Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described Federal Government’s excuse for non-implementation of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland? as misleading and farfetched.
The Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafiya had while briefing State House correspondents? after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan last Monday, said that the January fuel subsidy removal crisis was responsible for the delay.
But in a statement issued in Lagos, ERA/FoEN through its head of Media, Philip Jakpor described the deferment in implementation of the report as ascribed to the minister as a disappointing turn in the quest of the Ogoni communities and indeed all impacted communities in the Niger Delta to get justice.
In the UNEP report, submitted to the Federal Government on August 4, 2011, a catalogue of hydrocarbon pollution in surface water throughout were highlighted in the creeks of Ogoniland and up to 8cm in groundwater that feed drinking wells.
It also shows the level of pollution of soils with hydrocarbons up to a depth of five metres in 49 observed sites and benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical in drinking water at a level 900 times above World Health Organisation (WHO) acceptable levels, among others.
The UNEP in its well publicised report last year recommended to government to set aside a $1 billion restoration fund for the cleanup.
Reacting, Jakpo said, “No rhetoric justifies the Federal Government’s attempt to shield Shell from justice through delayed implementation of the report or any other actions aimed at pulling wool over the faces of the Ogoni people.
“The Ogoni and other impacted communities of the Niger Delta reject the minister’s excuse and demand the immediate implementation of the UNEP recommendations,” the statement quoted ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey as stating.
Bassey said that rather than embark on the recommended cleanup,? government was looking for excuses to protect Shell and keep the people in the dark by engaging in diversionary exercises such as the setting up of a Hydro-Carbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) which it claims would speed up the implementation of the UNEP assessment report.