By Davies Iheamnachor
Hundreds of people from 17 Ogoni communities have staged a protest over the resumption of oil exploration in their area.
The protesters from the communities in Tai Local Government Area of the state, however, called on President Bola Tinubu to order an immediate halt to oil exploration in their area.
The protesters, who staged the peaceful demonstration at Bori, Khana LGA, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni nation, stormed the area with placards bearing different inscriptions like “Free Ogoni Land from Economic Slavery”, ‘No to Oil Resumption”, “NNPCL bring back our $300 million” and “No to Sahara Energy”, and others.
They flayed the resumption of oil activities in the affected communities without proper negotiations, noting that it is illegal for the business to resume when the host communities are not fully consulted.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Executive Director, Ogoni Liberation Initiative, OLI, Dr Douglas Fabeke, highlighted seven issues of great concern, noting that the people have written several letters to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other relevant government agencies concerning environmental injustice and that responses have not been received.
Fabeke stated: “We have seven key issues we want to address, which concern our observations at the continued struggle of Ogoni communities. We expected that some of these issues we are raising here must have been addressed before now by the federal government
“Number one issue is, we are raising concerns regarding illegal oil resumption in the 17 Ogoni communities in Tai Local Government Area that were unjustly destroyed and burnt down with over 300 people killed in 1993 to 1998.
“We urge the Federal Government to take immediate actions to halt oil resumption in these communities as the environment and people living in these areas are yet to be restored. Such operations pose a significant health and safety risk of the community members.
Fabeke said a large number of people from the affected areas are refugees in different African countries like the Benin Republic and Cameroon, while those in Nigeria are still homeless.
He noted that and some indigenous oil companies have moved down to the devastated communities to resume exploration without addressing the injustice meted out to natives.
He raised the alarm that with the resumption of oil exploration in the area, a crisis is imminent and that the federal government should, as a matter of urgency, forestall a breakdown of law and order.
Fabeke said: “I have written to Mr. President to find out if he is aware of the operation that is going on in these areas because as of now, many people have been killed and crisis has taken place. And we don’t want any more crisis in Ogoniland.
“So, we are sending this message to Mr. President to give a command that activities in those communities should be stopped and let’s go into negotiations to see how people living in those places can be restored.
He further called on federal government to take direct control of OML-II and engage the host communities in meaningful dialogue through an appropriate channel.
He said: “Federal government should avoid political dialogue without result.
Ogoni communities are yet to hear from Federal government.”
“We welcome negotiations with NNPCL and other government agencies. But this particular company, Sahara Energy, is rejected and declared persona non grata. We reject it totally.”
He mentioned that if the federal government fails to address these lingering issues, the Ogoni people would take their protest to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
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17 Ogoni communities in Nigeria have recently protested against the resumed oil exploration in their area. The protesters, staging a peaceful demonstration at the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni nation, demand that President Bola Tinubu orders an immediate halt to the oil exploration activities. They raised concerns about the lack of proper consultations with the host communities and the environmental risks posed by the resumption of oil exploration.
The Executive Director of Ogoni Liberation Initiative highlighted issues such as illegal oil resumption in the affected communities, environmental injustice, and the neglect of the native populations who are still suffering from past injustices. The protesters called for urgent actions from the federal government to prevent a potential crisis in the region. They emphasized the need for negotiations with relevant government agencies and the cessation of activities by certain oil companies in the area to avoid further conflicts.
Original Source: Vanguard News