News
Ogoni Clean-Up: Reps Flay FG’s Insincerity
The House of Representatives Committee on Environment has called on the Federal Government to, without further delay, fast-track the clean-up of Ogoniland and other impacted sites in the Niger Delta, which is being currently handled by the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Obinna Chidoka, who made the call during an oversight visit of members of the committee to HYPREP’s demonstration site in Koro Koro Tai Community in Rivers State, recently, said there was need for the Federal Government, HYPREP’s Governing Council and the Board of Trustees to put on ground a more efficient process to ensure that the clean-up exercise was faster and more result-oriented, for the ultimate benefit of the Niger Delta people.
“What we want to see is a situation where the clean-up is faster because the more we waste time, the more it impacts on the lives of the people and this is to save them from premature death. That is also why we need HYPREP’s Governing Council which takes certain decisions and the Board of Trustees which has put the funds, to be quick and fast about the clean-up”.
“The committee members expected to see in a couple of weeks or months from now, more prosperous, pasturable and arable lands that can be used for agricultural or agro and aquatic activities in Ogoniland in particular and in the Niger Delta in general”, Chidoka said.
The Tide investigation revealed that HYPREP’s work has been apparently slowed down by bureaucratic bottlenecks, particularly in terms of accessing the funds set aside by International Oil Companies (IOCs) to effectively implement the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report in Ogoniland and other impacted sites in the Niger Delta.
Commenting on this seeming setback, Chidoka revealed that this is so because HYPREP was not established by legislation or bill but merely as an interventionist body, guided by a set of principles and rules for the sole purpose of cleaning up impacted sites in the Niger Delta.
For this reason, he said the much the National Assembly could do in the circumstance is to look at the activities of HYPREP and consider it as a bill, saying, that would entail making it to function like an agency.
He said the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) was in a better position to ensure that oil spills and the attendant pollution of the environment are addressed in the first place.
“What we are saying is that this land has been affected by exploratory activities. We have an agency that should stop it from day one not happening because if it had happened that 40 or 50 years ago, as they pollute, they not only pay but clean up immediately, we won’t be here today”, he said.
He explained further that what HYPREP was expected to do in this circumstance now is to clean up impacted sites, “round it up, and watch it over time and make sure it is okay”.
The committee chairman said the National Assembly would on its part give agencies like NOSDRA a bite by fashioning out the necessary legal framework to do their job more efficiently and stressed the need for oil companies and their collaborators who pollute the environment through their exploratory activities not only to pay fines but to be jailed as well.
Earlier, the committee members while interfacing with the management of HYPREP at its corporate office in Port Harcourt decried the slow pace of the clean-up of Ogoniland, insisting that the funding of the project by the oil companies in concert with the Federal Government must be prompt and adequate.
The members who took turns to elucidate their points stressed the need for HYPREP to come up with realistic time lines in remediating and restoring impacted sites within the shortest possible time.
In his response, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr. Marvin Dekil thanked the committee members for the oversight visit, and noted that as soon as the budget for the clean-up exercise was approved and funds released, it would hit the ground running to accomplish its core mandate.
Donatus Ebi
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.