A group advocating for peace and development in the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Coalition Vision (NDCV), has cautioned the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) against inciting ethnic crisis in the region.
MOSOP, in a recent statement, had called for the removal of the managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, over alleged neglect of MOSOP’s involvement in a recently held Niger Delta Stakeholders summit.
Spokesman of NDCV, Alaowei Amawari, in Port Harcourt on Sunday said, if indeed the statement was made by MOSOP, it is reckless and capable of inciting ethnic tension in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The group said such an issue could have been addressed through dialogue and constructive engagement.
“We are deeply concerned about individuals and groups in the region resorting to issuing provocative press commentaries that could sow division,” Amawari stated.
“We do not need to remind MOSOP that the Ogoni matter is part of the broader Niger Delta context. We share a common goal of seeking justice in social, economic, environmental, and resource matters.
“The current leadership of the NDDC, especially the managing director, Ogbuku, has demonstrated commendable leadership and competence in running the commission, transforming its previous negative image.”
Meanwhile, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, has cautioned against ethnic coloration in the appointment of the Project Coordinator (PC) of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
Fyneface described as a welcome development the appointment of Dr. Olufemi Adekanmbi, an indigene of Ondo State, by President Bola Tinubu, as HYPREP project coordinator.
Fyneface explained that the appointment of non-Ogonis as Project Coordinators of HYPREP was laid by former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Niger Deltan, in 2012, when he created HYPREP instead of an Ogoni Environmental Restoration Authority as recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), stating that no one should blame President Bola Tinubu for the appointment.
The statement noted that HYPREP, as a federal cleanup project made by former President Jonathan, allows for the appointment of its coordinator from any part of the country, similar to other Ogonis appointed to other federal agencies, past or present.
Mr. Fyneface, who is also an environmental justice activist, further said that in May 2023, while thanking former President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment of Prof. Ninibarini Zabbey as the project coordinator, he condemned the frequent change of leadership in HYPREP and warned then that Prof. Zabbey may be the immediate last project coordinator of HYPREP from Ogoni.
He stated that many Ogonis are fond of fighting their kinsmen appointed as HYPREP project coordinators, especially with the plethora of court cases that are negatively impacting the smooth project implementation by slowing down the pace of the cleanup exercise.
Mr. Fyneface congratulated Dr. Adekanmbi, the new boss of HYPREP, urging Ogonis to embrace and assist him and his team in their contribution to the Ogoni cleanup.
The post Group cautions MOSOP against inciting ethnic crisis appeared first on Guardian Nigeria News.
