The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP), says, there will be no oil exploration in the area until all polluted sites are cleansed. The NYCOP president, Comrade Victor Wisdom, who said this in an interview with newsmen at Biara, Gokana, also said that the youths are fully prepared to cooperate with the Federal Government to ensure the clean-up of all polluted sites in the area.
Comrade Wisdom said that the Ogoni environment has been badly devastated by oil activities and expressed the hope that with the assurance given by the government, the area would soon witness a new lease of life.
“Government has given assurance of clean up of which funds have been budgeted for, government should do that” he said. On the endorsement of Belema Oil company, by the entire Gokana youths for oil exploration in the area, he said that the clean up exercise has nothing to do with Belema oil coming to Ogoni.
According to him, the Ogonis want investors to come, but the cleanup will be done before oil is taken from the area, stressing that the period for the cleanup of the environment will take two years.
He, however, said that for now, only Belema oil company has come to bid for oil in Ogoniland. Also speaking with the journalists, the secretary of Biara Youth Association, Mr. Fineface Koote, said that the youths want to see a reduction on the rate of environmental hazards created by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in the area. He said that apart from clean-up of the entire Ogoniland from oil pollution compensation should also be paid to all families in Ogoniland before the resumption of oil exploration.
