Mkpoikana Udoma
25 December 2017, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – Youths in Ogoni under the auspices of Ogoni Youth Federation, OYF, have described as lackadaisical the attitude of the Federal Government, international oil companies and the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, in the implementation of Ogoni clean-up.
To this end, the Ogoni Youth Federation, has charged the Federal Government to use part of the $1 billion recently released from the Excess Crude Account and earmarked for combating Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, for the clean up of Ogoni-polluted environment.
President General of OYF, Mr. Legborsi Yamaabana, disclosed these at the weekend during the Annual National Congress of the group in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Yamaabana said poor funding was behind the delay in the commencement of the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Report in Ogoniland.
The Ogoni youth leader regretted that the people of Ogoni have been made to suffer severe marginalization and devastation for the past 30 years,
He called on the Federal Government to give priority attention to the dangers bedevilling the Ogoni people.
According to him, “We have been in devastation for over 30 years and the Federal Government has been very slow in the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme Report on Ogoniland”.
“For over eleven years now nothing has been done to salvage the situation of the people.
“Insurgency that just started few years ago, huge amount has been approved. We are saying that part of the money should be diverted to the clean up of Ogoni so that the work can start,” Yamaabana said.
The Ogoni Youth Federation further demanded for a supplementary Environmental Impact Assessment on Ogoni, and warned that any oil company willing to resume oil production activity in Ogoni must enter agreement with youths of the area.