A former governorship candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, is against the resumption of
oil exploration in Ogoniland.
The former Director General of Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, said it would be premature to do that
at this point.
The exploration of oil in Ogoni, Rivers State, has been put
on hold for many years due to serious environmental concerns.
And now, the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu
seems to be making preparations to return to Ogoni land for oil exploration.
Peterside, the candidate of the APC for the 2015
governorship election, told Channels Television on Wednesday that until certain
contentious issues were addressed, it would be premature to make such move.
“If I must be sincere with you, it will be premature to
resume oil exploration in Ogoni land. What I think and I think that is the part
the government has also chosen is to do further consultations, build trust and
show genuine commitment to real environmental governance,” Peterside said.
“The challenge all along has been the opaque nature of oil
exploration not just in Ogoni land but in the entire Niger Delta.
“And the fact that the way benefits derivable from oil
exploration is distributed to the exclusion of the people of Niger Delta is a
big question mark. And until we address that in a transparent manner, then we
will not make much progress,” he added.
Peterside further said that the Federal Government’s move to
establish a university in Ogoni was not enough to address the injustice.
President Tinubu had on Monday signed a bill establishing
the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET) in Ogoni and
pledged more support for the community.
He said that to address the injustice the Ogonis have
suffered, the Ogoni Bill of Rights must be revisited.
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