Nigeria’s Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside says exploration of oil in Ogoni land, Rivers State, is “premature.”
On 21st January, President Bola Tinubu met with Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and a delegation of Ogoni leaders.
The meeting followed demands by a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) for the allocation of $1 trillion towards the clean-up of the Niger Delta and compensation before oil operations recommence.
The discussions were linked to the federal government’s plans to restart oil exploration in Ogoni land. Tinubu acknowledged the historical challenges faced by the Ogoni people and emphasised the need for reconciliation and progress.
According to TheCable, Peterside stated that restarting oil exploration in Ogoni is ill-timed until contentious issues are resolved.
The former NIMASA DG highlighted concerns regarding the unfair distribution of oil exploration benefits, which largely exclude the Niger Delta community, calling it deeply troubling.
he said “The challenge has always been the opaque nature of oil exploration, not just in Ogoni land but across the entire Niger Delta”.
Peterside questioned the distribution of benefits from oil exploration, arguing that the exclusion of the Niger Delta people remains a significant concern. He called for greater transparency to ensure meaningful progress.
The Ogoni people are an ethnic group residing in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria, primarily within Rivers State.
Over the years, the Niger Delta region, particularly Ogoni land, has suffered severe environmental degradation due to oil exploration.
The Ogoni are known for their long-standing activism against environmental damage caused by oil exploration, particularly by multinational corporations.
In the early 1990s, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), led by the late activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, brought global attention to the environmental destruction of Ogoni land.
This led to widespread protests and conflicts with the Nigerian government.
Peterside stated that establishing such an institution in Ogoni land is not equivalent to addressing the environmental injustices suffered by the people.
