NIGERIA - OGONI LAND CLEAN UP: CODAF TELLS FG TO STOP SHIFTING GOAL POST, REFERS TO GAS FLARING

The Community Development Advocacy Foundation, CODAF, a non-governmental organisation, yesterday, told the Federal Government to desist from shifting the goal post on the cleanup of oil spills in Ogoniland, Rivers State, as it has been doing on the date of ending gas flaring in the country.

Reacting to the decision of the Federal Government to commence cleanup of Ogoni- land on June 2, 2016, CODAF’s Executive Director, Mr. Richard Benin, at an interaction with newsmen in Ozoro, Delta State, said: 

“Since President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration renewed its commitment in August 2015 to commence the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP report, so many dates have been fixed to commence the cleanup. “On March 24, 2016, the Federal Government, through the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-General Paul Boroh (retd), said that the cleanup of Niger Delta oil spills would begin in three weeks. 

“By our calculation, three weeks from March 24 was on April 7. Then on April 29, 2016, we read a media publication credited to the Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Muhammed, that the “Ogoni cleanup will begin on June 2. “While we believe this is true following the frequent and recent visit of the minister to Ogoni, we are also careful not to wait in vain as we are all tired of waiting for the dead line for ending gas flares. 

“While we demand a realistic date for the clean-up, it is for the Federal Government to publish a robust environmental management plan with timeline, an administrative framework with adequate participation of the host communities and how money will be allocated to promote openness, transparency and accountability. 

“The implementation of the UNEP report must build the capacity of the young Ogoni men and women around the cleanup approach and how to conduct environmental audit. This means that they must participate from the preliminary stage to the commencement of the cleanup and to the post remediation evaluation.”

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