The federal government has announced its readiness to commence the much awaited clean up of Ogoni Communities degraded by many years of incessant oil spillages. Olugbenga Adanikin examines the mood of the people and leaders of the affected communities .
THE oil spill in my community in Gokana local government has cost me my health, entire livelihood and forced a compulsory separation from my four years old Denis. It is so sad that I could not provide for his needs such as common clean water, because it is no longer common to us here in Ogini land’.
This was the agonizing testimony of 32-year old Vincent Mbora, a popular farmer, who survived and fed his family with proceeds from his farm until Goi, his community, became degraded due to oil spillage from the controversial Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
Another indigene of the degraded community, a mother of four, whose late husband was a victim of the spill, similarly shared her predicament on how the situation forced her children into street begging in neighbouring communities in order for the family to survive the perilous times.
As the federal government commences the clean up of the numerous communities that fell under the harrowing impact of degrading oil spillage, the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), is lamenting the health hazards which the oil spillage had caused the communities.
A visit to various locations in Goi and Patrick Creek showed completely polluted river, having oil on its surface. Obviously, there are no surviving water creatures living underneath. The mangrove swampy area, that would have served multi-purpose needs is also totally destroyed by thick black crude oil. Visible erstwhile farmlands in the environment, with traces of yam, cassava and maize tendrils, are now soaked with oil.
As a result, for over a decade, the people of Ogoniland endured harsh living conditions borne out of the need to survive. Even a first time visit to the community may need not be told of the hopeless level of the poverty afflicting the people courtesy of the many years of unabated oil spillage that left several communities in sorry states.
Couples with the alarming governmental abandonment that is visible in the lack of basic social infrastructure such as power, potable water and good road network, the effect of oil degradation has in no doubt, left the Creek communities of Ogoniland in a state of socio-economic powerlessness.
It was gathered that the only source of drinking water has since been contaminated with carcinogenic benzene, a chemical said to be 900 time higher than the acceptable World Health Organisation (WHO) standard. The lingering negative environmental impact on these communities attracted global outcry such that stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), kept advocating for a quick remedy process to salvage the situation.
Many years of struggle
The journey to remediation commenced in 1996 when the Federal Government decided to take the bull by the horn. Chief Alex Akinyele, who was Chairman National Reconciliation facilitated a sub- committee known as the Ogoni Negotiation Committee to look into the several issues raised at the commission by Ogoni people.
After the inauguration with prominent Ogoni indigenes as members, the committee attracted attention to the communities in many ways but such was never adequate as the land remained devastated and the people redundant. Not much was heard of the committee after the Akinyele committee winded up.
After several efforts between 2005 to 2009, it became evident that the affected communities needed to be sanitised and the people, gainfully engaged, if an epidemic of unimaginable proportion was to be averted. To this end, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was commissioned by the Federal Government to do comprehensive assessment of the spillage induced environmental destruction of Ogoni communities. Continue reading on THE NATION
