A former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, says it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land in Rivers State.
Oil exploration in Ogoni has been suspended for many years due to controversies surrounding environment degradation among other issues.
However, the Federal Government appears to be looking at the possibility of resuming oil exploration in Ogoni land after many years.
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.
“If I must be sincere with you, it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land. What I think and I think that is the part the government has also chosen is to do further consultations, build trust and show genuine commitment to real environmental governance,” Peterside said.
“The challenge all along has been the opaque nature of oil exploration not just in Ogoni land but in the entire Niger Delta.
“And the fact that the way benefits derivable from oil exploration is distributed to the exclusion of the people of Niger Delta is a big question mark. And until we address that in a transparent manner then we will not make much progress.”
On January 21, 2024, President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, held a closed-door meeting with a delegation of Ogoni leaders led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
The meeting came after a coalition of civil society organisations demanded an allocation of $1 trillion from the Federal Government for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for lost livelihoods, before the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.
After the meeting, Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate negotiations with various parties within Ogoniland in the oil-rich Niger Delta area to resume oil production in the area.
Also on Monday, President Tinubu signed a bill establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET) in Ogoni and pledged more support for the community.
The President said the establishment of the university will further empower Ogoni citizens and provide more opportunities for participation and development.
However, Peterside who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, said that establishing university in Ogoni land is not the same as addressing the environmental injustice that the people have suffered.
He said that to address the injustice the Ogonis have suffered, the Ogoni Bill of Rights must be revisited. According to him, once the Ogoni Bill of Rights is addressed the injustices suffered by Ogoni people would have been addressed.
