A non-governmental organisation under the aegis of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to provide potable water to Ogoniland.
The group’s president, Douglas Fabeke, made the appeal in an interview after a town hall meeting with stakeholders from six kingdoms of Ogoniland in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni.
Mr Fabeke said the affected sites had no provision of potable water after decades of water pollution in Ogoni.
He added that there was no central office of HYPREP in Ogoni to enable people to 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,” said Mr Fabeke.
He appealed to Mr Buhari to halt further payment to Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), alleging that the agency has always misused the fund released for the cleanup.
“Ever since the establishment of HYPRPEP, no central office of HYPREP in Ogoni land to enable the people to 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 the Ogoni environment,” added Mr Fabeke.
Mr Fabeke also noted that there was no establishment of a “Centre of Excellence” and general registry of the Ogoni people to ascertain their health conditions as recommended by UNEP.
The NGO leader further disclosed that “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 loved 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,” Mr Fabeke stated.
(NAN)