Women Coalition Opposes Planned Resumption of Oil Production in Ogoniland

Recall that Nigeria is looking to resume proper oil production in the largely contested Ogoniland in the oil-rich Niger Delta area of the country after more than 30 years.

In January, President Bola Tinubu received Ogoni leaders including Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State at the Aso Villa alongside Mr Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Business Post reports that at the meeting, the women’s groups were not adequately represented.

In the latest development, the women’s coalition has kicked against the planned resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland, warning that unresolved issues of ecological destruction, social injustice, and historical grievances must be addressed.

In a joint statement, the women expressed deep concern that the government and oil companies are prioritizing oil extraction over the full cleanup of decades-old pollution in Ogoniland.

The statement was signed by multiple Ogoni women’s organizations, including Mba Okase Initiative, Eleme; Eedee Ladies of Tai; We the People; Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre; Concern Ogoni Daughter; League of Queens Intl; Ogoni Women Development Initiative; and the Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA).

The coalition insists that until justice, environmental restoration, and economic recovery are achieved, oil extraction must not resume in Ogoniland.

“How does one explain the fact that a site supposedly being cleaned up will resume full oil extraction activities with all the pollution that comes with it?” the statement queried.

The groups reminded the government of the unresolved grievances that led to Shell’s forced exit from Ogoniland in 1993, following widespread protests led by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP)

“The concerns raised in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, which led to the termination of oil extraction and the repression of the people, have not been addressed,” they stated.

The women further condemned the lack of justice for the victims of the 1990s military crackdown, including the execution of environmental activist, Mr Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders in 1995.

l“No apology has been rendered for the destruction of our environment, the killing of our people, the loss of our livelihoods, the destruction of our villages, the forced exile of our people, and the murder of our leaders,” the statement emphasized.

They also criticized the government’s decision to push for oil resumption despite the incomplete cleanup efforts led by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

The coalition called for an immediate halt to any oil resumption plans and urged the government to focus on decommissioning old infrastructure, fully implementing the UNEP cleanup recommendations, and providing justice and economic restoration for the Ogoni people.

“To assume that extraction can commence while these issues remain unresolved is naive at best and cruel at worst,” the coalition declared.

Nigeria is exploring all avenues to increase its oil production to 2.06 million barrels despite facing challenges including lack of infrastructure and insecurity.