By Ken Asinobi
…As Over 7,000 Ogonis Gain Jobs from Cleanup Programme
Officials of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) under the Presidency have expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of remediation projects being executed in Ogoniland by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The team, which inspected several project sites across the area, said the visit was aimed at verifying progress beyond the quarterly reports submitted to the Federal Government and assessing compliance with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Coordinator of the CRDCU in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Mr. Esege Ebei Esege, noted that the projects demonstrated strong community ownership, intergovernmental support and absence of security concerns at the sites.
He, however, stressed the need for stronger collaboration among ministries, departments and agencies, assuring that his office would help link HYPREP with relevant institutions to close existing gaps and fast-track ongoing and future interventions.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, said the Federal Government has placed renewed priority on the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, with multiple remediation and livelihood initiatives now running simultaneously.
According to him, the project has so far generated employment for more than 7,000 youths and women across Ogoni communities, while additional residents are undergoing training in oil spill response and mangrove restoration.
Participants, he added, would receive internationally recognised International Maritime Organization certifications required for aquatic environmental work.
Zabbey explained that HYPREP is implementing all UNEP-recommended actions concurrently, including soil and groundwater remediation, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, public health interventions and alternative livelihood programmes.
He disclosed that the pilot mangrove restoration covering 560 hectares of oil-impacted wetlands has been completed, with monitoring already recording the return of periwinkles, crabs, prawns and finfish, as well as increased fish population and size.
The shoreline cleanup, he said, is nearing completion in its first phase, while potable water schemes have reached about 45 communities, with several facilities ready for inauguration.
Zabbey also revealed that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration is about 93 percent completed and will partner international research institutions to advance remediation science.
HYPREP has additionally applied for the designation of the Ogoni mangrove wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance.
At the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite, Tai Local Government Area, the inspection team reviewed ongoing construction works as part of the programme’s public health interventions.
Also speaking, Renaissance Project Support Lead, Ehioze Igunoma, described the inspection as enlightening and said it confirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to implementing the 2011 UNEP report on Ogoni.
He reaffirmed continued support through funding and technical assistance to ensure the restoration programme benefits the people.
HYPREP maintained that beyond environmental recovery, the overall objective of the cleanup is economic revitalisation and climate change mitigation through sustainable ecosystem restoration in Ogoniland.
