A non-governmental organisation, the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, has appealed to the Federal Government to provide potable water to Ogoniland.
The President of the group, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen after a town hall meeting with the stakeholders from the six kingdoms of Ogoniland in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoni.
Fabeke said that alI the affected sites were still as they were, with no provision of potable water after decades of pollution of Ogoni source of drinking water.
He added that there was no central office of the Hydrocaborn Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoni land to enable the people have access and be abreast with the activities and programmes of HYPREP.
“There should be in all the six Kingdoms of Ogoni established clean drinkable water with water treatment plants of international standard as recommended by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report,” he said.
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to halt further payment to HYPREP, alleging that the agency had always misused the fund released for the clean up.
“Ever since the establishment of HYPRPEP, no central office of HYPREP is in Ogoni land to enable the people have access and be abreast with the activities and programs of HYPREP, contracts are awarded to companies and individuals as political patronage, to clean up Ogoni environment,
“No establishment of Centre of Excellence, neither is there any general registry of the Ogoni people to ascertain their health conditions as recommended by UNEP.
“There should be a clear master plan of environmental restoration and management; considering that all host communities are plagued with environmental degradation and pollution.
“Adequate compensation should be paid to the Ogoni people for the sufferings, death of love ones and contamination of our environment resulting from the decades of unpleasant method and manner of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the area with its attendant atrocities,” he said.
The highlights of the stakeholders’ meeting was on the presentation of a final Resolution on the oil resumption and community development in Ogoni, which the representatives said will be globally published, and also be presented to President Buhari and other world leaders and the United Nations.
By Precious Akutamadu
