Ogoni group rejects oil plans, demands Saro-Wiwa’s exoneration before exploration

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Ogoni Voice Achievers Foundation (OVAF) has rejected the national government’s program to restart lipid exploration successful Ogoniland, demanding that nary operations commence until a afloat biology cleanup is completed and humanities justice, including the exoneration of the precocious Ken Saro-Wiwa and different Ogoni activists, is secured.

In a connection signed by OVAF’s Founder and Board of Trustees Chairman, Hon. Ambassador Gospel Barifii Gokana, the radical described the government’s attack arsenic ‘deeply flawed, unjust, and unacceptable.’

It warned that resuming exploration without addressing decades of neglect and contamination could disturbance resentment, societal unrest, and renewed conflict.

The foundation’s involution comes successful effect to reports that the authorities had justified its plans for lipid restart connected the grounds of economical betterment and vigor needs.

But Ambassador Gokana faulted that position, pointing to a deficiency of genuine consultation with the Ogoni people.

“Only a prime fewer person been invited into closed-door negotiations. This selective engagement fails the trial of free, anterior and informed consent, which is… a close nether planetary quality rights norms,” helium said.

He besides criticised what helium described arsenic an ‘absence’ of transparency, accusing the authorities of making decisions successful Abuja offices without heavy information of what Ogoni communities person suffered historically.

OVAF expressed alarm implicit the deficiency of nationalist accusation connected biology interaction assessments, benefit-sharing arrangements, and information standards.

Central to the group’s stance is the national government’s nonaccomplishment to afloat instrumentality the recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which documented extended lipid contamination successful Ogoniland.

“To resume lipid exploration without archetypal afloat implementing UNEP recommendations is some ethically incorrect and apt to compound the suffering of Ogoni people,” Gokana said, adding that the enactment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has truthful acold been insufficient.

The radical laid retired non-negotiable conditions, including a halt to caller exploration until the UNEP study is afloat implemented, reparations are determined, and a genuinely inclusive stakeholder process is established, involving OVAF, MOSOP, women, youth, and accepted councils.

It further demanded binding ineligible instruments for equitable payment sharing and autarkic oversight of biology safety.

In a symbolic appeal, OVAF called for the exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 different Ogoni activists executed successful 1995, saying it was indispensable for restoring dignity to affected communities.

Ambassador Gokana further made a nonstop entreaty to President Bola Tinubu and applicable agencies “to perceive to the voices of the Ogoni people… and to respect our rights, lives, lands, and futures.”

The station Ogoni radical rejects lipid plans, demands Saro-Wiwa’s exoneration earlier exploration appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.