Ogoni Clean Up:Groups Reassure On $10m Trust Fund

The pan Ogoni socio-cultural organisation, the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and another elitist group in Ogoni, KAGOTE, have said that the $10 million remitted into the clean-up fund by Shell and the Federal Government is intact.
President of MOSOP, Legborsi  Pyagbara, disclosed this, last Saturday in Port Harcourt, while addressing a cross section of Ogoni youths at a roundtable discussion.
Pyagbara who is also a member of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report implementation in Ogoni land, said the money was in the coffers of HYPREP, but cannot be spent without an approved work plan endorsed by the governing council.
The MOSOP President dismissed rumours that the money had been squandered, and assured that the fund would be judiciously used for the intended purpose.
The MOSOP President commended the organisers of the round table discussion for their initiatives and urged the youths to remain vigilant and serve as worthy Ogoni ambassadors.
Pyagbara also expressed displeasure over the delay in the implementation of the Ogoni Clean-up exercise and called for proper funding from Shell and Federal Government in the process.
Beyond oil and gas, he said Ogoni was replete with other enormous natural resources and called for restructuring of the Nigerian state to guarantee effective community representation and ownership of resources.
On his part, the President of KAGOTE, Dr. Peter Medee, said the body was effectively monitoring the process of the UNEP report implementation.
Medee who is a member of the Board of trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund (OTF) said the clean-up exercise was on course but slow in implementation as a result of some teething challenges.
He assured that the process would be properly monitored to ensure that it conforms with a global standards. The varsity don said the enduring spirit of Ogoni should not be taken for granted and called on the stakeholders in the UNEP report implementation to quicken the process by fulfilling their specific obligations.
In his remark, Elderstatesman and foremost legal luminary, Senator Gbene Cyrus Nunyie described Ogoni as a blessed nation and called for unity among the people to move Ogoni forward.

Taneh Beemene