Environmentalists lament poor implementation of Ogoni cleanup

Environmentalists activists have lamented the poor implementation of the Ogoni cleanup exercise, saying that Federal Government’s handling of the project since the inception of the Muhammadu Buhari administration leaves much to be desired.

Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, expressed worry over alleged plans to resume oil exploration activities in Ogoniland, noting that the pollution of the last decades was yet to be remediated, while the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), recommendations of were yet to be fully complied with.

This followed as the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), bemoaned poor implementation of the UNEP report, stressing that Ogoni people were not feeling the impact of the cleanup 1,000 days after its commencement.

Bassey in a statement issued alongside Ken Henshaw, Celestine Akpobari and Chima Williams, argued that before contemplating resumption of crude oil exploration in the area, Ogoni people and other stakeholders should ensure that the cleanup process was completed in compliance with the UNEP recommendations.

“It is worrisome that the government would think of resuming oil extraction in Ogoniland when pollution of the last decades is yet to be cleaned, decrepit installations are yet to be decommissioned and the recommendations of UNEP are yet to be fully complied with.

“We are deeply concerned about the neglect of key issues around ecological and social justice in Ogoniland. The government should stop any planned attempt to resume oil activities in Ogoniland,” he said.