One year after the United Nations Environmental programme (UNEP), submitted assessment report on Ogoniland, the Federal government is yet to act on the recommendations of the report which include clean up and remediation of the area. Our Correspondent, Calista Ezeaku went to town to sample views on the delayed implementation of the report. Nwuieh Donatus Ken captured their facial expressions.
Chief Gilbert Warinee – Community Leader
I come from an oil bearing community where we have precisely, over sixteen oil wells. And the UNEP report was one of the reports Ogoni people had in the history of the operation of Shell oil company in Ogoni land. And the entire Ogoni people are not happy over the delay in implementating that report because it was one of the best scientific reports we have ever had. And we feel that if that report is implemented, it will do a lot to benefit the entire Ogoni people. We feel that if that report is implemented, it will tackle some of the problems we have in Ogoniland.
We are still dialoguing, pleading with government to act on the report. But at the end of the day, we will not have any other option than to seek redress because it was one of the best reports we feel that was done to Ogoni people. So for now, we are still dialoguing and consulting because we, the Ogoni people are peaceful, we don’t make problems. So we are still pleading with government to implement that report.
We do not want government to set up any other committee to look into that report because that report is of international standard, and so we expect government to come and implement it.
The state government should join the Ogoni people to plead with the federal government to implement the report. Ogoni belongs to Rivers State and Rivers State should prevail on the federal government to implement.
I was a member of that UNEP Board. To the best of my knowledge, I was the focal person in Ogoni land that represented the entire Khana local government Area. I was a member of the UNEP Consultation Committee. So I know much about that report, how it started and how it ended and even when it was submitted. So since after that investigation, we are not happy because The whole area is polluted, we don’t even have drinking water. And by the report we had, Ogoni people have lost lives, because the whole area was devastated, the whole area was polluted. We had expected that by now, even as common as potable drinking water would have been provided by government. But we are still drinking the water that make people lose their lives.
So we are not happy. We want government to immediately implement that report, Shell had always said that all that happened in Ogoni land was sabotage but by the report, we have seen that Shell was instrumental to all the pollution, all the devastation we have in Ogoni land, because for donkey years Shell has been operating in the area and has not done anything to alleviate the sufferings of the people. And so, both Shell and the federal government should come together and implement that report.
Alhaji Umaru Sornda Ewunee, an artist
On the issue of that UNEP report, we can see that the Federal government is delaying, Shell is delaying. They know the lives of the Ogonis are at stake here. All our environment, our sources of existence have been devastated by the pollution and for them not to come and clean up the area, it then means they don’t regard us. This was what Ken Saro Wiwa was
talking about before he was killed. And the continued delay of this clean up is really affecting us. We really want them to come and clean up the area because it is affecting us. For example, in my community, Kpean in Khana LGA, which is one of the oil producing areas, this thing has been happening.
The first time it happened in 1975, it was like that, since then the whole community has been suffering from pollution. Our source of drinking water is polluted because of oil exploration. In 2006, there was another explosion and it was burning for about six months. For about six months, the fire was raging and it damaged the environment. So we don’t see why
they should not come and clean up the whole place.
The truth there is that the Ogoni people are going to come out in protest if they don’t come up with any remedial measure. I believe this second time we will come out, it will be the end of every thing with the Federal government. Our first coming out was on January 4, 1993 when the whole Ogonis came out and protested against the environmental problems caused by Shell in the area. So if we come out this second time, it is going to be very serious.
We heard the state government has been sending drinking water to the people, particularly the Eleme people in tanks. That is appreciated but for how long can that continue? How can we continue like that? The best thing they should do is to come and clean up the place to give us good source of drinking water. Our streams where we used to get drinking water from are polluted. We don’t have any source of drinking water in my community, the so-called bore holes sunk by Shell are not working. All that you see there are just empty over head water tanks. Because of the devastation of the area, erosion has set in and the whole place is contaminated, including oil spillage and the rest of them.
So they should come and clean up the place so that we can start to enjoy normal life again.
Mr. Benedict Tambari – Environmentalist/Politician The federal government is merely playing politics with the UNEP report. If not, why should the Federal government come up with another thing they called Hydro carbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) instead of implementation of the report that was submitted one year ago.
It clearly shows lack of sincerity on the part of the federal government. The way the government reacts to environmental issues in the Niger Delta, particularly in Ogoniland is condemnable.
Why should government be going the way they are going on an issue that concerns the lives of the people. These are people that depend on the soil and the rivers for their livelihood. Today, all that have been polluted as a result of oil exploration that has been going on here for years, both the federal government and the oil companies are finding it difficult to compensate the people whose means of livelihood has been damaged and who are exposed to all kinds of sickness due to the poor environment they dwell in.
Now, let me remind government that the youth restiveness in the Niger Delta started because of the government’s total neglect on the region.
You cannot oppress the people and mete out injustice on them and expect them to keep quiet. I pray government should not push the Ogonis too far. We are bonafide citizens of this country and should be treated as such.
Eucharia Somiari – Pepple, Lawyer
The United nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), does not have to come to this place to tell us what and what not to do. Ordinarily, it is clear, we know what to do. Clean up has to be done.
We should have carried out our own investigation on Ogoniland to know the depth of damage that has been done. We should have done that not to get people from abroad to do that and in reparation they would have scooped the land, and remove all that affected area and use other fresh soil to replace the damaged soil. The particular company that owns that field should have done that.
The beneficiaries of that field, should have done the reparation to know the extent of damage. That is their responsibility.
The compensation is not only in cash. What is compensation? Compensation is bringing back a person to the position the person was before the damaging incident took place . So, how was the soil before that incident took place? You have to bring back that soil to what it used to be before that incident.
The legal implication of the delay in the implementation of that UNEP report is that they have not done anything.
They were supposed to do something before UNEP came. UNEP has come and made some pronouncements and written to them, they are not still taking a decision, the Ogonis should seek redress. And how will they seek the redress? They need to seek redress with the court, with the UNEP report. And if they have independent people, specialists that have tested the soil and made their reports, they should join their report with the UNEP report and seek redress.
So, I think the Federal government should set up a panel to look into that UNEP report and take a decision concerning it. They have to really look into that report because the people are still the way they are, and they are Nigerians, irrespective of where they come from. So, it is very important they look into that report.
Mrs Lilian Okonkwo, a journalist
I’m sorry to say this, but I see the delay in implementation
of the UNEP report as something usual. It is the Nigerian style. Of course, we
know that the period a report is approved and the period of implementation
could be two years, three years. And so, this is not a different case. It is
our style.
But having said that, I think it’s unfortunate, because the
Ogoni issue is an issue that needs urgent attention, talking about cleaning up
the place because the people are suffering. You will hear there is no water for
drinking. The place is polluted. And so, I think that this issue should not go
the way other issues go in Nigeria, because we know that the Ogoni case is
supposed to be a special case. It is one of the major issues that have caused
problems in Niger Delta. So if an international body has looked at the
situation there and said certain things should be done, those recommended steps
should be taken. It should not go the Nigerian way. There should be an
improvement from this Nigerian factor. The recommendation should be carried out
without delay.
The state government and the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC), should work towards the fast implementation of the report
because it will enhance the living standard of the people. If there are ways
the state government can ameliorate the sufferings of the affected communities
by establishing one or two things for them, it will be highly welcomed.
Mr. Godspower Nwoke, teacher.
Sometimes it really bothers me the way things are going on
in this country. God in his own wisdom deposited the oil in the Niger Delta,
but instead of the people of the Niger Delta benefitting from the oil, we are
being exposed to all kinds of diseases as a result of the oil exploration while
the resources are used and squandered by those in power and as well as used to
develop other parts of the country.
When the UNEP report was submitted last year, we saw it as a
good thing coming to Ogoni land. We were even hoping that the scientific report
done in Ogoni will be extended to other communities in the Niger Delta whose
farm lands, water and the entire environment have been damaged because of oil
actitivites going on there.
And for federal government to sit on the report for over one
year now, is rather very unfortunate.
Source: OgoniNews
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