Planned Oil Exploration Resumption : Ogoni People Insist On Community Involvement

The Ogoni people have expressed concerns over the planned resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland, calling on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that locals are carried along to avoid any issues

Leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, emphasized the importance of the community involvement in the decision-making process

Recently, president Bola Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to lead reconciliation efforts and negotiations with the Ogoni people.

But some groups criticized the government’s plans, citing the need for meaningful consultations with the Ogoni community and the full remediation of the environment before resuming oil production

This perhaps explains the agitations among the people, particularly those at the grassroots level when the Rivers State governor alongside elders of the Ogoni ethnic nationality and prominent politicians visited Ogoni Land.

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The main concerns revolve around the already polluted environment and the fear that resuming oil exploration will undermine the ongoing cleanup efforts.

The leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, though welcomed the proposed resumption of oil exploration to pave way for economic growth in Ogoniland, but emphasized the need for caution to avoid chaos.

An indigene of Ogoni,Fynface Dunamene, wants the issues that led to the stoppage of the oil exploration to be addressed first, before the resumption of oil exploration.

The Ogoni people say they have for so many decades suffered significantly from environmental degradation and human rights abuses due to decades of oil exploration hence government and the multinational oil companies must do the needful before the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni Land.

(Editor : Ena Agbanoma)