money was received and disbursed.
“These, and many others are the huge amount of money that HYPREP has received for the execution of various projects in Ogoni land. However, none of these projects can be seen anywhere.
“The few they tried to execute were either awarded to companies with no technical know-how and competence or to their cronies without following the due process of the law.
“We have it on record that seventy-seven (77) companies were given contracts by HYPREP for the purpose of clean-up and remediation of the Ogoni environment. We therefore demand the dissolution of the HYPREP Board.
“We also demand for a review of the clean-up process. All the funds released to HYPREP should be investigated. We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to engage an international independent Agency to carry out a review so as to ascertain whether the Ogoni environment is safe or not.
“Health conditions of the Ogoni People are deteriorating. The Ogoni people have continued to suffer from different kinds of sickness and diseases resulting from long years of unpleasant oil exploration and the long long-term exposure to hydrocarbon pollution. Our life span has been cut short leading to the untimely death of our men, women and youths while the surviving ones are living with various complicated diseases.
“To salvage this ugly trend, UNEP recommended that a public health registry should be established for the entire Ogoni people to determine the health trends and take proactive action. But HYPREP has refused to establish any health registry for the Ogoni people to help solve the health challenge.
“We call on HYPREP and the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide health facilities for a free medical health care services for our people in line with the UNEP report.
“Decommissioning of Shell petroleum and Development Company Facilities in Ogoni Land: SPDC oil facilities and assets have been left abandoned and unattended since the year 1993 when SPDC ceased oil operation in Ogoni and their continued presence has continued to cause a great health hazard environmental and safety risk to the farmers, fishermen and the entire people of Ogoni.
“We, therefore, call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to beacon on SPDC to, with immediate effect, decommission all her assets in Ogoni land.
“We also demand an explanation on the said $300 million given to the former governor of Rivers State and the current Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, through the Group CEO of NNPC ltd, Mele Kyari in early 2023 as compensation and settlement for oil impacted communities in Ogoni.
“We are not happy that the NNPC opted for an out-of -court settlement.
“The educational standard in Ogoni especially in Khana Local Government Area is nothing to write home about. Both the primary and secondary Education in 53 communities are without schools.
“All the schools are dilapidated. Our children have been learning in dilapidated and inhabitable structures, while others who do not have structure at all, learn under mango trees and without school desks and learning materials.
“This is notwithstanding the Billions of Naira released every year by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“We therefore demand for an improvement in the standard of education in Ogoni through the renovation and/or reconstruction of all the dilapidated schools, provision of school desk and other learning materials.
“This Referendum is in line with the Demands of the Ogoni people as enshrined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights which was presented to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the year 1990, and in line with the principle of natural justice”, Fabeke said.
