One year after the Federal Government launched the cleanup of Ogoni, environmental groups and have called on the government to start the actual cleanup.

Environmental Rights Action, Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth Europe made the call on Friday in a joint statement.

The United Nations Environmental Programme had in 2011 called for the cleanup of Ogoniland which had suffered heavy oil pollution over the years after a study of the region.

Although the Federal Government held a ceremony to kick off the cleanup on June 2, 2016, the groups explained that the actual cleanup has not started.

“The government has made some administrative steps – putting in place the governing structures and appointing a coordinator to lead HYPREP, the implementation agency.

“But six years after publication of UNEP’s report, very little meaningful progress has been made to improve the situation, either by the Nigerian Government or by Shell, the main operating company in the area.”

According to the groups, only one percent of the necessary funds are available as a group of stakeholders has reportedly transferred $10m of the initial $1billion budget required.

They also insisted that despite UNEP’s call, alternative sources of safe drinking water have not been provided for some of the communities with contaminated water wells.

“Six years after the UNEP report the communities of Ogoniland are still unacceptably waiting for action to clean up their land and water.”

“A clear priority should be the immediate delivery of all emergency and priority measures outlined in the UNEP report.”

The groups also called on the government to investigate how its regulators certified four oil spill sites identified by UNEP as clean even though an investigation by Amnesty International found that “extensive visible pollution” still remained there. (Channels TV)

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