It’ll Be Premature To Resume Oil Exploration In Ogoni Land - Peterside
Dakuku Peterside, a former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has faulted the plan to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land in Rivers State.
The Federal Government suspended oil exploration in the area many years ago due to controversies surrounding environment degradation among others.
Speaking on Channels TV on Politics Today on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Peterside said certain contentious issues have to be addressed before oil exploration could resume in Ogoni land.
“If I must be sincere with you, it will be premature to resume oil exploration in Ogoni land. What I think and I think that is the part the government has also chosen is to do further consultations, build trust and show genuine commitment to real environmental governance,” Peterside said.
“The challenge all along has been the opaque nature of oil exploration not just in Ogoni land but in the entire Niger Delta.
“And the fact that the way benefits derivable from oil exploration is distributed to the exclusion of the people of Niger Delta is a big question mark. And until we address that in a transparent manner then we will not make much progress.”
Peterside aired his view on the proposed resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni land two weeks after President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, held a closed-door meeting with Ogoni leaders led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
