Ogoni: Misuse Of Clean-Up Funds?
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) is increasingly worried that the Ogoni clean-up funds intended for the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme report are being wrongfully diverted to finance political activities ahead of the 2015 elections. According to MOSOP, the Ogoni clean-up initiative requires more careful planning and safeguards to prevent misuse.
Below is an article published by the World Stage Group:
The Kingdom Coordinators Forum of The Movement for The Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has expressed fears that the Ogoni clean-up funds if released before the 2015 elections could be diverted into the funding of the opposition All Progressive Congress in Rivers State.
MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators Forum Chairman, Frank Jonah made this known yesterday at the end of the MOSOP Kingdom Coordinators meeting in Bori. Jonah said the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has not hidden their interest for the Ogoni funds noting that the current head of HYPREP had been a known ally of the Rivers State governor.
"Since we started campaigning for the restoration of the Ogoni environment, the only thing the Rivers State Government has shown interest in is for the release of the clean-up money. We are particularly worried that ahead of the 2015 elections, the Rivers State Government has suddenly turned their interest on Ogoni clean-up funds. We are more worried because we have seen the desperation of the Rivers State Government to raise funds which have forced them into several borrowing and we fear that implementing the Ogoni clean-up recommendations at this time may need more careful planning and safeguards in order not to fund political activities with $1billion at the detriment of the Ogoni people." Jonah said yesterday.
Jonah continued by saying: "We recommend the dissolution of HYPREP [Hydro-Carbon Pollution Restoration Project] and the constitution of a more credible body to manage the process. This is because the leadership of HYPREP has not shown reasonable commitment to Ogoni development. For instance, an abandoned road linking Mile 30 to the Biara community in Gokana local government area had been linked to the HYPREP leadership and if we cannot trust the leadership of HYPREP, then we suggest a re-organization of the body to get a more credible organ".
Questioning the moral grounds on which the Rivers State Government is speaking for the Ogoni, Jonah said "The same Rivers State government that is agitating for the Ogoni clean-up money has confiscated massive land in Ogoni and protests against the land grab has caused the death of about 40 persons".
