Group Demands Exoneration of Ogoni 9, Seeks Compensation
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), has reiterated the call on the federal government to exonerate the late environmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni people murdered during the Gen. Sani Abacha military junta in 1995.
The group also called for compensation for Ogoni and families of the four Ogoni chiefs whose death led to the arrest and subsequent execution of Saro-Wiwa and eight others.
On the 34th anniversary of the event, the group said it came up with the referendum after consultation with critical stakeholders within and outside Ogoni land and over 200 rights groups.
Chief Executive Officer of OLI, Dr Douglas Fabeke while reading an eight-point referendum to mark this year’s Ogoni Day, also demanded the immediate dissolution of the board of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), over alleged gross mismanagement of funds and incompetence.
OLI said Ogoni people are dissatisfied with HYPREP over the manner it had handled the funds released for the clean up.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other eight Ogonis were not criminals. They were innocent activists unjustly murdered for fighting a just cause on behalf of the oppressed Ogoni people.
“Their trial and subsequent execution did not follow the right process of law. Their right to fair hearing and right of appeal were hampered and thwarted. The Ogoni people therefore demand that Ken Saro Wiwa and the eight other Ogonis should be exonerated of all the charges that were pressed against them.
“The Ogoni people call on the President Bola Tinubu to implement fully, all the demands of the Ogoni people as enshrined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights that was presented to the federal government in the year 1990.
“The Ogoni people are dissatisfied with the clean-up process of Ogoni land being handled by the HYPREP and the management of funds released for the clean- up of the Ogoni environment,” OLI stressed.
The funds released for the clean-up, it said, has been mismanaged as HYPREP has either failed to execute the projects for which the funds were released, or engaged substandard contractors to carry out the projects.
“We therefore demand the dissolution of HYPREP Board. We also demand a review of the clean-up process. All the funds released to HYPREP should be investigated.
“We call on the federal government to engage an international independent agency to carry out a review so as to ascertain whether the Ogoni environment is safe or not,” the group said.
Other demands made by the group to the government include: The decommissioning of all Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), facilities in Ogoniland, establishment of health registry for the people, renovation and rebuilding of dilapidated schools and educational facilities in the area.
It also urged Tinubu to set up a panel to investigate the alleged payment of $300 million from OML 11 meant for settlement of the Ogoni people to former Rivers state governor now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The group threatened that if their demands are not met within reasonable time, Ogoni shall cease to be a federating unit in Nigeria as they are prepared to press home their demands both nationally and internationally.
