Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Ogoni individuals of Rivers State have urged the federal authorities and Shell to totally implement the United Nations Environment Programme suggestions on the Ogoniland cleanup, insisting that oil exploration should not resume till environmental restoration and justice are achieved.
The individuals accused these dealing with the cleanup of paying lip service to remediation, saying the train falls wanting the requirements and emergency interventions prescribed within the UNEP report.
The place was reiterated throughout a remembrance programme organised by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, in honour of late environmental rights campaigner, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and different heroes of the Ogoni wrestle.
The occasion featured a panel dialogue involving members of the worldwide Justice for Nigeria Coalition and environmental and human rights activists from Nigeria and Europe.
MOSOP President, Lazarus Tamana, mentioned Saro-Wiwa was executed for demanding environmental safety and the suitable of the Ogoni individuals to find out their future.
“He only raised issues of the destruction of the environment and for the people to be allowed to control their own affairs. We cannot allow them to die in vain,” Tamana mentioned.
He additionally pledged to rebuild MOSOP, lamenting the inner divisions that had weakened the organisation.
Environmental rights activist, Sebastian Kpalap, questioned the integrity of the continued cleanup, accusing the implementing company of disregarding vital UNEP suggestions, notably the availability of emergency potable water to oil-contaminated communities.
“What they are doing is not remediation. What is happening is a negation of the UNEP report. What they are doing is just to tick the box. The cleaners must be sincere and use best practices,” he mentioned.
Another discussant, Bayo Dornubari, warned towards utilizing political concessions, together with the proposed creation of an Ogoni state, to safe the individuals’s consent for renewed oil exploration.
“Ogoni will not accept bribery in the name of state. They should not give us a state because they want to take our oil,” she declared.
The moderator, Arochukwu Paul Ogbonna, insisted that Shell should settle for accountability for many years of environmental devastation within the Niger Delta.
“Shell should clean where it sat and ate for the last 60 years,” he mentioned.
Speaking for the Justice for Nigeria Coalition, Simon Taylor demanded an finish to delays within the remediation course of.
“Enough is enough. They have to do the remediation now,” he declared.
Similarly, coalition member, Olanrewaju Suraju, urged the Ogoni individuals to stay united, warning that the wrestle for environmental justice was removed from over.
“We have greater battles ahead that need our unity,” he mentioned.
Another coalition member, Nick Hildyard, accused oil corporations of prioritising revenue over the welfare of host communities and the atmosphere.
“They do not care about you or the animals or plants. They care about one thing. They care about money,” he mentioned.
Italian activist, Antonio Recommon, pledged continued worldwide solidarity, promising to maintain strain on Shell to compensate for the environmental harm.
“We are bringing them (Shell) back to pay for the damage,” he mentioned.
The audio system collectively demanded full implementation of the UNEP suggestions, environmental accountability, group participation and an finish to grease exploration till the Ogoni individuals’s grievances are addressed.
They maintained that the sacrifices of Saro-Wiwa and different fallen heroes should translate into real environmental restoration, justice and sustainable growth.
