The Movement for Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), an NGO, has called on the Federal Government to develop a framework for the implementation of UNEP’s report on Ogoniland.
Mr Legborsi Pyagbara, the President of MOSOP, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Pyagbara said the implementation of the report had suffered some setback, because of the lack of coordination among the stakeholders.
NAN recalls that the UNEP findings on Ogoniland were released on Aug. 4, 2011, which confirmed local communities and civil society groups’ claims of ecological disaster in the area.
The report also showed hydrocarbon pollution in surface water throughout the creeks of Ogoniland and up to eight centimetres in groundwater that feed drinking wells.
The president said that the report outlined specific roles of all the stakeholders to ensure the restoration of Ogoniland.
“Shell was the dominate player in Ogoniland, but it is interesting that the UNEP did not have an isolated approach to the clean-up of the area.
“The Federal Government is suppose to facilitate the whole process by getting a framework for each player to take action in implementing the report.
“ There is a role Shell is supposed to play; there is a role that community needs to play, but somebody must harmonise this process that we can monitor,’’ he said.
Pyagbara called on the Federal Government to fast-track the implementation of the report.
He said implementing the report would alleviate the suffering of the people in the region and help to restore the land polluted by oil spills.
According to him, no significant development has happened in the land since the UNEP report was released over two years ago.
He said the government should treat the issue urgently and begin emergency measures to restore the land as recommended in the report.
“The report raises some serious concerns about water, air and other issues and we have not seen action that marches with the sort of situation that was raised in the report.
“We have taken our campaign and advocacy around these issues to places; we have done public protests and yet nothing has been done.’’
According to him, the attempt made by the Federal Government to initiate a Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HPRP) does not reflect the recommendation of the report.
He said the HPRP project was supposed to take care of emergency measures, adding that those things had yet to be done.
“They were asked to establish Ogoni Restoration Fund from which funding would be drawn for the cleaning process; nothing has happened since then.
“We thought serious things would have been done to commemorate one year anniversary of the report in 2012, but nothing to show for it.’’
NAN reports that the UNEP, had in the report, noted that Ogoni would need the world’s largest ever oil clean-up, which could take up to 30 years to complete. (NAN)
Source: Leadership
