Establishing varsity in Ogoni land hasn’t addressed environmental injustices-Peterside

Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, says the only way to address the injustices done to the people of Ogoni and Niger- Delta is to revisit the Ogoni Bill of Rights. In this interview on Channels TV’ Politics Today’ monitored by David Lawani, the former member of the House of Representatives, said despite the recent approval by President Bola Tinubu for the establishment of a university in Ogoni land, the environmental degradation in the region must be addressed

What is your take on the numerous loss of lives and livelihood due to the environmental degradation in Ogoni land and other parts of the Niger Delta region?

The story of Ogoni is that of the Niger Delta people. The challenge for me is not only in the Niger Delta because wherever you find extractive industries, you are likely going to experience significant political and economic environmental challenges. That is what is playing out in Ogoni, and you will also see that playing out in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Whether it is from the economic perspective, you will see that there is poverty versus wealth. So, amid wealth or the local communities where these extractive industries operate, you could feel poverty. Whether in the political life, you could see that their local institutions are usually bastardised, whether in the environment where you could see a lot of pollution. You can see a lot of environmental degradation, so the challenges are shared. But, Ogoni is peculiar for several reasons, and that is why by 1990, Ogoni leaders organized themselves under the umbrella of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSSOP), started the agitation for environmental justice, and that led to what is now known as Ogoni Bill of Right. Now, aside from the Ogoni Bill of Rights, although you know, the agitations culminated in the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders. Then, after a series of well-structured agitations, the Nigerian government commissioned a detailed report of the Ogoni environment. That gave right to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report in 2011. The government created an agency called Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International (IPRI), backed by law. That is where we are at the moment.

Would you say the sacrifice made by the people is worth what we are presently seeing in the Niger Delta?

The sacrifice of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders has elevated the struggle to a global stage for the rest of the world. I know for sure that Niger Delta will occupy a prominent place when you talk of environmental restoration among the rest of the world- one foot forward. The second issue is that the government is committed. Are they committed to the cleaning up of Ogoni land and the Niger Delta? That, again, is another issue. So, we must put these issues in context for us to understand. Like I always say. If you want to examine a child, you ask first, what is your curriculum? What are the learning objectives and course outline? It is in that contest that you examine a child. If you want to examine, you must do that holistically to know whether these issues are being addressed. For me, we must look at the UNEP reports. It is the norm today whether it is cleaning the polluted site in the Niger Delta. Ogoni, incidentally, is the reference point.

Given the remediation work that has been done, what do you think of the former vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and the cleaning process of Ogoni land?

It yielded a lot of effort. It is not just about Prof Yemi Osinbajo; I acknowledge his efforts. When former President Muhammadu Buhari was campaigning, he made it very clear that he met with Ogoni leaders, and he made it clear that he was committed to the UNEP implementation. That credit must be given to him because he initiated the implementation of the reports. Former President Goodluck Jonathan received the report in 2011; it was President Buhari and perhaps the efforts of the Ogoni leaders, the intervention of the then vice president, and the commencement of the UNEP report. Again, in implementing the report, the government created an institution called the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) under the Federal Ministry of Environment. It is a special-purpose vehicle; it is not a creation of the law. The government created that vehicle so that it could implement its report. The report clearly stated that the government should create three different institutions. These are- the Ogoni Environmental Fund Authority, the Centre for Environmental Remediation, and the Integrated Soil Management Centre. These three centres have been created with many modifications, but have we achieved all the results we have set out to achieve? The answer is no. One thing that is clear and important to say is that even the UNEP report acknowledges that Ogoni is one of the most impacted sites in the world. They made it very clear, and the recommendation is that Ogoni land will take between 20 to 30 years to clean up. If UNEP recommended cleaning Ogoni, then we don’t expect to have accomplished all of that in five to six years. Remediation is unlike a life switch, where you turn off and turn on a light switch.

The attempt to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land is fuelling the call for clean-up. What do you think about it?

It would be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land. What I think, if I must be sincere to you, is that it would be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land. I want the government to conduct further consultations and build trust. They should show genuine commitment to actual environmental governance. The challenge all along has been the opaque nature of oil exploration not just in Ogoni land but the entire Niger Delta region. The fact that benefits derived from the oil exploration are to the exclusion of the people of the Niger Delta. That is a big question mark. Until we address that transparently, we will not make much progress.

What do you think of politics that has divided people along different lines?

It is not unusual. Like always say. Wherever you have an extractive industry, what I call divide-and-rule tactics, it is very common in places with extractive industries. So, it is not peculiar to Ogonis. But what matters is the interest of the majority of the people, and it is the same across the Niger Delta. Even the oil industry has been fingered in this process of dividing the people along different lines, different sub-ethnicity. They are in different economic interests, social considerations, and political considerations. So, it is not peculiar to the Ogoni people alone. It is not an excuse for us to abdicate the cleaning up of Ogoni land. Restoring the environment and providing social amenities- is not an excuse.

As a son of the soil, what do you think government can do to build trust?

We have outlined what the government should do. Now, the government has shown good faith in the Ogoni clean-up. If you look at the UNEP reports, there are four dimensions to it. The first is bio-remediation, building the people’s capacity to take responsibility for the clean-up of Ogoni land in the future; the third is sustainable livelihood. Provide an alternative for the people. You have polluted their waters. You have degraded their land; you have denied them means of economic livelihood. Provide alternative means, and you have done it for over 50 years. Put in place a transparent governance and management system for the exploration and exploitation of oil resources for the benefit of Ogoni and the Niger Delta people, as the case may be. Nobody is talking about that part of the recommendations in the reports. That is transparent governance and management of oil resources.

Should it be the state governors or the Ogoni leaders pushing that?

We have focused too much on remediation. I have followed some of what is going on. It is progressing at pace, although it may be slow. A lot of significant achievements have been made. The HYPREP is at the medium complex site. Recall that UNEP did a study of about 69 sites. The first 20 have been attended to, and these are simple sites. We have discussed remediation, and HYPREP has started attending to or providing alternative livelihood. Pilots have been trained on whether to put infrastructure in place, such as power, or give people skills. Scholarships have been given. The last count is over 300, which have been given out to Ogoni’s sons and daughters. They have been sent to one country to learn one skill or another, having been denied their land and resources, including their waters and even air pollution. These issues of governance and accountability are not being attended to. It is one thing nobody is paying attention to. The government needs to revisit the place for oil exploration to build trust. Can we put in place a transparent governance system such that benefits will be distributed to all equally and equitably to protect the interests of all the Ogonis will benefit and the Niger Delta people? But as long as we don’t provide a transparent resource management system in place, agitation, conflicts, and insecurity will persist. Stakeholders’ engagement is critical. Cleaning is important, but let us put a new framework in place. Have we made progress from 1999 till date?  We have made progress, but is it adequate? No, it is not sufficient.

Between 1956 and 1995, these are undoubtedly critical years in Ogoni land. What would you say is an effort that will speak justice for the Ogoni people?

Establishing a university in Ogoni land like they have been done in all parts of the country is not the issue. Can a university address environmental injustices? So, establishing a University in Ogoni land is not the same as addressing environmental injustices and other forms of injustices that the people of Ogoni land have suffered. It is only fair that a university is established. Aside from that, recall that the UNEP reports recommend establishing a centre, which has been done. Now, within that centre for excellent environmental remediation, you also have the integrated and contaminated soil management centre. So, for me to address the injustices the Ogonis have suffered, three things are critical. First, can we revisit the Ogoni Bill of Rights? For me, that is the most important thing. If we address the Ogoni Bill of Rights, we have addressed the injustices suffered by the Ogoni people.

How possible is that?

It is possible, visible, and practicable. The government can make that possible, and they should. It simply means we are visiting the injustices meted out to the people of the Niger Delta over nearly a hundred years. It is not just from the 1958.