News
Ogoni Group Rejects FG’s Oil Exploration Plans,Gives Non Negotiable Conditions
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.”
Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations are protesting at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
The protest is against the proposed health sector regulatory bill, which is before the National Assembly.
The protesting health workers are against the bill, claiming that if allowed to pass, it would subject every medical profession to the regulation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
They maintain that all health professions have their regulatory bodies, and that the new bill was seeking to make other health professionals second-class to medical doctors.
The protesters plan to also go to the National Assembly, where they hope to present their case to lawmakers.
Hundreds of British teenagers will trial social media bans and time limits on apps as part of consultations over new measures to keep children safe online, the government announced Wednesday.
The pilot comes as the government seeks views from parents on whether to follow Australia and issue a blanket ban on social media for children under 16.
Three hundred youngsters aged 13 to 17 will try out different restrictions on social media use over six weeks to gauge the impact on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.
Some will have their social media apps disabled entirely, while others will have no access to them overnight, said the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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A young student uses her mobile phone at a public school in Planaltina
A third group will have a one-hour-per-day cap on the most popular apps for teenagers, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
The results will be compared to a fourth set of children who will continue to receive unlimited access.
“We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future,” said technology minister Liz Kendall.
“These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves.”
Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit people under the age of 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.
Several other countries are considering similar bans, including France where lawmakers in January passed a bill that would prohibit use by under-15s, which still needs final approval.
The British government has launched a consultation on a potential Australia-style ban, which will also look at measures including age restrictions and banning addictive features like scrolling.
Earlier this month, British MPs struck down proposals by the upper House of Lords chamber to ban social media for under-16s while it awaits the outcome of the consultation, due to close on May 26.
British public figures including actor Hugh Grant have urged the government to back a prohibition, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
But some experts warn restrictions could be easily circumvented and would rather that tech platforms focus on making their sites safer.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out a ban.
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
“Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command,” Katz said in a video statement.
“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated.”
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the killing of several top Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic republic’s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani.
In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.
AFP
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