President Goodluck Jonathan has slated the first quarter of next year for the commencement of the Ogoniland restoration following the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) recommendations. The Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke stated this at a follow-up meeting of technical working groups in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
The minister noted the Federal Government would begin the implementation of the UNEP report, which made recommendations including the spending of about $1 billion for the cleaning up of the oil spills that destroyed the lands of the oil producing community. She said, “Yes, the government feels it is important to start the process in an aggressive manner. We also think that there are some quick-wins that can be started as early as January next year. If we do not get to do this within a very short period, we may not get to do it again."
“The federal government is ready to fulfil its own counterpart funding that will not be path of the regular budgetary provision and that is why an independent body has been set up to manage the fund. On our part, government is committed to ensure this process is kick-started and will continue to take practical steps to encourage all the stakeholders to see to the success of the implementation," the minister added. The minister stressed the restoration of Ogoniland would not only contribute to massive creation of jobs for the Niger Delta people, but will help extend business opportunities well beyond communities where oil is produced.
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