By Esi-ife Arogundade
A coalition of civil society organisations in the Niger Delta has condemned the Nigerian government’s planned resumption of oil exploration and production activities in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
Twenty-one members of the group voiced their opposition in a statement after their recent meeting at the Port Harcourt office of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria.
The government stated its intention during a recent engagement with selected Ogoni leaders in a private meeting in Abuja initiated by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu.
But the meeting, has raised significant concerns among activists, who argue that it undermines the aspirations and rights of the broader Ogoni community.
“It is insensitive for this administration to engage in discussions with a handpicked group of leaders while ignoring the majority will of the Ogonis,” the groups stated.
The activists emphasised that the decision to resume oil extraction disregards the enduring environmental and social injustices that the Ogoni people have faced for decades, resulting from reckless oil exploitation and inadequate remediation efforts.
According to reports, including the 2011 UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, the region has suffered from severe ecological damage due to recurring oil spills, gas flaring, and poor cleanup initiatives.
The CSOs highlighted the slow implementation of the UNEP report’s recommendations and called for urgent action to address the continued devastation in the Niger Delta.
They demanded a complete halt to any plans for oil extraction until meaningful consultations with the Ogoni community occur, alongside immediate cleanup efforts for the polluted region.
Additionally, the groups made several specific demands, including the establishment of a one trillion U.S. dollar fund for the cleanup and compensation for lost livelihoods, a re-evaluation of the military trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa, and immediate release of the Ken Saro-Memorial Bus sculpture currently held by the Nigerian Customs.
The coalition urged the Nigerian government to prioritize the full implementation of the UNEP report, ensure justice for the Ogoni people through historical grievance redressals, and hold oil companies accountable for environmental damages.
It also called for the demilitarization of the Niger Delta and an end to the harassment of environmental activists, alongside a transition toward renewable energy sources.
As discussions continue, the groups maintained that any attempt to resume oil operations in a region already suffering from ecological destruction would only exacerbate the plight of the Ogoni people and violate their rights to a safe environment.
Their other demands include: “Holding oil companies, particularly Shell, accountable for past environmental damages and human rights violations, enforcing strict regulations on oil companies operating in Nigeria, halting all discussions on divestment until the polluted Niger Delta region is cleaned up and transitioning to renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels to mitigate environmental harm.”
The CSOs include the;
Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative-MEDI, Health of Mother Earth Foundation-HOMEF, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa-CAPPA, Ogoni Solidarity Forum-Nigeria, South South Youths Initiative, Peoples Advancement Centre, Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, among others.
