In nigeria, oil was reportedly first discovered in bayelsa state, in the niger delta, in 1956. In the heart of ogoniland, in southern nigeria, the palace of the traditional ruler of khana local government area, mark igbara, lies in ruins. President goodluck jonathan should move to establish the ogoniland environmental restoration authority, which was recommended by the 2011 united nations report. Unep has acquired an international reputation for assembling expert teams, coordinating demanding assessments and bringing scienti. They now number about over two million people and live in a 404squaremile 1,050 km 2 homeland which they also refer to as ogoni, or ogoniland. Oil on the water in ogoniland, outside port harcourt, in nigerias delta region in aug 2011. Fresh opportunity to make progress by ifeanyi izeze when the movement for the survival of ogoni people mosop in its statement on the federal governments recently proposed and announced fasttrack actions for the implementation of the unep report on the cleanup of ogoniland warned that it is important that we ogoni people avoid, even if tempted. This report focuses on the military crackdown in ogoniland, which began in late may. Andy rowell, steve kretzmann, the lowenstein human rights clinic at. Marvin dekil, sidelined ogoni youths from participating in.
The ogoni people also known as the ogonis are people in the region of southeastern senatorial district in rivers state nigeria. Emergency police forces patrol the lands of the yeghe people of the gokana area and the people of zaakpon in the. Today, nigerian and international civil society organisations repeated their call for the immediate start of the long overdue cleanup of oil pollution in ogoniland in nigeria s niger delta. Nigerian president buhari recognizes uneps efforts on ogoniland cleanup nairobi, 28 january 2016 the president of nigeria, muhammadu buhari, expressed his gratitude for the support and efforts of the united nations environment programme unep to restore the niger delta ecosystems affected by massive oil contamination. Its seven most populous cities each house more than one million people, and about one out of two west africans is from nigeria. Nov 29, 2017 shell petroleum development company spdc has denied a report by the amnesty international alleging that a cache of thousands of internal documents suggested that the anglodutch oil giants. New reports on ogoni crisis, 0795 the nigerian military government has been engaged in a systematic and violent crackdown in the ogoni region of the oilrich niger delta, where indigenous communities have organized in protest against multinational oil companies. Young musicians call for change in ogoniland, nigeria a region of the niger delta destabilized by environmentally calamitous oil spills and political neglect, ogoniland is. The ogoni case before the african commission on human and. After decades of neglect, its time to clean up ogonilands oil pollution. History and culture of ogoni people encyclopedia history delta. Shell in nigeria the unep report ogoni restoration 1993 spdc halts operations in ogoniland 2012 federal government sets up hydrocarbon pollution restoration project hyprep to implement unep august 2011 unep report published 2011 spdc. The project team will report regularly no less than once a month to. By taking actions aimed at fasttracking the implementation of the united nations environment programme unep report on ogoniland, president muhammadu buhari, the other day, demonstrated, in no.
Ogoniland region of nigerias oilproducing niger delta. The story of shell, nigeria and the ogoni people environment, economy, relationships. Spdc welcomes unep report and responds to recommendations. Ogoni people struggle with shell oil, nigeria, 19901995. The report paid particular attention to the oil giant shell, who have been a dominant player in the area for many years, and who have been widely condemned for their poor environmental record. The report was commissioned by the federal government as part of a wider ogoni reconciliation process, which the shell petroleum.
This report makes a valuable contribution towards improving understanding of the issue of oil spills and the environment in ogoniland and we pledge to work with the government, unep and others on the next steps. We anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers. The unep environmental assessment of ogoniland shell nigeria. The nigerian governments 4 june 2008 decision to replace the shell petroleum development company spdc as operator of oil concessions in ogoni areas offers an opportunity for ending one of the longestrunning conflicts between a multinational oil company and a local community in the niger delta. This report focuses on the military crackdown in ogoniland, which began in late may 1994 following the murders by a mob of four ogoni leaders who were branded as progovernment. Over 4,000 samples collected for analysis from more than 200 sites media resources press release en press release fr executive summary download images site fact sheets. Shell petroleum development company spdc has denied a report by the amnesty international alleging that a cache of thousands of internal documents suggested that the anglodutch oil. Gentlemen and ladies of the press i want to thank you for your sustained reports on the ogoni drama which has inspired nigerians and the international community to demand that the nigerian government go beyond words in the cleanup exercise in ogoniland. During the 1970s, ogoniland, or the ogoni nation, became part of the rivers state of nigeria. Mosop says current executive committee stands a port harcourt high court presided over by hon. Vincent cultural overview the people the ogoni are a minority ethnic people who live in the western niger delta region of southern nigeria.
Since the shell petroleum development company discovered oil in ogoniland in 1958, the region has been plagued with serious environmental degradation resulting from the over 100 oil wells in the area. Mosop is the umbrella organization of currently 11 member groups representing more than 700,000 indigenous ogoni in campaigning for social, economic and environmental justice in the niger delta of nigeria. Aug 07, 2015 oil on the water in ogoniland, outside port harcourt, in nigerias delta region in aug 2011. The hydrocarbon pollution remediation project hyprep has denied reports in the media that its project coordinator, dr. Shell nigeria faults amnesty report on ogoniland today. The levels found in the more contaminated sites are high enough to cause severe impacts on the ecosystem and human health. Nigeria is the most populous cou ntry in africa, the second biggest economy, the third largest military power and the biggest oil producer 10th oil producer in the world.
The ogoni people are already in short supply of land for both habitation and economic activity. D department of history, adeyemi federal university of education p. There are approximately 500,000 ogoni who represent less than 0. The ogoni crisis a casestudy of military repression in.
Joint ngo statement on ogoniland cleanup june 2018. Submit your details to receive further information about this report. After the berlin treaty of 1885, nigeria came under british colonial rule, but it was not until 1901 that british forces arrived in ogoniland. At the request of the federal republic of nigeria, unep has conducted an independent assessment of the environment and public health impacts of oil contamination in ogoniland, in the niger delta, and options for remediation. The ogoni issue the shell petroleum development company spdc started operations in ogoni land in rivers state in 1958, drilling a total of 96 wells to bring nine oil fields onstream. Ogoniland archives the guardian nigeria news nigeria and. Jun 08, 20 this study is the first systematic investigation of the oil contamination in ogoniland, nigeria.
Aug 01, 2017 young musicians call for change in ogoniland, nigeria a region of the niger delta destabilized by environmentally calamitous oil spills and political neglect, ogoniland is fortunately also home to. Oil exploration and production activities in ogoniland nigeria have been ongoing since. Analysis introduction covering around 1,000 km2 in rivers state, southern nigeria. The unep report, as the document came to be known as, was a culmination of series of studies carried out by the agency, on ogoniland, in rivers state of nigeria, in relation to the cries of prominent people from that deprived state, including late ken sarowiwa, about the extent of devastation wrought on the land by the activities of shell. According to the organization of the petroleum export countries opec, nigeria currently has the worlds tenth largest crude oil reserves and is the worlds thirteenthlargest producer of crude oil. Following the dissolution of the board in july 2015, a new board was yet to be. The true origin of the ogoni people are not very wellknown,research has it that they migrated into the area from across the imo river while other research says that the ogoni people came in boats from ghana and settled in the southern part of the area. On the 4th of august 2011 the united nations environment program published its report into oil pollution in the ogoniland area of the niger delta in nigeria. The ogoni region is a highly oilrich area in the niger delta area of nigeria, populated by approximately 500,000 members of the ogoni people. They share common oil related environmental problem with the ijaw people of niger delta, but ogonis are not listed in the list of people historically belonging to niger delta. The study shows extensive oil contamination of rivers, creeks, and ground waters in ogoniland, nigeria. The unep report on ogoniland nigeria and world news. The curse of oil in ogoniland oil is a curse which means only poverty, hunger, disease and exploitation emanuel nnadozie in oil and socioeconomic crisis in nigeria.
April 2018 recent developments to implement unep report recommendations. The cultural diffences led to resistance on the side of the ogoni people, but as they were not strong enough to resist the british patrols the ogoni people were finally subjugated in 1914. The movement for the survival of the ogoni people, also known as mosop, is a mass. The ogoni occupy an alluvial plain bounded on the north by the imo river and their igbo neighbours, on the south, by the littoral flats inhabited by the obolo andoni, on the east, by the opobo river and the ibibio, and on the west by the ikwere which stretches into the large city of port harcourt, rivers state. A casestudy of military repression in southeastern nigeria. The ogoni people are one of the many indigenous peoples in the region of southeast nigeria. Movement for the survival of the ogoni people wikipedia. Jan 28, 2016 nigerian president buhari recognizes unep s efforts on ogoniland cleanup nairobi, 28 january 2016 the president of nigeria, muhammadu buhari, expressed his gratitude for the support and efforts of the united nations environment programme unep to restore the niger delta ecosystems affected by massive oil contamination. On 4 august 2011 the united nations environment programme unep published its environmental assessment of ogoniland, a study of oil pollution in the ogoniland region of rivers state in the eastern niger delta. The conclusion of the unep report was that shell had, for years, not cleaned up oil polluon properly.
What you need to know about ogoni people and their culture. Today, nigerian and international civil society organisations repeated their call for the immediate start of the long overdue cleanup of oil pollution in ogoniland in nigerias niger delta. Fresh opportunity to make progress by ifeanyi izeze when the movement for the survival of ogoni people mosop in its statement on the federal governments recently proposed and announced fasttrack actions for the implementation of the unep report on the cleanup of ogoniland warned that it is important that we ogoni people avoid, even if. This report represents the best available understanding of what has happened to the environment of ogoniland and the corresponding implications. Review of unep report on the environmental assessment of ogoniland preprint pdf available february 2018 with 2,407 reads how we measure reads. The environmental assessment of ogoniland covers contaminated land, groundwater, surface water, sediment, vegetation, air pollution, public health, industry practices and institutional issues.
Environmental assessment of ogoniland nigeria reliefweb. Nigerian govt begins ogoni cleanup in august april 20, 2018 agency report puddled allegedly dug by shell filled with spilled oil at at oil well inn kdere, ogoniland. The true origin of the ogoni people are not very wellknown,research has it that they migrated into the area from across the imo river while other research says that the ogoni people came in boats from ghana and. Unep ogoniland oil assessment reveals extent of environmental contamination and threats to human. This should be undertaken in line with recommendaons made by the united naons environment programme unep in its landmark 2011 study of the region.
Bori, the traditional capital of the ogoni kingdom, has been deserted, and the rivers state polytechnic university is closed indefinitely. Hence, the ogoni people are the smallest ethnic group in the nigerian geopolitical configuration, and the most condensed people living in nigeria. The state of insecurity engendered by boko haram insurgency in nigeria. The area is densely populated by many different tribal groups, including the ogoni people who have lived there for over. The spdc jv is committed to the implementation of the unep report and welcomes the federal government of nigeria s fgn efforts to progress its implementation, including the creation of governing council gc and board of trustees bot of the ogoni restoration fund orf in aug 2016 to oversee and fund the cleanup. Their occupation consists mainly of farming and fishing. Problem the nigerian delta has some of the best agricultural land in africa, as well as vast oil resources. These measures thus deprived the people in nigeria of adequate domestic remedies, making it impossible to. The guardian nigeria newspaper brings you the latest headlines, opinions, political news, business reports and international news.
D green yesterday, may 4, 2020 nullified every action taken by legborsi pyagbara, former president of mosop following his suspension on the 3rd of november 2018 a. The ogoni case before the african commission on human. Ogoniland has been the site of oil industry operations since the late 1950s. Read all the latest news, breaking stories, top headlines, opinion, pictures and videos about ogoni from nigeria and the world on today. By the end of 1992, ogoni production was some 28,000 barrels of oil a day, about 3% of spdcs total production. While oil exploration and production in the niger delta began in the late 1950s, operations were.
Nigerian president buhari recognizes uneps efforts on. Asset report nigeria lng nlng nlng upstream supply. Unilever nigeria plc annual report year ended 31 december 2018 corporate profile unilever nigeria the company is where great people, terrific brands and proud traditions converge, to meet and satisfy the needs of people and families across nigeria. A casestudy of military repression in southeastern nigeria hrw. The conclusion of the unep report was that shell had, for years, not. It therefore behooves the ogoni people to fight for the protection of their land against the. The movement for the survival of the ogoni people began as a struggle against the exploitation of natural resources of ogoniland by shell oil company, a subsidiary of royal dutch shell, when in 1957 its nigerian operations, shell nigeria, known as shell petroleum development company of nigeria limited spdc, struck oil in the niger river delta. Unep environmental assessment of ogoniland 2 in ogoniland. Add to cart share link contact us about this report close contact us. The revelation gained much international attention in 2011 with the release of environmental assessment of ogoniland report by the united nations environment programme unep. Young musicians call for change in ogoniland, nigeria. Opinion oils devastating legacy in nigeria the new. Aug 23, 2015 by taking actions aimed at fasttracking the implementation of the united nations environment programme unep report on ogoniland, president muhammadu buhari, the other day, demonstrated, in no. Ogoni news latest breaking stories and top headlines today.