ABUJA – The Ogoni Voice Achievers Foundation (OVAF) has rejected the federal government’s plan to restart oil exploration in Ogoniland, demanding that no operations commence until a full environmental cleanup is completed and historical justice, including the exoneration of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni activists, is secured.
In a statement signed by OVAF’s Founder and Board of Trustees Chairman, Hon. Ambassador Gospel Barifii Gokana, the group described the government’s approach as ‘deeply flawed, unjust, and unacceptable.’
It warned that resuming exploration without addressing decades of neglect and pollution could stir resentment, social unrest, and renewed conflict.
The foundation’s intervention comes in response to reports that the government had justified its plans for oil restart on the grounds of economic recovery and energy needs.
But Ambassador Gokana faulted that position, pointing to a lack of genuine consultation with the Ogoni people.
“Only a select few have been invited into closed-door negotiations. This selective engagement fails the test of free, prior and informed consent, which is… a right under international human rights norms,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as an ‘absence’ of transparency, accusing the government of making decisions in Abuja offices without deep consideration of what Ogoni communities have suffered historically.
OVAF expressed alarm over the lack of public information on environmental impact assessments, benefit-sharing arrangements, and safety standards.
Central to the group’s stance is the federal government’s failure to fully implement the recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which documented extensive oil pollution in Ogoniland.
“To resume oil exploration without first fully implementing UNEP recommendations is both ethically wrong and likely to compound the suffering of Ogoni people,” Gokana said, adding that the work of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has so far been insufficient.
The group laid out non-negotiable conditions, including a halt to new exploration until the UNEP report is fully implemented, reparations are determined, and a genuinely inclusive stakeholder process is established, involving OVAF, MOSOP, women, youth, and traditional councils.
It further demanded binding legal instruments for equitable benefit sharing and independent oversight of environmental safety.
In a symbolic appeal, OVAF called for the exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists executed in 1995, saying it was necessary for restoring dignity to affected communities.
Ambassador Gokana further made a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu and relevant agencies “to listen to the voices of the Ogoni people… and to respect our rights, lives, lands, and futures.”
VANGUARD.
