Ogoniland On The Brink Of New Day

The discovery of crude oil in 1958 in Ogoniland, comprising six kingdoms of Babbe, Eleme, Gokana, Ken-Khana, Nyo-Khana and Tai, now compacted into four local government areas of Eleme, Gokana and Khana has a landmass that is approximated to be 1,000 square kilometres, with about 832,000 people, according to the 2006 National Census. Instead of prosperity and growth that should have improved the quality of lives for the people in the oil communities, many years of mindless exploitation by both foreign and local oil companies have been unleashed on the distraught but oil-rich area. Ogoniland has become a metaphor for an economic wasteland created by oil companies that have devastated the environment and disempowered people.

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Flaming Advocacy

Amidst the exploitation and suffering of the people in the oil community, the late environmentalist and writer of repute, who hailed from the Ogoni kingdom, Ken Saro-Wiwa, spearheaded a fierce advocacy that was aimed at calling local and global attention to the depravity and criminal neglect let loose on Ogoniland with the sole purpose of addressing problems caused by oil exploration and exploitation by both local and international firms.  Since the discovery of the Bomu oil well in 1958 and the subsequent oil discoveries by Shell in other Ogoniland, the incidences of oil spills have slowly destroyed the biodiversity of the area and threatened livelihoods, while turning oil exploitation into a poisoned chalice for the local populace. After decades of outcries against the injustices perpetrated by these oil companies, an environmental assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed that there were over 2,976 oil spills between 1976 and 1991.

Using a non-governmental organisation, the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led other ethnic affiliates to engage in non-violent protests against oil companies involved in despoliation of the Ogoni environment in order to protect Ogoni environment through the Ogoni Bill of Rights it promulgated in November 1990. The discordant voices in the Ogoni struggle grew louder when on 21st May, 1994, four members of Ogoni people: Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage and Samuel Orage, in Giokoo community, Gokana, were killed by an irate mob. Thereafter, Saro-Wiwa and eight others were killed on 10th November, 1995 by the General Sani Abacha-led regime, despite international pressure mounted on General Sani Abacha to rescind his decision and spared the Ogoni Nine.

Sunrise Of Hope

When two weeks ago I embarked on an assessment visit to Ogoniland, the dark years of the struggle became fresh in my memory. More than any efforts of the past, the Ogoni Clean-up that came to be, following the UNEP Report that conducted independent assessments of the environment and public health impacts of oil contamination in Ogoniland is steadily on course. Over a 14-month duration, with over 4,000 samples collected for analysis from more than 200 sites, 122 kilometres of pipeline rights of way surveyed, more than 5,000 medical records reviewed, among others, revealed Ogoniland as a harsh environment requiring remediation in order to avoid a global ecological disaster.

With the dual mandate of remediating hydrocarbon impacted communities and restoring livelihoods in Ogoniland, the setting up of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is restoring hope to the people and recreating the rich biodiversity of the Ogoni people. Not an interventionist agency, HYPREP’s major task is to serve as a healing balm for Ogoniland and further create templates on best options to be adopted in future efforts at cleansing the lands polluted by oil spills. Unlike in the past, Ogoniland is posed to experience a new dawn characterised with renewed hope for the future.

Not Giving Up

Some of the projects carried out by HYPREP include some of its 39 medium risk sites for soil and groundwater remediation at Ajen-Okpori, Eleme. So far, no fewer than 48 lots have been completed and certified by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in the first and second phases of the project. Apart from remedial measures to reclaim the environment, HYPREP also embarked on water projects, in Alesa, Ebubu, Korokoro, Barako, Terabor, Kpean, Bomu, Kporghor, including the construction of a specialist hospital, with an oncology department as a special feature, and the Buan Cottage Hospital in Ken-Khana.

At Goi and Kpor in Gokana, two of the 34 lots for the ongoing shoreline clean-up are being carried out to replant the destroyed mangroves. In the host community for the mangrove project of Bomu, over 1.4 million mangrove seedlings have been planted to recover 560 hectares of lost mangrove areas. Four million seedlings are to be planted in the first phase of the project, while 10 million seedlings are to be planted over the restoration period in a bid to restore lost mangroves to salvage livelihoods for communities and mitigate against climate change. Also under construction and nearing completion is the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) that is expected “to serve as a global research hub for environmental restoration, remediation, and pollution control”. The center is expected to be commissioned in July 2025.

HYPREP’s Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, says significant milestone has been achieved, as he noted that the agency is working very hard to address environmental devastation caused by oil spills and at the same time carrying out remedial measures in conformity with the original mandate of UNEP. Considering current efforts being undertaken, there’s no denying the fact that Saro-Wiwa never died in vain. Though the Ogoni Clean-Up is envisaged to cost $1 billion, the current projects being executed by HYPREP is of world standard, and there may be need for a review to deliver without delay.