"Amid the tropical heat, intense humidity, and foggy greenery of the delta, deserted houses are all that remain of what was once the bubbling and thriving community of Goi. Situated deep in Nigeria's Niger Delta, around 50 kilometers from regional center Port Harcourt, Goi was just one of ten Ogoniland communities devastated by severe oil spills in 2008. Signs near the river bank prohibit using the water source, warning of crude oil contamination."
"But the United Nations Environmental Program's (UNEP) landmark assessment in 2011 laid bare just how severely oil extraction had damaged Ogoniland, and Nigeria's federal government declared a state of emergency. It initiated the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to address the environmental damage caused by oil spills, particularly in Ogoniland. Despite some relief, the cleanup's progress is slow, with key stakeholders continue to disagree on priorities."
Goi and other Ogoniland communities have been abandoned after severe oil spills contaminated riverine environments, water sources, and soils. Oil extraction in the Niger Delta since the 1950s has not produced local prosperity and has destroyed agricultural livelihoods for the Ogoni people. Activism in the 1990s, including by Ken Saro-Wiwa, led to Shell halting drilling in 1993 and drew global attention to the damage. A 2011 UNEP assessment exposed extensive environmental harm and prompted a federal state of emergency and the HYPREP cleanup initiative. Cleanup progress remains slow and contested, while mangroves, fisheries, and soils continue to suffer heavy pollution.
Read at www.dw.com
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