By Collins Nkwocha
Oil exploration in Ogoniland was halted in 1993 due protest against critical environmental damage from operations,a legacy that still includes pollution despite no activity for 31 years.Tinubu’s administration is planning to restart oil production, which involves addressing the environmental and social demands of the local people through consultations and new,more responsible modalities.
The federal government took steps closer to the restart of oil exploration in Ogoniland following the receipt of the report of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee by the president Bola Tinubu which is supposed to have mediated and sorted out differences between the federal government and the people of Ogoniland.
The Director General of Importers Association of Nigeria Taskforce, IMAN Amb.Chijioke Okoro has reiterated that the committee was politicized as the real people of Ogoniland were not consulted or engaged “the truth is that the real people that owns the oil were not among the people the government had meetings with, they were excluded, the communities they engaged don’t have oil,why will you dialogue with those that doesn’t have oil and exclude those that the oil belong to,those that suffer the environmental pollution as a result of the exploration,Ejama community were not carried along the people are angry, the youths are angry and determined to resist the government,not because they don’t want the exploration, it’s because they were not involved in the dialogue, this issue is very delicate and sensitive, the government should reach out to the real people and communities that have the oil ,MOSSOP should also be involved,if they don’t know how to go about it,I can help them reach out to these people so that things can go well, I’m close to these people because of my position, let’s do the right thing to move the nation forward, Nigeria is our country, greedy politicians politicized the process for their selfish interest “
