The people of the Niger Delta region have called for the release of the report of the forensic audit carried out on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2021 and 2022.
They also called for the review NDDC Act 2000, which legalised the setting up of the commission by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Executive director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, spoke yesterday during the 2nd Niger Delta covergence in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Bassey, who stated that 90 percent of the pollution in the Gulf of Guinea emanates from the activities of oil companies in the Niger Delta region, said Niger Deltans were asking for remediation and restoration of impacted territories and reparations for the damages suffered.
He said: “90 percent of the pollution in the Gulf of Guinea emanates from the crimes of of oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.
“We have also seen pollution from other countries coming from entry corners to areas very close to our national border. We are concerned that we have to do all we need to do to secure our environment and to ensure that it is liveable.
“We are seeing this event as primarily an agenda-setting gathering so that those who aes representing us in government, whether rightly or by every other means must be held account for whatever they furnish us, what the Constitution requires and what we expect of them.
“This is our opportunity before 29th May, 2023 when there will be a lot of swearing-ins across the nation, to put on the table that this is what we expect and we will insist that the things that we agree are critical to whatever plans they have for they time they will be in office.
“Some of the demands we have in our manifesto includes the immediate audit of the entire Niger Delta, covering health, livelihood, social and economic impact of both oil and gas extraction.
“We are asking for remediation and restoration of impacted territories and reparations for the damage suffered.
“We also demand that our government should draw up a clear policy on divestment so that we know the expectations, what communities should expect and what those who are divesting to must do. On no case must allowed to divest on their possibilities for the crimes that committed against mother earth and against our people.
“We are also demanding the immediate release of the forensic audit of the NDDC publicly and review of the laws establishing the NDDC.”
