Dakuku Peterside, a former director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), claims it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Rivers State’s Ogoni land.
Ogoni’s oil exploration has been suspended for many years because of controversy involving environmental degradation, among other issues.
However, it appears that the Federal Government is considering whether to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land after a while.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Peterside asserted that until certain contentious issues are addressed, it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni.
It will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land if I have to be sincere with you. The government has chosen, in my opinion, to conduct additional consultations, foster trust, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to effective environmental governance, according to Peterside.
The opaque nature of oil exploration, not just in the Ogoni land but throughout the entire Niger Delta, has always been a challenge.
The fact that the Niger Delta population is excluded from the benefits of oil exploration raises a significant question mark. And we won’t make much progress until we address that in a transparent manner.
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A delegation of Ogoni leaders led by Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara and the president of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, gathered in a closed-door meeting on January 21, 2024.
Prior to the restarting of crude oil production in Ogoniland, a coalition of civil society organizations demanded a $1 trillion budget from the Federal Government for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for lost livelihoods.
After the meeting, Tinubu directed Nuhu Ribadu, the NSA’s national security advisor, to coordinate negotiations with various Ogoniland-owned oil companies in the Niger Delta region to resume oil production there.
Ogoni’s need for a university is insufficient.
Additionally, Tinubu pledged more support for the community on Monday as he signed a bill establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET) in Ogoni.
The president claimed that Ogoni citizens will have more opportunities for participation and development with the establishment of the university.
However, Peterside, a former member of the House of Representatives, claimed that addressing the injustices the people have suffered from in terms of the environment is not the same as starting a university in Ogoni land.
Source: Channels TV
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