Some groups in Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta region says the region might resume hostilities towards government oil installations if the remediation exercise does not commence soon.
The groups in their numbers said it was obvious the Federal Government was not sincere and serious about the Ogoni clean up two years after it made a national commitment to that effect.
President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eric Omare, while speaking in company of other pressure groups from the region said government’s breach of its promise will make the people react negatively, especially by embarking on hostilities against oil facilities in the region.
“There is nothing on ground to show that the Federal Government is committed to the cleanup. There is nothing whatsoever beyond media hypes and publications.
“That has a far-reaching implication because we were thinking of using Ogoni to pressure the authorities to clear the pollution in the region. Government’s failure to the cleanup shows that they are not interested in the remediation of the polluted region.“There is growing internal displacements in the Niger Delta. There are communities that are moving out because the water is destroyed, the land is destroyed and people cannot live in the communities anymore. There could be hostilities against oil facilities,” he said.
It would be recalled that the government pledged to initiate the Ogoni clean up two years ago, with the former Minister of Environment Amina Mohammed making numerous trips to the region to assure the communities of the Federal Government’s resolve to start the remediation process.
Source: NigeriaToday
