Nigeria: Using Non-Violence to Achieve Clean Up of Ogoniland

Jun 8, 2016 | Cornelius Essen
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The recent flag-off ceremony of cleanup of Ogoniland has reawakened the hope of the people of the community that their environment could be liveable again. To many Nigerians, plan to embark on the cleanup of Ogoniland is a global consensus, though processes and activities were local, regional and international in approach. As a result, the United Nations intervened in the conflict, especially in the aspects of environment for which many Ogoni activists have died over the years. However, the federal government was in the forefront by inviting United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP to get the local populace buy into the study process of cleaning exercise of the Niger Delta region. Ogoni project remains an experiment that would create a model or calls it a template for conflict resolution in Nigeria. Report shows that there are least 10 Ogoni communities where drinking water is contaminated with high levels of hydrocarbons. That is not all; public health is also seriously threatened, according to UNEP assessment. Scientists found 8cm (three inch) layer of refined oil floating on the groundwater that serves their wells in the areas.