THE United States (U.S.) House of Representatives committee will next Tuesday hold a special hearing on the environmental degradation in Ogoni and other parts of the Niger Delta. Meanwhile, the former President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee, has criticised the proposal in the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that will make communities pay for vandalism of crude pipelines.
It was learnt that the decision of Ogoni people to approach the United States’ Congress is predicated on the failure of the Federal Government to commence the implementation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report which revealed extensive devastation of Ogoni environment by oil companies.
MOSOP interim committee chairman Prof. Ben Naanen who disclosed this in Port Harcourt says hundreds of Ogoni people and civil society groups would be in Washington D.C on the day of the hearing to express their disenchantment over the failure of the government to implement the UNEP report which was submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan on August 4, 2011 in Abuja.
Source: Ogoninews.com