Nigeria, Sept. 11 -- Ogoni elders in Rivers State have expressed unhappiness over the progress of work on the cleanup of their land polluted from decades of oil exploitation.

The elders under the aegis of Gbo Kabaari Ogoni (Ogoni elders' forum) said the cleanup project was at a "snail speed" which has compounded the socio-economic challenges in the area.

The Ogoni cleanup, backed by the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), was flagged off in June 2016 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with fanfare and so much enthusiasm from both the Nigerian authorities and the people in the Niger Delta.

More than four years after, however, the people feel no significant work has been done to clean up the environment.

The Ogoni elders, led by a...