Ogoni Clean-Up: MOSOP Sensitises Communities

The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People  (MOSOP), says it is not aware of any ongoing clean-up  in Ogoniland. Mosop’s President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara said  this while answering questions from newsmen in Port Harcourt.
Pyagbara said that, although the  actual clean-up has not started, the government is presently embarking on confidence building among communities  in the area.
He said that MOSOP is cooperating with the authority to sensitive the various  communities on the exercise.
Meanwhile, the MOSOP President says it is disappointing that the government  is  working to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland without first addressing the issue of the clean-up of the area.
According to him, “It is instructive to note that whilst  the government of  Nigeria commissioned the UNEP to carry out an assessment of Ogoni land whose report had called for  a total cleanup and restoration of Ogoniland, it’s disappointing that the same government is going about trying  to force its way through the back door to commence operations in Ogoniland, without addressing the key concerns  that had been raised by  the Ogoni people over the years”.
He said that the Ogoni  people will not allow the resumption of any oil exploration in their land if the UNEP report is not implemented.
The MOSOP President also told newsmen that, the renewed  interest in Ogoni  oil  by the Federal  Government  was in connection with the discovery of a huge gas deposit in the area.
He said that this discovery has led to the deployment of all instruments of  blackmail to intimidate  the people.
“In the recent months, there had been intense and deliberate  attempts by the oil industry to return to the  Ogoni  oilfields through the back door,  without any broad-based discussion with the  Ogoni, people with the  potentials of  igniting conflict  and violence.