Some prominent Ogonis under the aegis of Gbokubaari Ogoni, the elders forum of Ogoni people have disowned the proposed Ogoni stakeholders engagement with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
The prominient Ogonis which included Senator Bennett Birabi, Dr Desmond Nbete, Mr Ledum Mitee, Baritor L. Kpagi and Professor John Nna regretted that based on the invitation sent to a few selected persons, the resumption of oil and gas activities in Ogoniland is now a condition precedent for the clean-up and remediation of the Ogoni environment.
The group said it was saddened about the development, stressing that the issue of the resumption of oil and gas activities in Ogoni was a sensitive one that required a broad spectrum of the people.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, the forum further regretted that two years after the much- publicised flag-off ceremony for the clean-up of Ogoni land as recommended by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) by the Vice President of Nigeria, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is now tying the expected commencement of the clean-up and remediation process to resumption of oil and gas activities in our land by his preferred company”.
The Ogoni elders further described the proposed stakeholders engagement as a sham to merely endorse a decision already taken, “to forge a dubious so called Ogoni endorsement of a particular company to resume oil and gas activities in Ogoni without pretences to transparency”.
According to the release, “we wish to reiterate, for the avoidance of doubt that the people of Ogoni are not opposed to the resumption of oil and gas production activities in Ogoniland”.
“However, our position is that resumption of oil production should not be made a condition precedent for the clean-up and remediation which is already long overdue.
“The engagement process should be thorough, broad-based and transparent, ensuring that the free, prior and informed consent of the critical stakeholders in Ogoni is sought and obtained without being coerced before the resumption of oil production activities and in line with global best practices” the elders said.
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