A coalition of Ogoni women’s groups has strongly condemned plans by the government to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland, citing concerns over ecological and social justice.
The Women, in a press conference in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, expressed deep concern over the government’s decision to restart oil extraction in the region without addressing the lingering issues of environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and economic neglect.
The women’s groups, which include the Mba Okase Initiative, Eleme Eedee Ladies of Tai, and the Ogoni Women Coalition for Sustainable Environment, among others, argued that the government’s plan to resume oil extraction is a betrayal of the trust of the Ogoni people.
Speaking, the Executive Director of Mba Okase Initiative, Dr Patience Osarojiji, pointed out that the Ogoni women have suffered for decades from the devastating impacts of oil extraction, including environmental pollution, loss of livelihoods, and human rights abuses.
She said: “When they went to meet the President there were more than 50 men and there was no woman. No woman was represented in such a group, and that was the first time we heard about this oil resumption.
“Therefore Women were not consulted. If they said so, was there a time they called all the Women to sensitise Women to tell us that they want to resume oil?
“But they know that Women are those who suffer in every crisis. During the time when there was a problem in Ogoniland before they stopped the Shell people, it was Women who suffered the most.
“Everybody here will agree with us that when there is a crisis in a community the Women suffer most. It was Women that were raped and so on.”
The women’s groups also expressed concern over the government’s failure to fully implement the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on oil contamination in Ogoniland.
They, however, called on the government to put a stop to any planned attempt to resume oil activities in Ogoniland and instead focus on redeeming the ecological disaster in the area, decommissioning aged oil infrastructure, replacing lost livelihoods, and securing justice for the countless Ogonis waiting for closure.
Also, they demanded an apology for the destruction of their environment, the killing of their people, and the loss of their livelihoods.
