The Ogoni people of Rivers State have urged the federal government and Shell to fully implement the United Nations Environment Programme recommendations on the Ogoniland cleanup, insisting that oil exploration must not resume until environmental restoration and justice are achieved.

The people accused those handling the cleanup of paying lip service to remediation, saying the exercise falls short of the standards and emergency interventions prescribed in the UNEP report.

The position was reiterated during a remembrance programme organised by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, in honour of late environmental rights campaigner, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and other heroes of the Ogoni struggle.

The event featured a panel discussion involving members of the international Justice for Nigeria Coalition and environmental and human rights activists from Nigeria and Europe.

MOSOP President, Lazarus Tamana, said Saro-Wiwa was executed for demanding environmental protection and the right of the Ogoni people to determine their future.

“He only raised issues of the destruction of the environment and for the people to be allowed to control their own affairs. We cannot allow them to die in vain,” Tamana said.

He also pledged to rebuild MOSOP, lamenting the internal divisions that had weakened the organisation.

Environmental rights activist, Sebastian Kpalap, questioned the integrity of the ongoing cleanup, accusing the implementing agency of disregarding critical UNEP recommendations, particularly the provision of emergency potable water to oil-contaminated communities.

“What they are doing is not remediation. What is happening is a negation of the UNEP report. What they are doing is just to tick the box. The cleaners must be sincere and use best practices,” he said.

Another discussant, Bayo Dornubari, warned against using political concessions, including the proposed creation of an Ogoni state, to secure the people’s consent for renewed oil exploration.

“Ogoni will not accept bribery in the name of state. They should not give us a state because they want to take our oil,” she declared.

The moderator, Arochukwu Paul Ogbonna, insisted that Shell must accept responsibility for decades of environmental devastation in the Niger Delta.

“Shell should clean where it sat and ate for the last 60 years,” he said.

Speaking for the Justice for Nigeria Coalition, Simon Taylor demanded an end to delays in the remediation process.

“Enough is enough. They have to do the remediation now,” he declared.

Similarly, coalition member, Olanrewaju Suraju, urged the Ogoni people to remain united, warning that the struggle for environmental justice was far from over.

“We have greater battles ahead that need our unity,” he said.

Another coalition member, Nick Hildyard, accused oil companies of prioritising profit over the welfare of host communities and the environment.

“They do not care about you or the animals or plants. They care about one thing. They care about money,” he said.

Italian activist, Antonio Recommon, pledged continued international solidarity, promising to sustain pressure on Shell to compensate for the environmental damage.

“We are bringing them (Shell) back to pay for the damage,” he said.

The speakers collectively demanded full implementation of the UNEP recommendations, environmental accountability, community participation and an end to oil exploration until the Ogoni people’s grievances are addressed.

They maintained that the sacrifices of Saro-Wiwa and other fallen heroes must translate into genuine environmental restoration, justice and sustainable development. (This Day)