The federal government’s ongoing plan to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland may have run into troubled waters following the current position of people of the area.
At a stakeholders’ dialogue on oil extraction resumption in Ogoni, on Friday, convened by Lokiaka Community Development Centre, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the leaders representing various communities and civil society groups in Ogoniland, insisted on completion of the remediation, restoration of environment and livelihoods destroyed by years of oil exploration by oil multinationals.
They also insisted on full implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights that includes a demand for resource control, among others, and full implementation of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), before oil extraction is resumed in the area.
An environmental management consultant from K-Dere community, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Erabanabari Kobah, expressed surprise that talks about oil extraction resumption are ongoing when their environment and livelihoods destroyed through previous oil extraction activities have not been remediated, restored and handed over to their people.
He said, “I’m one of those concerned about the proposed oil operation resumption in Ogoniland. I come from the area where the environment was initially destroyed and by the institutional provisions, it should have been remediated, restored and handed over to the people before you can talk about resumption again.
“Now, it has not been remediated, it has not been restored and it has not also been handed over to the people and we’re talking about another operation.
“Without environmental impact assessment, can the Ogoni environment still carry out another round of oil operation that is perhaps operated in the same way and manner that we have experienced in the past years? And even if the environment can carry it, can the Ogoni people benefit from that environment that has suffered from severe ecological degradation for over fifty years?”
Another stakeholder from Koroko, one of the largest oil communities in Tai LGA, Barbara Sam-Nordun, said their people need skills empowerment and human capital development before oil extraction can resume.
“There are certain things we request from government before they come to resume oil extraction. We need to empower our people with skills while awaiting resumption so that when they come, our youths can participate fully,” she said.
The Executive Director at Lokiaka Community Development Centre, Martha Agbani, explained that the essence of the programme was to provide the people of Ogoni the platform to dialogue on the proposed oil resumption and its impact.
“We’re here gathered as Ogoni people to look at the issue of oil extraction resumption in Ogoniland. This is the second dialogue we’re having for Ogoni stakeholders, cutting across the youths, women and the traditional institution, even the civil society actors who are from Ogoni extraction.
“After the first dialogue, federal government set up a committee to go into Ogoniland to have consultation with the people concerning oil resumption and they had it across the Kingdoms. We needed to know if the people were satisfied with the consultation. We needed to know if the outcome of our deliberation during the first dialogue was reviewed during the consultation. This is where we are,” she explained.
Martha Agbani noted that the second dialogue was to discuss a way forward given the ongoing plan to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland.
“If there’s going to be oil resumption, we want to see how Ogoni environment will be sustainably managed. We want to see how peace will be on ground. We want to see how the new oil economy will be sustainable. That is why we’re having this dialogue today. So they’re (Ogoni communities’ stakeholders) here speaking for themselves and their communities,” she said.
The programme featured a technical session during which participants were allowed to make suggestions on the way forward for Ogoni people in the light of the planned oil extraction resumption.
Blessing Ibunge
About the Author
