A group, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), yesterday convened a meeting for Ogoni indigenes, environmental experts and non-government organisations to discuss the slow pace of Ogoni clean-up.
The event was to mark two years launch of Ogoni clean-up and six years of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment report on Ogoniland.
The speakers, Prof. Okorodudu Fubara, Prof. Fidelis Allen, Mark Karikpo, Dr. Wiwa Legborsi, President, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and others agreed that Shell has not shown seriousness in the clean-up.
They said Shell’s seriousness would depend on its ability to decommission its corrosive oil facilities in Ogoni, as recommended by a UNEP report.
The speakers urged Shell to publish its counterpart contributions on the clean-up of Ogoni land, saying the Ogoni have been short-changed and the road to justice characterised by bottlenecks and bureaucracy.
Executive Director, ERA/FoEN Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo said the Federal Government should declare the Ogoni clean-up as an environmental emergency and channel resources for fast implementation.