By: Felix Ikpotor
Following the appointment of Dr Ferdinand Giadom by the federal government as the new project coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to oversee the cleaning up of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland, a group, the Ogoni Development Drive (ODD) has reeled out some expectations from the new helmsman.
ODD was in the forefront of agitation for the appointment of an Ogoni person to replace the former project coordinator, Dr Marvin Deekil who was sacked by the federal government in 2020.
It has also been in the forefront of the fight against alleged corruption in the interventionist agency.
The group in a statement by its converner, Mr Solomon Lenu congratulated the new PC and charged him to ensure tangible and people oriented programmes in the agency.
ODD warned that it won’t fail to demonstrate against the new PC on all fronts if he fails in meeting up the expectations of the Ogoni people.
The statement reads in part:
“We also want to use this medium to inform the newly appointed Project Coordinator that Ogonis have an expectation from this project because of the quantum sacrifice they made to bring about this project, Ogoni Development Drive will not hesitate to demonstrate on all fronts if we do not see genuine people’s orientated programmes and tangible projects. We want to see that the pace and direction of the project is changing for the better to the initial direction of the recommendations of the United Nation Environmental Programme UNEP. We did not only protest for an Ogoni son or daughter to be appointed PC but also to enshrine corruption-free sustainable development, transparency, and effective leadership at HYPREP. Ogonis must feel the impact of this project to the remotest part of the land because the heat and the stereotyping from the Ogoni struggle back then affected everyone, hence the ancillary benefits should also go round to all”.
“We understand that the environment must be cleansed, but beyond cleaning the environment is the issue of improving the livelihood of the people. This is because of the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment, which has made it impossible to annex one from the other. The current HYPREP management should make a concerted effort to look into the livelihood programmes with honesty as recommended in the design of this project because if that is not done, the people will continue to pose a threat to the environment and the environment a threat to the people. This is not what we want, therefore; there should be a sincere renaissance to this aspect of the project as we proceed”.
“ODD did not just fight to get an Ogoni man as HYPREP PC for ethnicity sake, but because we felt pained by the injustice of neglect and manipulation against our people, by abandoning a people with the most requisite qualifications and in need of the same opportunity to sojourn abroad to bring in an outsider to head such sensitive project. The new PC must justify our clamour by setting an unbeatable record and precedence that will be difficult to vacate in the near future as far as environmental remediation work is concerned”.
“We want to use this medium to correct an erroneous notion about the Ogoni man that we love fighting ourselves, we do not just fight for the fun of it, after all, there is no pleasure on the battlefield, but look closely whenever you find Ogoni man fighting, for beneath the surface there must be a clear case of injustice. And because we are a distinct group of people who are allergic to oppression because we have lived so long with it, and as a people whom God has elected to champion the course of justice amongst the black race, that is why our name is synonymous to struggles for justice. We, therefore, urge every Ogoni man to take pride in every genuine struggle we champion, for history and posterity shall be kind to us for doing what we do”.
The group commended the minister of state for environment, Dr. Sharon Ikeazor for towing the path of truth and justice despite alleged campaign of calumny against her.
