•The protesters
Ogoni sons and daughters have warned President Bola Tinubu of an impending crisis if the federal government proceeds with plans to resume oil exploration in 17 communities in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, citing unresolved grievances and the loss of hundreds of lives during previous operations.
The warning was issued at a peaceful protest held over the weekend in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, where demonstrators rejected any return of oil activities without consultation, restitution, and accountability for past injustices, reports Daily Independent.
Protesters displayed placards reading ‘Free Ogoni Land from Economic Slavery,’ ‘No to Oil Resumption,’ ‘NNPC, Bring Back Our $300 Million’, ‘No to Sahara Energy,’ among others, condemning what they described as an attempt to restart oil production without the consent of affected communities.
Addressing the crowd, the Executive Director of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), Douglas Fabeke, outlined seven critical concerns surrounding the planned resumption of oil operations in Ogoniland.
Fabeke stated, “We have seven key issues we want to address, which concern our observations at the continued struggle of Ogoni communities.
“We expected that some of these issues we are raising here must have been addressed before now by the federal government.”
He stated that multiple letters had been sent to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other relevant government agencies to highlight issues of environmental injustice.
“Number one issue is, we are raising concerns regarding illegal oil resumption in the 17 Ogoni communities in Tai Local Government Area that were unjustly destroyed and burnt down with over 300 people killed in 1993 to 1998.
“We urge the federal government to take immediate actions to halt oil resumption in these communities as the environment and people living in these areas are yet to be restored.
“Such operations pose significant health and safety risk of the community members,” Fabeke said.
According to him, a large number of people from the affected areas are refugees in different African countries like Benin Republic and Cameroun, while those in Nigeria are still homeless.
He observed that Sahara Energy and other oil companies have returned to the affected communities to resume exploration, yet have failed to address the injustices suffered by the locals.
The situation, he warned, heightens the risk of conflict, urging the Federal Government to act swiftly to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Fabeke added, “I have written to Mr. President to find out if he is aware of the operation that is going on in these areas because as of now, many people have been killed and crisis has taken place. And we don’t want any more crisis in Ogoniland.
“So, we are sending this message to Mr. President to give a command that activities in those communities should be stopped and let’s go into negotiations to see how people living in those places can be restored.”
The group urged the federal government to assume direct control of OML-II and open structured, result-drivenengagementwithhost communities through an appropriate and credible channel.
It cautioned against what it described as “political dialogue without outcomes,” noting that Ogoni communities have yet to receive any direct communication from the federal government.
The Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI) further rejected Sahara Energy’s presence in the area, declaring the company persona non grata in Ogoniland and demanding an immediate halt to all its activities.
OLI warned that failure by the federal government to address these unresolved issues would compel Ogoni people to escalate their grievances through protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The group also demanded transparency and accountability over the alleged $300 million compensation fund earmarked for Ogoni development and welfare, alleging that the funds may have been misappropriated by certain politicians.
Fabeke declared, “We are open to negotiations with NNPCL and relevant government agencies. However, Sahara Energy is rejected outright and declared persona non grata in Ogoniland.
“I want to say it here that I was part of the committee that was set up for this $300 million. I was invited by the NNPCL and I gave them the list and all the Ogoni communities that were involved.
“But, when the money was approved, up till today, I have not been briefed. The organisation (OLI) has not been briefed. The communities have not been briefed about this money.”
The group lamented that after several decades of struggle for environmental justice, Ogoniland is still impoverished.
