FG to commence clean up of Ogoni land

The Minister of Environment, Hadiza Mailafia has revealed that all is now set by the federal government to commence a drastic and adequate clean-up exercise of the oil spills in polluted Ogoni land.

Hajia Mailafia was addressing State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan where she presented the performance of her Ministry in the implementation of the 2012 Budget.

The Minister gave kudos to the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi for providing the enabling environment for the initial tasks such as provision of portable water, marking out the wells that were too polluted and other framework activities.

She however blamed the delay in the take-off of the remediation effort on the strike that crippled the nation following the fuel subsidy protest, earlier in the year.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), released a report a year ago detailing the massive extent of pollution in the Niger-Delta region, needing a $1billion for the remediation process.

According to the UNEP Report, “the environmental restoration of Ogoniland in Nigeria could prove to be the world’s most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken if contaminated drinking water, land, creeks and important ecosystems such as mangroves are to be brought back to full, productive health.”

Civil organisation and residents of Ogoni land on Sunday held a press briefing in Abuja to mark the one year since the UNEP result was released and decry the non-existence of government’s commitment to reclaim the land.