The United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, said on Thursday that the Ogoni people of Rivers State have paid a high price for the success of Nigeria’s oil industry, living in a toxic and polluted environment for decades.
The outgoing Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, was speaking at Bodo, Rivers State, when President Muhammadu Buhari through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commissioned the commencement of the clean-up of the polluted Ogoni-land.
He said, “Today marks a historic step towards improving the situation of the Ogoni people who have paid this high price for too long.
“A clean-up and restoration effort like this cannot happen overnight.
“I am hopeful that the cooperation between the Government of Nigeria, oil companies and communities will result in an environmental restoration that benefits both ecosystems and the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta.’’
He further disclosed that UNEP has provided the scientific basis for the commencement of the exercise, and would continue to offer its technical expertise to help ensure a positive result for all involved.
Steiner recalled that the report on Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland as requested by the Federal Government was made available since August 2011.
He said the report examined for two years the environmental impact of oil industry operations in the area since the late 1950s.
He added, “It found that oil contamination in Ogoniland is extensive and is having a grave impact on the environment, with pollution penetrating further and deeper than previously thought.’’
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