The Ogoni Voice Achievers Foundation (OVAF) has strongly opposed the federal government’s proposal to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland.
The group insists that no operations should take place until a full environmental cleanup is conducted and historical justice, including the exoneration of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni activists, is fully realized.
According to Daily Post, Gospel Barifii Gokana, Founder and Board of Trustees Chairman of OVAF, described the government’s approach as “deeply flawed, unjust, and unacceptable.”
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He warned that restarting oil exploration without addressing decades of environmental neglect and pollution could trigger social unrest, resentment, and renewed conflict in the region.
The federal government had reportedly justified its plan for restarting oil production on grounds of economic recovery and meeting national energy needs. However, Gokana dismissed this reasoning, highlighting the absence of genuine consultation with the Ogoni people.
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“Only a select few have been invited into closed-door negotiations. This selective engagement fails the test of free, prior, and informed consent, which is… a right under international human rights norms,” he stated.
Gokana further criticized what he termed an “absence” of transparency in the government’s decision-making process, accusing authorities of making key choices in Abuja without adequately considering the historical suffering of Ogoni communities.
