Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and key members of his administration met with select members of the Ogoni community from the Niger Delta on Jan. 21 to discuss restarting oil drilling in the region, after health and environmental concerns brought the activity to a halt for more than two decades.
However, more than 20 civil society organizations have signed a letter decrying the move, saying the government “handpicked” invitees and ignored stakeholders, including Ogoni leaders, who oppose the reopening of oil drilling.
Nigeria is a major exporter of crude oil, much of it extracted in the Niger Delta, spread across several coastal states. Ogoniland in Rivers state is home to the Ogoni people, traditional farmers and fishers with a history going back at least five centuries.
Today, this oil-rich region is one of the “most polluted” places in the world owing to decades of oil exploration and production activities by foreign oil companies, which started in the late 1950s.
Shell was the first to begin exploiting oil in the area, until opposition from communities forced the oil giant to shut down production from most of its oil wells by 1993. However, incidents of oil leaks from its pipelines continue to this day.
“I don’t want oil production again, ever. Oil has destroyed my environment. Oil has destroyed my livelihood,” said AkpoBari Celestine, an Ogoni resident and team leader at the CSO Peoples Advancement Centre.
In 2011, the U.N. Environment Programme produced an assessment of the impacts of oil exploitation in Ogoniland, documenting extensive soil and groundwater contamination. The agency drew up a detailed cleanup proposal.
The CSOs are demanding the “full implementation” of the UNEP remediation plan. “Who puts on the tap and mops the floor at the same time,” Celestine said. “If you say you are cleaning Ogoni, why are you opening the oil wells again?”
They’re also asking for $1 trillion to be set aside for the cleanup of the wider Niger Delta and to compensate residents for the destruction of their environment and livelihoods.
Activists like Celestine say the Jan. 21 meeting was a move to sow division in the Ogoni community by a government desperate for oil revenues. Authorities are “trying to create the impression that Ogoni people are ready for oil,” he said.
Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, who attended the meeting, supported continuing consultations with the aim of restarting oil production, according to an official release.
“The resumption of oil activities in Ogoniland is not only a betrayal of the Ogoni struggle but also a threat to the environment and future generations,” the CSOs’ letter said. The groups were set to meet on Jan. 31 to discuss their strategy to oppose the government’s plans.
The president’s office had not responded to Mongabay’s questions at the time of publication.
Banner image of a vigil held to honor Ogoni writer-activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Image courtesy of AkpoBari Celestine.