Ogoniland activists want gov't to implement UNEP recommendations

Nearly a fortnight after the Nigerian government launched a campaign to clean up Ogoniland which has suffered massive oil spills, the structures needed for a successful roll out of the plan are yet to be put in place, activists in Ogoniland have said.

A United Nations Environmental Programme report among others called for the setting up of a governing council and a board of trustees as well as rolling out an advertisement for the position of a project coordinator who will oversee the day-to-day implementation of the cleanup.

But, activists in the area say the government has not started work on any of these recommendations.

The Ogoni Solidarity Forum and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) are therefore asking the government to without delay inaugurate the recommended institutions for work to begin.

MOSOP has asked the government to take concrete post-launch steps to implement the UNEP environmental assessment report on Ogoniland, by inaugurating the governance mechanisms to underline its publicly declared commitment to restoring the degraded Ogoni environment.

The structures are expected to coordinate the activities and management of funds.

Vice president, Yemi Osibanjo on behalf of president Muhammadu Buhari launched the 1 billion dollar cleanup and restoration programme earlier this month.

Experts however say it could take between 25 to 30 years to fully restore all the swamps, fishing grounds and mangroves which have been affected by decades of oil spill.