UNEP presents Ogoni oil pollution report to Jonathan

Guardian

4 August 2011

UNEP presents Ogoni oil pollution report to Jonathan .

 .MOSOP says report not credible

A NEW United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the impact of oil pollution in Ogoni, Rivers State, is to be presented to President Goodluck Jonathan today.

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which was not invited to the presentation, said the report lacked credibility because it breached the United Nations’ special rapporteur in 1999 recommendation that the environmental audit of Ogoni should be inclusive of all relevant stakeholders.

Similarly, Amnesty International which has in the past done extensive report on oil extractive activities and their adverse impact on the Niger Delta environment yesterday gave an indication that it would be responding to the UNEP report when it is published.

A source at UNEP office told The Guardian in Port Harcourt yesterday that the report of the $9.5 million study funded by Shell Petroleum Development Company would be formally presented to President Jonathan in Abuja. Afterwards, the entire report, which is anticipated to be contentious would be posted on UNEP’s website for people to assess it.

Note: see the full report at UNEP. 2011. Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland.  Nairobi: United Nations Environment Program.  http://www.unep.org/nigeria/