Resuming oil drilling in Ogoni Land, Rivers State, is “premature,” according to Dakuku Peterside, the former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
President Bola Tinubu met with Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, and a group of Ogoni chiefs on January 21.
The conference followed a proposal by a coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) for $1 trillion to be set aside for compensation and Niger Delta cleanup before oil production resume.
The federal government’s intentions to start oil drilling on Ogoni land again were the subject of the discussions. Tinubu emphasized the need for growth and reconciliation while acknowledging the historical difficulties the Ogoni people have suffered.
Peterside, however, stated that it is not a good idea to resume oil exploration in Ogoni until controversial problems are settled in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
The unequal distribution of the advantages of oil exploration, which disregards the Niger Delta community, is quite concerning, the former DG of NIMASA noted.
“To be honest with you, it will be too soon to start exploring for oil in Ogoni land again. The administration has also opted, in my opinion, to carry out additional discussions, foster confidence, and demonstrate a sincere commitment to environmental governance, he stated.
The difficulty has always been the ambiguity of oil drilling, not only in Ogoni territory but throughout the Niger Delta.
And it raises serious concerns that the Niger Delta’s residents are left out of the distribution of the advantages that come from oil development.
“And we won’t make much progress until we address that in a transparent manner.”
The Ogoni people are an ethnic group that mainly resides in Rivers state in southern Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Over the years, oil development has caused significant environmental damage in the Niger Delta, and the Ogoni in particular.
The Ogoni are renowned for their long-standing advocacy against the harm that oil exploration—especially by multinational corporations—does to the environment.
Under the leadership of the late campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) brought Ogoni land’s environmental degradation to the attention of the world in the early 1990s.
Widespread demonstrations and disputes with the Nigerian government followed.
“Addressing environmental injustice is not the same as establishing a university in Ogoni land.”
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Speaking about the construction of a university in Ogoni Land, Peterside stated that resolving the environmental injustice that the people have experienced is not the same as establishing such an institution there.
In order to remedy the injustices experienced by the local population, he continued, it is imperative that the Ogoni bill of rights be reviewed.
A bill creating the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Ogoni was signed into law by Tinubu on February 3.
The act, according to the president, is a step in the right direction toward addressing environmental justice and increasing educational possibilities in the Niger Delta.
According to him, Nigeria’s efforts to promote national growth and environmental sustainability have reached a “significant milestone” with the Federal University of Environmental Technology.
He noted that the university underscores his administration’s commitment to the area while acknowledging the Ogoni people’s historical sufferings.
