By Prince Kabari OP-Agara
The Ogoni people of Rivers State, in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, whose voices and issues have been at the frontlines of major national and international discuss for the past three and half decades are immensely thankful to Their Excellencies, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and his successor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for their keen interest and unflinching commitment to the environmental restoration, peace and sustainable development of Ogoniland, from 2015 to date.
Former President Buhari, had in January 2015, made a brief campaign stop-over at Gbene Gininwa Hall, Saakpenwa, Headquarters of Tai Local Government Area, Ogoniland, where His Majesty, the late King G.N.K Gininwa, JP, OFR, Gbenemene Tai VI and former President Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, presented him with a copy of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Report on the Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland. The Report was first published and presented to the Federal Government of Nigeria, on August 4, 2011. Former President Buhari then promised the Ogoni people, that he would implement the clean-up of the area if elected President.
The flag-off of the Ogoni Oil Spill Clean-up exercise by the former President, represented by the former Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, on June 2, 2016 (exactly 9 years ago) was a FULFILLMENT OF THAT PROMISE. Today, the Ogoni people recall with nostalgia, the colourful flag-off of the Oil Spill Clean-up of Ogoniland, at Patrick Tekuru’s waterside, by Bodo Creek in Gokana Local Government Area, Ogoniland and the former President’s steadfastness in implementing the UNEP Report.
During the event, the former Vice President, who read the President’s address said, “I recall the time as a Military Head of State, when I visited Bodo Town in Ogoniland (at Chief Patrick Tekuru Probonu’s instance in 1984). During that visit, I commissioned a large fishpond and planted a tree as a sign of government’s concern for the environment… Unfortunately, since then, the degradation of land, water and air has done huge damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Niger Delta, especially Ogoniland.”
He also said “The (UNEP) report was submitted to my predecessor while still in office in 2011, but the implementation was not accorded the necessary support it required. The people of Ogoniland continued to suffer from pollution of air, land and water.”
He declared that “WE ARE DETERMINED TO RIGHT THE WRONGS OF THE PAST, WHERE THE PEOPLE OF THIS LAND WERE TREATED UNFAIRLY AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT UNDULY DEGRADED.”
Osinbajo stated that “Today, we are in Ogoniland, in the heart of the Niger Delta to fulfil our promise to you and to bring justice and succour to our people. The clean-up of this land will require change on the part of all those who deal with the Niger Delta environment, particularly the oil companies and our communities… We are therefore laying a solid foundation today for the restoration of the fragile ecosystem of Ogoniland and the rest of the Niger Delta.”
Noting that “the first step begins with a solid foundation, which would be brought about through consultation, transparency, accountability, investing in the people and the environment… (because) “our lives to a great extent depend on the quality of our environment”.
You may recall, that the Ogoni non-violent agitation and quest for social, economic and environmental justice within the Federal Republic of Nigeria, started in earnest on the 26th of August 1990, with the adoption of the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) by Ogoni Chiefs and Leaders, at Suanu Finimale Nwika Hall, Bori (the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland) through a general acclaim, after taking stock of their deplorable condition in spite of astounding oil and gas wealth and stratospheric contributions to the upkeep of Nigeria.
The OBR articulated demands and asserted the rights of the Ogoni people and their quest for recognition and inclusion in the scheme of things within the framework of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the document was a pacesetter in the Non-violent method of struggles in Africa. During the military era, the OBR was jettisoned and Ogoni people were undermined and vehemently repressed, leading to non-violent uprising and shut-in of Oil and Gas production in the OML 11 Ogoni fields. Several communities were destroyed and thousands of Ogonis lost their lives – including Ken Saro Wiwa and 12 other leaders.
Extensive international disapproval of the complicity of the International Oil Companies, as a result of the halt in their operations, ruthless military clamp-down on the Ogoni non-violent campaign for subjugation and murders led to the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth in 1995. The United Nations also sent a Special Fact-Finding Team/Rapporteur to assess the Ogoni situation and make recommendations in 1997, led by Mr. Soli Sorabjee, an Indian Attorney, who presented his report to the 48th Session of the then United Nations Commission on Human Rights in March 1998 and recommended that the Nigerian government should “undertake an independent environmental study of Ogoniland.”
In October 2006, former President Olusegun Obasanjo invited the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to undertake an environmental assessment of Ogoniland, in an attempt to navigate from years of stalemate between the Nigerian Government, International Oil Companies and the Ogoni people to action.
The assessment was done between 2008 and 2011. After the release of the UNEP Report on August 4, 2011, the oil companies admitted liability for damage caused in Ogoniland and agreed to a commitment to clean up. This development brought about a major scientific and technological leap in the environmental audit of the Niger Delta and Nigeria, as the magnitude of the despoliation of the mangrove forests due to oil spills in Ogoniland has been described as the highest devastation of the mangrove ecosystem anywhere in the tropics (Gundlach, 2013).
In demonstration of his commitment to the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland, former President Buhari inaugurated the 1st Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) Governing Council and Board of Trustees on August 4, 2016, to manage, approve, supervise and monitor all projects/contracts for the clean-up and remediation of Ogoniland as well as the implementation of other aspects of the Report. For this, Ogoni people remain grateful.
Her Excellency, Dr. Amina J. Mohamed (current Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and former Minister for Environment and former Chairman HYPREP Governing Council), was fervently on ground, traversing communities, forests, creeks/rivers, night and day, engaging critical Ogoni people to ensure the success of the project. In the first instance, Dr. Marvin Dekil, a renowned Ogoni Environmentalist and former UNEP Team Lead, during the Ogoni Environmental Assessments, was appointed as the first substantive Project Coordinator, by the 1st HYPREP Governing Council, on 14th January, 2017.
However, the project could not sail as projected after Dr. Amina’s departure to the UN, due to systemic bottlenecks and Ogoni expectation issues. She was succeeded by Alhaji Usman Jibril, and Surv. Suleiman Hassan Zarma, Thus, the 1st HYPREP Governing Council/Board of Trustees could not bring the contaminated soil and shoreline Clean-up project up to speed and set timelines nor provide portable water for the Ogoni people in the first four years, because of systemic issues.
With renewed vigour, the former Minister for Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar and his Counterpart for State, Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, between 2019 and 2021 sought and secured the approval of the former President to rejig the Clean-up project for optimal delivery and for the provision of portable water and sustainable livelihood interventions for the dogged Ogonis. This resulted in some adjustments that culminated into the inauguration of the 2nd Governing Council and Board of Trustees (for Ogoni Trust Fund Incorporated) by the former President Buhari led Federal Government in Abuja on Friday 12th March, 2021. The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, represented the President.
In his address to the newly inaugurated Council and Board, the former President said that, “after taking office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in fulfilment of my campaign promise, I flagged-off the Project for the remediation of hydrocarbon impacted sites in Ogoniland and provision of portable water and alternative livelihoods to impacted communities on 2nd June, 2016 and have been monitoring implementation progress over the years.”
However, he regretted some “lost time” so far, as a result of some challenges encountered along the line of implementation, because “some milestones and timelines could not be accomplished circumstantially …we are nevertheless determined to recover lost grounds and achieve our goals through deliberate efforts to reinvigorate our processes and the machinery of delivery.”
He stressed that in addition to their “roles and responsibilities, as stated in the HYPREP Gazette of 2016, I expect you to proffer solutions to the challenges of community disruption due to land disputes, leadership tussles and unnecessary pressure on the contractors.
He charged them to see their “appointment as a patriotic national duty and a clarion call to service” adding that they shall “be required to promote transparency, propriety and integrity in the operation of HYPREP to ensure optimal and satisfactory delivery of the required services.”
Upon the expiration of the first four years of Dr. Marvin Dekil, Prof. Philip Shekwolo, a former Shell Nigeria’s Head of Environmental Remediation and HYPREP’s former Head of Operations, was appointed as Acting Project Coordinator. He held sway until former President Buhari also approved the appointment of Dr. Ferdinand Dumbari Giadom, a former Senior Technical Assistant on the UNEP Team for Ogoni Assessment and Senior Lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, on the 8th of March, 2022 as the 2nd substantive Project Coordinator of HYPREP, in the same vein, he also approved the redeployment of Barr. Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi, as the substantive Minister for Environment from the Ministry of Science and Technology. He took over from Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, who was in Acting capacity, on April 7, 2022.
On the 2nd of May, 2022, Barr. Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi undertook his maiden working visit to Ogoniland; paid homage to the Prime Traditional Rulers in the four Ogoni Local Governments of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme, Elites and other critical stakeholders in Bori, Ogoni’s traditional headquarters. The Former Minister made some bold policy changes, in the administration of HYPREP, after the visit, and also announced the connection of the entire Ogoniland to the National Grid through the Ogoni Power Projects. During his time, the Former President embarked on the Ground Breaking of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, Ogoni Power Project, in Wiiyaakara, Bori and The Ogoni Specialist Hospital, in Kpite on 28th April 2023.
Former President Buhari stated during the commissioning, that ‘‘Today is special and dear to me as it reminds me of the promise I made to the Ogoni people when I came here to campaign in 2015 for the Presidential election that saw my emergence as the President of our great nation, Nigeria… the triad of projects will catalyze the socio-economic development of Ogoniland, create job opportunities and enhance entrepreneurial growth… Your Excellency and Royal Highnesses, it is my desire that you will continue to support this administration and the incoming administration led by His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu who I am confident will consolidate the gains achieved from this project.
Few days later, Former President Buhari, approved the termination of the appointment of the former Project Coordinator Dr. Ferdinand Giadom, to be replaced with Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, as the 3rd substantive Project Coordinator of HYPREP, on the 2nd of May 2023. Prof Zabbey, is a foremost and renowned Ogoni expert on hydrobiology and has extensive experience and background on remediation-related activities with bias in bio-monitoring and restoration ecology. Until his appointment, he was a Senior lecturer at the Department of Fisheries Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt. He has been at the forefront of global campaigns for environmental Justice in the Niger Delta and beyond. He is the first African recipient of the Association of the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography 2022 Ruth Patrick Award for research and engagement with a critical impact on the recovery of the Niger Delta ecosystem from oil spills and environmental justice for affected communities. He has been in the saddle for 2 years and one month (25 Months today).
There are over 100 concurrent projects that were awarded by HYPREP, which construction and implementation began at the fall of the Buhari administration, that has been sustained by the President Tinubu’s Administration, under the watch of Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, as Honourable Minister for Environment and Prof. Zabbey, as Chief Executor, 2 years later.
Today, HYPREP has rekindled hope in Ogoniland, through the dedicated efforts of Prof. Zabbey and his team – with the on-going construction of the World-class Centre for Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) and the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, nearing completion; Execution of The Ogoni Integrated Power Project, with international facility tests; Detailed remediation of oil-spill impacted communities – soil and shorelines; Mangrove revegetation; Provision of potable water to more than 40 Ogoni Communities and several others ongoing; Focused youth skills training to 5000 beneficiaries, engagement and empowerment of over 7000 youths across project sites; and other Livelihood interventions and business support initiatives for women; with Peace Building Initiatives for Traditional Rulers and Community Leaders; Educational Scholarship grants to 200 undergraduates and 300 Post-graduates; Farmers and Fisherfolk Support Schemes, amongst others.
The Ogoni Clean-up Project is seen as the first fruit of the Ogoni struggle and it is expected to birth a new dawn, set the records straight, bring respite to Ogoni people and end the protracted struggle. Therefore, the Ogoni people are enthusiastic to build capacity during the course of the clean-up projects and are willing to collaborate with Government, stakeholders and other well-meaning international organisations to prevent further degradation of Ogoni environment and safeguard it against future despoliation, and are willing to provide all forms of support including security collaboration for the Clean-up exercise to succeed… Ogonis are already reconciling their ideological differences in other to facilitate a smooth completion of the clean-up processes.
There is renewed hope in the Ogoni horizon.
Prince Kabari OP-AGARA, Akeeyor VII
Country Director Friends Of Ogoni Trust (FOOT) International,
Former Head of Advocacy & Strategy, Centre for Ogoni Studies &
Former Administrator, Ken Saro Wiwa Associates
First Published in June 2022. New Editing in Progress.
