Protests on Wednesday rocked parts of Ogoniland as residents of Korokoro Community in Tai local government area of Rivers State and members of the Coalition of Ogoni Youths (COY) took to the streets to demand greater inclusion, transparency, equitable development and a change in the leadership of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) in the ongoing process for the proposed resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.
The protests took place simultaneously at Korokoro Community and Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland, with protesters insisting that their opposition was not to the resumption of oil production but to what they described as shortcomings in the ongoing dialogue, particularly issues of representation, transparency, equity, and accountability.
The protesters, who made it clear that they support the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, said the major problem confronting the process was the current leadership and representation of the ODC.
They called for the ODC leadership to be changed and replaced with what they described as credible Ogoni leaders who would genuinely represent the interests of the various communities and stakeholders in the dialogue with the Federal Government.
Speaking during the protest in Korokoro, the community’s youth president, Dumka Ntamzor, said the community was not opposed to the resumption of oil operations and maintained that Korokoro supported the return of oil exploration.
Ntamzor said the community’s concern was that the interests of oil-producing communities must be properly represented before decisions concerning their resources are made.
He called on the federal government, particularly the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), to ensure that credible, community-oriented individuals were selected to represent Korokoro and other affected communities.
The youth leader argued that communities should not be expected to remain silent while decisions about oil resources in their environment are made without their effective participation.
Ntamzor also questioned the credibility of some people currently involved in the dialogue process, saying the people of Korokoro did not believe that all those involved were adequately representing the community’s interests.
He therefore demanded a broader, more inclusive engagement capable of capturing people’s interests and preventing a repeat of past experiences.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Korokoro Progressive Association (KPA), Hon. Hyacinth Dike, said the community was demanding justice, equity and fairness as part of the oil resumption process.
Dike said Korokoro had endured decades of environmental and developmental challenges associated with oil production, while the community continued to struggle with basic infrastructure.
He questioned how long the people would continue to remain silent in the face of what he described as prolonged neglect.
According to him, the community lacks adequate hospitals, good schools, roads, electricity and potable water, while many youths and graduates remain without meaningful employment opportunities.
He also criticised what he described as the exclusion of Korokoro indigenes from opportunities associated with government projects and the resumption of oil production.
Dike said the community would submit a formal protest letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the demonstration to communicate its grievances and demands.
He further called for the replacement of the current ODC leadership with credible Ogoni leaders who would enjoy the people’s confidence.
According to him, the community would no longer accept a situation where persons whose representation is questioned by the people continue to speak on their behalf.
The protesters also raised questions about the distribution and nature of development projects across Ogoniland.
They specifically asked why the Korokoro and Yola oil fields were allegedly not receiving projects of similar size and type to those associated with Kegbara-Dere.
They questioned why some communities were receiving renovation projects while Kegbara-Dere was reportedly receiving the construction of a new structure.
The protesters demanded clarification on the criteria used to determine the scale, nature, and location of projects related to the resumption of oil and the confidence-building process.
They also questioned why Nyokhana was associated with projects such as an industrial park and a hospital, while other areas of Ogoniland had yet to receive comparable interventions.
They demanded that project distribution across Ogoniland should be transparent, balanced and based on clearly defined criteria, rather than leaving communities with the impression that some areas were receiving preferential treatment.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Ogoni Youths (COY), in its position paper on the ODC facilitation and oil resumption, reaffirmed its support for the resumption of oil exploration activities in Ogoniland.
The coalition stated that its position was not against the resumption of oil but against what it described as the manner in which the dialogue process was being facilitated.
The youths said they had lost confidence in the current ODC leadership and demanded that the committee be overhauled and its leadership replaced with credible Ogoni leaders capable of restoring confidence in the process.
The Coalition called for the inclusion of vibrant Ogoni youths in the dialogue structure, saying youths should serve as a bridge between the Federal Government and the younger generation in Ogoniland.
It also called for an independent appraisal of the work of the ODC so far, while maintaining that the committee could still regain the confidence of the people through what it described as honest, transparent and purpose-driven facilitation.
SOURCE: LEADERSHIP NEWS PAPER
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