Ogoni Clean-Up: MOSOP Decries Slow Pace Of Work

The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), has warned of another round of crisis in Ogoniland, if the Federal Government does not fast-track the cleanup process.
President of MOSOP, Legborsi Pyagbara who dropped the warning at the just concluded 24th Ogoni Martyrs Day celebration in Port Harcourt described the pace of the clean-up process as frustrating.
Pyagbara who also described the environmental crisis in Ogoniland as a huge humanitarian disaster said the slow nature of the exercise is not a reflective of the humanitarian response.
“The slow nature of the current efforts are not reflective of a humanitarian response and is becoming for more frustrating and have the capacity to ignite a new round of conflict in Ogoniland if nothing is done immediately.
The MOSOP president also reminded the Federal Government that Ken Saro-Wiwa and to other Ogoni martyrs laid down their lives because of the environmental pollution of Ogoniland.
According to him, “while MOSOP appreciates the efforts of the government to end the environmental nightmare in Ogoni, the intervention approach must be seen from the perspective of a humanitarian response to a dying community which would require that administrative structures and bottlenecks be removed to speed up actions and activities.
“Judged against other humanitarian interventions going on in the country such as the North-East intervention in which new houses and infrastructures are springing up on a daily basis without noise-making and publicity stunts associated with the Ogoni intervention, we fear that the manacles and vestiges of discrimination for which these heros laid down their lives are still with us” he said.
Also speaking, the representatives of Hydrocarbon Pollution, Remediation Project (HYPREP) at the occasion, Isa Wasa, said HYPREP is determined to fulfill the key demand of the Ogonis which is environmental cleanup.
Isa Wasa who represented Marvin Dekil, HYPREP coordinator at the event said 39 Ogoni youths are being trained in Health Safety and Environment, while Ogoni scientists have been flown to Geneva for further training in environmental remediation.
He said the commission is engaging various stakeholders in Ogoniland with a view to providing potable drinking water to Ogoni communities.