Ogoni Cleanup Is A Ruse, NDC Cries Out; Seeks $75 Billion Compensation

Acting spokesman of the Niger Delta Congress, NDC, Adokiye Oyagiri has lamented the gross neglect of Ogoni land four years after the federal government launched a clean up of the land even as it seeks for a $75 Billion compensation for the damages in the area.

According to him, 11 out of the 16 companies contracted to carry out the job have only succeeded in messing the place up even more citing their inexperience in environmental issues as the main bane for thier failure.

Oyagiri expressed his displeasure on his twitter handle while calling on the government to immediately convene a Niger Delta Peoples Conference, a sovereign national conference for the region which he says will enable the people sit and come up with modalities that will help address the challenges facing the region.

NDC STATEMENT ON THE JUNE 18TH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON THE OGONI CLEANUP

Monday, 22nd June 2020 pic.twitter.com/y2GcMciVA3

— Niger Delta Congress (@ND_Congress) June 22, 2020

Sadly, he recounts that at the current pace, the clean up meant to last for five years is now on track to take 40 years, this according to him this extends the 30 year period estimated by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, for the Ogoni land to return to its natural state to 70 years.

He said, “The NDC is aware that the Ogoni clean up is a ruse to sneak back into Ogoni for resumption of oil exploration, as the Ogoni field is among the 57 oil fields auctioned by the government.

This is also why four years after the launch, the people still continue to dies from consuming polluted water. The Nigerian state is simply gambling with the life of the Niger Delta People” he said.

Meanwhile he gave a stern warning to prospective bidders of olive fields in the region to desist from it while urgiing people from the region to resist any such incursion.

Oyagiri called for the immediate commencement of environmental assessment of the entire Niger Delta region and a subsequent comprehensive clean up of the region which according to him should be funded by oil exploration companies in partnership with the government.