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Tag: clean-up

  • MOSOP rejects Ateke Tom, others for Ogoni clean-up

    The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has said the planned use of ex-militants in the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s (UNEP’s) report in Ogoniland is not acceptable.

    MOSOP, which is the umbrella body of the Ogoni, said the comments credited to the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), were unsettling.

    According to MOSOP, Boroh said ex-militants would be part of the clean-up in Ogoniland and that he had met with ex-militant leader Chief Ateke Tom and other stakeholders on that.

    Speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Fegalo Nsuke, MOSOP, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, described Boroh’s comment  as part of a greater conspiracy by the Federal Government against the Ogoni.

    Nsuke said there was no security threat in Ogoniland to warrant the involvement of ex-militants in implementing the UNEP report as the Ogoni would cooperate with experts in charge of the programme for a successful implementation.

    He said: “MOSOP wishes to state that there is no security threat to the Ogoni clean-up exercise, except General Boroh is instigating one, which he will need to clarify.

    “Boroh’s statement is not only suspicious but corroborates our fears that the government has deliberately ignored the Ogoni environmental restoration project, citing frivolous excuses.

    “MOSOP notes that the Ogoni people awaits the implementation of the UNEP report and will cooperate with all agencies, including security personnel, to see that the programme is successful.

    “We are disturbed by Gen. Boroh’s strange security arrangements outside the Police and other relevant agencies charged with the responsibility to secure people.

    “MOSOP is worried about the security implications of Gen. Boroh’s  statement, especially his discussions with ex-militants like Ateke Tom, a non-Ogoni and an indigene of Okrika, who should ordinarily not play a role in the circumstance.”

  • ‘Why Ogoni clean-up, others are delayed’

    Disunity within the oil-polluted communities, hegemony tendency of community’ leaders who lord themselves over their subjects at will, and the use of wrong chemicals by contractors, hired to clean up the oil polluted areas have been identified as factors delaying the remediation/cleanup process introduced by Shell and other International Oil Companies (IOCs) to restore the natural habitats in Ogoniland and other communities in the Niger-Delta region.

    Other factors affecting the cleaning of the oil ravaged communities, according to Human Rights/ Environmental Institutions, that spoke to The Nation, are delay in the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programmes (UNEP)’s report by the Federal Government, and the attitude of  the polluted communities.

    The organisations said both internal and external factors affect the cleaning of the oil polluted communities. The Business Development Manager, Cerase Environmental Services, Gloria Igboji, said greed, excessive powers, which some chiefs in the region have arrogated to themselves, and the use of low quality chemicals to treat the farmlands and the waters, combined together, delay the cleaning of the areas.

    She said her firm carried out a study, which reveals that negligence on the part of contractors, hired by the multinational oil companies, to clean up the Ogoniland, is a problem in the region. She noted that the firm conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) programme during which it collected samples of the land that was believed to have been restored.

    She said: “The result of the study reveals the opposite because, the farmlands and waters in the real sense of it, were not cleaned.  It was discovered with chemicals used in treating the land which were of lower quality.  Besides, issues such as greed, pervasive settlement culture caused by bribing of chiefs that protest delay in cleaning up the areas by oil firms, and excessive use of powers by some people in the region, have stalled efforts made to restore natural habitats such as land and water in the region.’’

    Igboji said it is high time Shell, the communities and the Federal Government worked together to  clean-up Ogoniland, and return the people to their traditional occupation of farming and fishing.

    She said failure to  clean up the Ogoniland in time, means  inhabitants of the area would not be able to do farming and fishing, which are their major occupations.

    Also, the Director in charge of  Environment, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development(CHERD), Obodoekwe Styvn, said the people of Ogoniland are praying that the government should do correct clean up/ remediation so they can go back to their traditional occupation of fishing and farming.

    He said another factor that is delaying cleaning of the oil-polluted communities was the failure of the  Federal Government to speed up the process of implementing  the UNEP’s report,  which stated that  it would take about 30 years to clean the affected areas.

    President Muhammed  Buhari had in 2015, set up governance structure that would help in implementing  the UNEP’s report on the cleaning of oil polluted communities.

    Shell said the Federal Government’s aspirations to clean up Ogoniland would restore normalcy in the area.  Shell’s Spokesman, Precious Okolobo said the firm is not only committed to deliver the UNEP recommendations directed to it as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture, but would continue to work with the Federal Government and its joint venture partners in order to take the implementation of the UNEP report forward, and contribute to the growth of the communities where it operates.

  • Hameed Ali: The man who would clean up Customs

    Hameed Ali: The man who would clean up Customs

    Is there a procedural or legal error in the appointment of Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) as the new Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)? The President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, and other stakeholders in the maritime industry believe there is none. The 1999 Constitution and the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), the stakeholders said, empower President Muhammadu Buhari to hire Ali to clean the mess in the service.

    Security reports, it was gathered, did not favour most of the current Deputy Comptrollers-General because of their super-rich status. Most of them and their immediate families, an informed official of the service alleged, live in questionable wealth. Hence Ali was appointed by the Federal Government on Thursday, August 27, as the new Customs boss through a press release issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, following the voluntary retirement of the immediate past CG, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

    Ali, it was gathered, led a Spartan lifestyle during his years in the army and continued same even in retirement. Speaking with The Nation yesterday, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who asked not to be named, believed that most of the critics of Ali’s appointment as Customs’ CG were beneficiaries of “the incurable rot in the service’ before his appointment.

    The NCS, the official said, is a para-military organisation, hence it would not be out of place if it is headed by a retired military officer. “After all, the Customs, on many occasions, depends on the military to fight smugglers around our borders,” the official added. “After voluntary resignation of Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi from the service, it became clear to President Buhari that he needs another patriotic Nigerian like him to clean up the high level of corruption in the service.

    “CEMA does not have the force of law and Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution empowers President Buhari to make the appointment from outside the service. For statutory bodies into which the law does not clearly define how appointments are made, the President is fully protected by the 1999 Constitution on how he can make the appointments.

    “What that gazette is saying in effect is that the President cannot pick any customs officer below the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General to head the service. It is an internal procedure. The new CG was picked from outside the service, so the rule does not apply to him.”

    He said that President Buhari is protected by section 5(1)(a) of the constitution which, he said, allows him to appoint any Nigerian to help him deliver part of his executive powers. The section says: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive powers of the Federation shall be vested in the President and may subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice-President and Ministers of the Government of the Federation or officers in the public service of the federation,” the official said.

    He attributed the delays in cargo clearance from the ports to issues associated with the fact that some senior officers are finding it difficult to accept the new order of reforms. “They still believe that the new innovations the service introduced, which are mainly ICT-based, were introduced to ease them out of the service because they believe in the old manual system and they have refused to learn the new computerised system,” said the official.

    Buhari’s decision to appoint Ali as the new Comptroller-General of NCS, The Nation learnt, was based on his three rare attributes, namely integrity, frugality and patriotism. Ali, a former military administrator of Kaduna State, is said to be nicknamed by his associates as Netanyahu, because of his principled posture.

    Ali’s simplicity, his associates say, is evident in the fact that he can drive a car for more than 10 years despite his vantage position and high-level connections within and outside the army. A sound military officer, he is said to hold bachelor and master’s degrees in Criminology. His appointment as a non-career Customs officer, the official said, would not be the first in the history of the service.

    His words: “For instance, Shehu Musa, a career civil servant, was appointed Director of the Department of Customs and Excise in 1975 to reform the structure inherited from the colonial government. Musa later served as the Secretary to the Federal Government in the Second Republic.

    “Haliru Bello Mohammed, a veterinary doctor, was in the Ministry of Internal Affairs when he was seconded to Customs as a director in 1989 by the Ibrahim Babangida administration. During that period, Customs, Immigration and Prisons were one unit under the internal affairs ministry. In 1990, after the three services were unbundled, Mohammed was appointed the first Controller General of Customs.

    “Samuel Ango, a retired Brigadier-General, was appointed sole administrator of the service by the late Sani Abacha. Ango held the position until February 1999 when the administration of the former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, appointed Aliyu Ahmed Mustapha as the Comptroller-General.”

    Like other stakeholders, the Federal Ministry of Finance official attested to Ali’s frugality and commended his prudent use of government resources at his disposal in the positions he held in the past. The official said before Ali was appointed, some top officials of Customs who could have succeeded Abdullahi shot themselves in the leg by writing petitions to the authority, calling themselves names and blackmailing themselves in their bids to become the CG.

    The official said in his plan to diversify the economy and depend less on the revenue from oil because of the glut in the international market, Buhari sees Customs as one of the key agencies that can boost the nation’s economy.

    “Ali’s appointment is a fulfillment of the promise Buhari made to Nigerians during his campaign. He needs an outsider to carry out a comprehensive and holistic reform for optimum performance and efficiency.

    “Some of the agencies the President is focusing on include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and a few others. Although Customs and FIRS are currently contributing immensely to the revenue revenue profile of the government, the President believes they can do more if all avenues for leakages are blocked.

    “The petitions they wrote against one another indicated to the President that none of the current top senior officers of Customs could muster the courage to end the rot in the system. That, we believe, made President Buhari to look for a neutral and trusted individual who would help him achieve his desire to reform and reposition the service for greater efficiency and probity.”

    Findings revealed that Ali had served as the Chief of Staff to President Buhari for many years and had unbroken relationship before and after they both left the army.

    “During that period, the President assigned him tough assignments and he was able to carry them out without fear or favour. Apart from that, his integrity, frugality and high level patriotism drew him closer to the President for over 30 years now,” the official said.

    Shittu, the President of ANLCA, however, said the task before Ali is enormous.

    “To block revenue leakages, instill discipline in the officers and men of the service and rake in more revenue into government coffers, the new CG needs to halt fraudulent abuse of waivers by top government officials. These questionable waivers, which usually run into billions of naira, were given in the past to some influential politicians, individuals and organisations to the detriment of the nation.

    “The last administration witnessed abuse of waivers because many of them did not add value to the economic development of the country. He must boost the trade facilitation programme of the Federal Government, ensure that no Customs officer on the field is allowed to quarry the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) issued from ruling house and ensure that Customs officers desist from undue inference in cargo clearance.”

    He urged Ali to take the welfare of officers and men of the service seriously for him to achieve why he was drafted to head the service. For instance, he said the service collects N7 billion from the N100 billion it generates every month, urging Ali to block all the loopholes so that the amount it generates would be higher, more Nigerians would be employed, better salaries would be paid while capital projects would be embarked upon and training and re-training of officers on modern trade facilitation programmes would be achieved.

    “He must let them know that the more revenue they generate, the more money would be available to the service to remunerate and train its officers and men,” he said.

    Customs, it was gathered, has six aircraft which they use to take photographs and transmit to the office to analyze and dispatch men wherever suspicious movements are observed. In some instances, findings revealed, Customs invites the military and they assist them with some of their men and invade the locations.

    Most of the spectacular seizures reported in recent times came about as a result of the joint effort of the military and Customs. With Ali’s appointment, an importer, Mr Oliver Philips said, stakeholders expect a higher level of men and officers of the Nigeria Customs’ compliance with the new reforms, greater integrity in the way they do things at the ports, and more efficient, better educated, highly motivated, ICT driven, highly competent and trade facilitating workforce.

  • TUC praises govt over Ogoni clean-up, NNPC restructuring

    TUC praises govt over Ogoni clean-up, NNPC restructuring

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has praised the Federal Government over its planned clean-up of oil-polluted Ogoniland, resuscitation of the national carrier and the appointment of a new Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    TUC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and Secretary-General, Comrade Musa Lawal, said it views the moves as steps in the right direction if the change mantra espoused and canvassed by the ruling party is to yield positive results.

    The Congress advised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to expedite action on the afore-mentioned areas and other items on its developmental agenda, as time is not on the government’s side.

    According to the statement, successive government’s insensitivity to the plight of the people has been the major cause of most unrests and insurgencies in the land.

    The labour chiefs noted that the initiative to clean up Ogoniland will help give a sense of belonging to the Niger Delta people. Part of the statement read: “Our country, being a mono-economy, cannot afford to neglect the goose that lays the golden egg. The present administration should go ahead and also diversify the economy, revive other sectors as it has planned to do in the aviation industry through the reintroduction of the national carrier, and fight corruption to a stand-still.

    “The Niger Delta agitation, for instance, started as a result of failure to address the grievances of the people, which include the destruction of their farmlands by oil spillage, gas flaring.”

    On the NNPC, TUC said the war against corruption should be comprehensive, lest it be viewed as mere witch-hunting. “While we applaud the sanitisation that has commenced at the NNPC, we also insist that it be extended to the ministries and other agencies of government. There is no patriotic Nigerian who is not bothered by the administrative and financial anomalies we have encouraged and accommodated as a nation,” Kaigama said.

    The labour Center also noted that the move to revive the national carrier is a welcome development, adding that it is a shame for Nigeria, a nation with a population of over 170 million people, not to have a national carrier at a time when smaller nations like Ethiopia operate airlines that are major sources of prestige and foreign exchange to them.

    The statement further said British Airways and other foreign airlines earn substantial revenue from flying Nigeria’s airspace, taking advantage of the large vacuum created by the ineptitude of our leaders over the years.

    “Apart from the thousands of Nigerians who go on medical tourism to Britain and other foreign nations, a good percentage of Nigerians who live in those nations come home at least twice yearly aboard their airlines. Just imagine how much we would earn if they flew our own national carrier instead? A lot of foreign exchange is involved here!

    Suffice to say that all those countries are having a field day making aviation money that we should be making. And this is aside the massive employment potentials that we have denied ourselves,” TUC lamented.

  • Clean-up: Excited Ogoni indigenes eager to go back to farming

    Clean-up: Excited Ogoni indigenes eager to go back to farming

    Ogoni people are excited over the government’s plan to clean up their environment as that will make them go back to their traditional jobs of farming and fishing, as well as enjoy unpolluted air, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    Ogoni sons and daughters appear set to return to their traditional occupation of farming, and fishing as the Federal Government embarks on the  long overdue clean-up of their environment that has been destroyed by oil spills.

    The clean up exercise, which the government promised to be in line with the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) recommendations, was not only greeted with applause  among the people of Ogoniland, it has also marked the dawn of a new era for the people who have for long not been engaging in fishing and farming because oil spills that polluted their lands and waters.

    With the Federal Government planning to stick to UNEP’s report which stated that stakeholders in the Niger Delta region must  work together to restore polluted environments and put an end to all forms of contaminations in the oil producing region, better days are ahead for people of Ogoniland, who are seriously looking for opportunties to go back to their traditional jobs.

    The Chairman, Council of Chiefs, Bodo Communities in Kogana Local Government of Rivers State, Mene Slyvester Kogbara, said the over 16,000 residents of the communities cannot wait to go back to  fishing, farming, palm oil production, palmwine tapping and other activities as government plans to clean up their land and rivers in order restore their natural habitats.

    He said Ogoniland people are originally fishermen and farmers, adding that they have been practising the occupations for decades.

    He said: ‘’Historically, the Ogoniland have been cut off from their roots since they are unable to use their lands and rivers for fishing, due to oil spills.  While some engage in subsistence farming, others are into mechanised farming. The same applies to fishing.  With oil exploration activities destroying their aquatic lives, farmlands, forests and other natural habitats, the people of Ogoniland have no choice than to do jobs that are not satisfactory to them.  Now that Federal Government is planning to  clean up our land, we would definitely go back to farming and others. ‘’

    He said farmlands covering  12,000 acres was destroyed by oil spills, stressing that his people would be able to practise farming well, once the government cleans up the land.

    ‘’This aside, land used for cash crops, farming and fishing by my people was destroyed. They are used to those jobs and they cannot do any other jobs.  That is why we told Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) that payment of compensation was not enough. They (the Company) should clean up our land and waters. No matter the amount Shell paid us, we would squander the money once we do not have areas to invest the money in.  My people know the importance of farming and fishing, and would not hesitate to invest the money  Shell paid them in the two activities,” he added.

    Also, the Director of Environment, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CHERD), Obodoekwe Styvn, said the people of Ogoniland are eager to go back to farming and fishing once the government cleans up their land.

    He said the Ogoni people are praying that the government should do correct clean up/remediation so that they can go back to their traditional occupations. He said Ogoniland is made up of  local people who would always like to cling  on to their traditional ways of life despite all odds, stressing that such people would want to go back to fishing or farming which they were forced to abandon by oil pollutions.

    ‘’Ogonis are of farmers and fishers folks. Even with polluted environment, many still do farming and fishing, although they have to toil much more than before to get little or no yields. Some go to far distances in order to do the jobs upon which they depend for survival. Farming and fishing among other local economic activities will certainly be boosted if ogoni environment is properly restored. Yes, people will go back to their original occupation. Moreover, whether they want to go back to their traditional occupation or not, ogonis, like others, are entitled to clean environment.’’ Obodoekwe said.

    According to him, the Ogoni people are tired of living like endangered species, and are ready to go back  to local activities like farming and fishing, if their environment is properly restored by the government.

    Obodoekwe said the people are anxious to go back to farming and fishing, despite the UNEP report which stated that it would take about 30 years to clean the mess caused by oil pollution and return the environment to a useful and productive area.

    Sharing Obodoekwe views was,  the Business Development Manager, Cerase Environmental Services, Gloria Igboji, who said it is high time Shell, the communities and the Federal Government worked together to end clean-up Ogoniland, and return the people to their traditional occupation.

    She said failure to  clean up the Ogoniland in time, means  inhabitants of the area would not be able to do farming and fishing, which are their major occupations.

    She advised the government to compel institutions that would clean the oil polluted areas to use quality chemicals to avoid a re-occurrence of the problems, adding such efforts would make the Ogoni people to back to their traditional jobs.

    In a related development, Shell has welcome leadership shown by President Buhari in setting up governance structure for implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s report on the cleaning of oil polluted communities the Niger-Delta region.

    Shell, according to its Spokesman, Precious Okolobo, said its ready to identify with the government’s aspirations to clean up Ogoniland in order to restore normalcy in the area.

    The firm said the oil-polluted communities and the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) were helping its resolve to ensure a cleaner and friendly atmosphere in areas where it is producing oil in the Niger-Delta region.

    Shell said its not only  committed to deliver the UNEP recommendations directed to it as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture, but would continue to work with the Federal  Government and its joint venture partners in order to take the implementation of the UNEP report forward, and contribute to the growth of the communities where it operates.

    Shell added: ‘’ We’re greatly encouraged by the positive and constructive response from representatives of the communities, non-governmental organisations, and the civil society in the Niger-Delta. This is an important step forward and SPDC is determined to play its part in maintaining the momentum.’’

    The firm said it has taken some measures to remove the spills, caused by its oil exploration activities in the Niger-Delta, arguing that its wholly in support of any move to rid the area of pollutants.

    The company said it has cleaned up 47 out of the 50 pipelines that were vandalised, and employed contractors to protect the pipelines, as part of efforts to reduce oil spills in Ogoniland.

    The firm said it has promised to contribute to $1billion Ogoniland Restoration Fund, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Environment in 2014.

    Shell and the Bodo Communities have been at logger heads over the embroiled cleaning of the oil polluted areas.  The two parties have been trading blames on the issue of cleaning the oil polluted areas.

    While Shell, on one hand, accused the communities of not cooperating with it to clean up the spills which, occurred as a result of its oil exploration activities, the communities, on the other hand, alleged that Shell was not applying the right chemicals to clean the land.  This informed the decision of Shell to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Environment in 2004 to explain the reason for the delay in cleaning up the Ogoniland, years after the land was destroyed by oil spills.

  • Buhari approves environmental clean-up of Ogoniland

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday approved several actions to fast-track the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report on  Ogoniland in Rivers State.

    The approval, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, were based on the recommendations by UNEP’s Executive Director, the UNEP Special Representative for Ogoniland, permanent secretaries in the Federal Ministries of Environment and Petroleum Resources and other stakeholders.

    The approvals include the amendment to the Official Gazette establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) to reflect a new governance framework, comprising a Governing Council, a Board of Trustees (BoT) and Project Management.

    The statement reads: “The President further approved that the HYPREP Governing Council should be composed as follows: Ministry of Petroleum Resources – one representative; Federal Ministry of Environment – one representative; Impacted States (Rivers) – one representative; Oil Companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – four representatives; Ogoniland – two representatives; United Nations System – one representative; Secretariat – headed by the Project Manager.

    “He (President) also approved the composition of a BoT for the HYPREP Trust Fund as follows: Federal Government – one representative; NNPC – one representative; International oil companies – one representative; Ogoniland – one representative and United Nations System – one representative.”

    Following a meeting on the directive of President Buhari, the statement said it was also agreed that a contribution deposit of $10 million would be made by stakeholders within 30 days of the appointment of members of the BoT for the trust fund, who would be responsible for collecting and managing funds from contributors and donors.

    “A new implementation template has also been evolved at the instance of President Buhari, and the environmental clean-up of Ogoniland will commence in earnest with the President’s inauguration of the HYPREP Governing Council and the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund,” the statement added.

  • Oil spills: Rivers villages insist on clean-up, by Shell

    The row between Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Bodo communities in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State is yet to subside, a week after the oil giant agreed to pay them £55 million (about $83.6 million) compensation to them.

    The communities, which include Romu, Gbe, K&B, Dere and Kpor Gol, want immediate clean-up of their land, and rivers ravaged by two oil spill in 2008 as part of the compensation.

    They said they were still licking their wounds, despite the huge compansation.

    The row will linger because of the disagreement over the volume of oil spilled. While Shell claimed only 1,640 barrels of oil was spilled over the Bodo communities, Amnesty International said over 100,000 barrels of oil was spilled. This resulted in the long litigation, which delayed the clean up of the affected community, because of their inability to reach a compromise.

    Bodo’s Chairman, Council of Chiefs, Mene Slyvester Kogbara, said money cannot adequately compensate for the loss incurred. He said his people incurred  pyschological, mental, and financial losses, adding that the trauma will take time to heal.

    According to him, the memories of those who lost their lives to hydrocarbon emission, hunger, malnutrition and other problems caused by the spills remain alive, arguing that only a proper clean up would remove the pains.

    He said: “Bodo people eat, drink and sleep on hydrocarbon. On the average, eight people die every six weeks from unknown ailmentss since there is no functional hospital to detect their illnesses. This is the big trauma people have been struggling to overcome. To reduce mortality rate, we are asking Shell to urgently clean up our rivers and land. Besides, productivity would be enhanced because people would go back to farming and fishing- their two major occupations

    ‘’Traditionally, Bodo people are farmers and fishermen. Part of the agreement, which Bodo communities reached with Shell, was the payment of £55million compensation, and cleaning of its land. Though Bodo is happy with the £55million compensation, which is divided into two – £35million for individuals who have agreed to be compensated for their losses and £20million for the community. The issue of cleaning the environment is more important to us. Without doubt, we are excited by the planned financial reward, but that cannot compensate for the loss of lives and our sources of livelihood which went with spills.”

    He said Bodo community is inhabited by over 15,000 people, adding that they can only start a new life after their lands and rivers have been cleaned.

    Also, a Director of Programmes, Centre for Envrionment, Human Rights and Deveopment, Steven Obodoekwe, said the communities depend on natural habitats, such as land and rivers for survival.

    He said the organisation was planning a meeting with Bodo communities to ensure that Shell fast-tracks the cleaning so that the people can engage in profitable ventures.

    Obodoekwe said the meeting was crucial because oil spills were threatening the existence of the community, and needed to be resolved.

    He said: ‘’Our organisation , which is based in Port Harcourt, was involved in the legal process that led to the compensation of Bodo people, and wants to see that all the agreements between Shell and the communities are abide with.’’

     The Environmental Adviser to an international organisation, the Nigeria-Canada Business Association, Ako Amadi, said the effects of oil pollution would remain for as long as Shell delayed the cleaning. He said the issue of reclaiming or recovering an environment is in various stages, stressing that it takes a longer period to recover an area that is polluted by oil.

    Amadi said: “The environment can be cleaned, but not recovered. Shell may clean up the community, but may not recover it. The two are not the same. After cleaning an environment, there is the need to restore it. Restoration takes place when plants and animals are re-introduced in an area to encourage the growth of the ecosystem. That is why I said it would take sometime before the land and rivers in Bodo are recovered.’’

    Outgoing SPDC’s Managing Director, Mutiu Sunmonu said the company understands the plight of the people, noting that it will not spare efforts in the cleaning. He said the development would help in re-uniting the people with the natural habitat.

    He said Shell has pledged to be fair with the Bodo community, and would stick to its promise.

    He said: ‘’From the outset, we have accepted responsibility for the two deeply regrettable operational spills in Bodo. We have always wanted to compensate the community fairly and we are pleased to have reached an agreement. We are fully committed to the clean-up process being overseen by a former Netherlands’Ambassador to Nigeria. Despite the delays caused by division within the community, we are pleased that clean-up will soon begin now that a plan has been agreed with the community’’

    Sunmonu, who doubles as the Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN), said the company was working with the government, the civil soceity and international NGOs to create awareness on environmental pollution. He assured that Shell would continue to search for solutions to the problems, adding that the support of Bodo community leaders is needed to acheive the deired results.

    He, however, warned: “Unless real action is taken to end the scourge of oil theft and illegal refining, which remains the main cause of enironmental pollution and is the real tragedy of the Niger Delta, areas that are cleaned-up will simply become re-impacted through illegal activities.’’

    The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report had  directed Shell to address the problems in the oil polluted areas in Ogoniland.

    The Federal Government’s Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project(HYPREP) was set up in July 2012 to implement UNEP’s recommendation.

    This, Sunmonu said, had not come to reality because of challenges facing the HYPREP.