Odimmegwa Johnpeter /Abuja
The Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey has stated that the HYPREP 2023-2025 Midterm Stakeholders Engagement and scorecard presentation in Port Harcourt provided an opportunity to reflect on HYPREP journey thus far, but also a strategic platform to foster greater collaboration as it forges ahead with the task of remediating oil- impacted environment and restoring livelihoods in Ogoni. According to Prof. Zabbey, that is the wish of the Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Honourable Minister of Environment, who is also the Chairman of the governing council of HYPREP .
Highlighting the importance of the scorecard presentation, the HYPREP Project Coordinator said: “This midterm engagement is important because it allows us to present tangible evidence of progress in the Ogoni clean-up effort, reinforce accountability, deepen transparency, and most importantly, enables HYPREP to interact directly with the communities and stakeholders who are the heartbeat of this project.
“The scorecard presentation is designed to show what we have achieved across key thematic areas, what challenges we are currently grappling with, and what the road ahead looks like. Therefore, it is a moment for stocktaking and for re-affirming our shared commitment to the success of the Ogoni cleanup project.
He further stated: “I am pleased to inform you that HYPREP has recorded commendable progress in the implementation of its core mandates in line with UNEP recommended actions and the directives in the official gazette establishing HYPREP.
“In the area of environmental remediation, more sites have been successfully remediated and certified, with several others currently at different stages of remediation. HYPREP has successfully achieved the certification and official close-out of fifty (50) remediated lots across seventeen (17) UNEP-assessed sites, under its Phase 1 Remediation of Simple Sites.
“In addition to the certified closure of these 17 simple sites, HYPREP also secured NOSDRA certification and close-out for thirteen (13) Category N Sites. These were locations lacking sufficient data, which HYPREP reinvestigated and found that natural attenuation processes have reduced the contamination to acceptable levels. Such sites do not require further remedial actions.
Elucidating further, he also stated: “The clean-up of 1,700 ha of oiled shoreline is 53% completed. Currently, HYPREP is advancing the remediation of 39 lots l across 17 medium-risk, complex sites covering 125.39 hectares of hydrocarbon-impacted land. This involves remediating contaminated soil and groundwater outside residential areas. HYPREP has launched the world’s largest initiative to restore oil-degraded mangroves in Ogoniland. The pilot phase, covering 560 hectares, is 93% complete.
“HYPREP is actively pursuing the designation of the Ogoni mangrove wetland as a Ramsar Site, a globally recognized status for wetlands of high significance. Therefore, the project is collaborating with relevant agencies, institutions, and partners to achieve this important environmental milestone.
“The Livelihood Restoration Programme continues to impact lives through targeted skills acquisition, economic empowerment initiatives, business support programmes, award of scholarships, research support grants, internship opportunities, capacity building workshops and direct jobs created for Ogoni youths and women.
“Interestingly, HYPREP, through its various projects and programmes, has created over 7,000 direct employment opportunities for Ogoni youths and women across more than 100 project sites in the four local government areas of Ogoniland. These projects have also stimulated local businesses. The socioeconomic study of Ogoniland is underway towards developing a blueprint for sustainable socio-economic development beyond the Ogoni Cleanup efforts.
He further noted: “On the provision of potable water, HYPREP has successfully completed and operationalized ten water stations, and supplying potable water to 30 Ogoni communities. Construction of several potable water facilities is underway at varying stages of completion.
“To promote sustainability and community ownership, HYPREP has established Water Consumers Associations (WCA). These associations consist of respected community members who have been selected and trained to manage the water facilities after HYPREP’s exit.
“The public health interventions of HYPREP has enhanced healthcare infrastructure in Ogoniland by renovating relevant sections of the Bori, Nchia, Terabor General Hospitals, and Kpite Primary Health Care Centre and equipping them with state-of-the-art medical devices and solar power systems.
“To further improve healthcare delivery, HYPREP has designed and constructed a 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan community, which is 93% complete.
“Additionally, HYPREP is constructing a 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital, which is 76% complete. The hospital will include an Oncology Department dedicated to cancer treatment and will serve not only Ogoniland but alsoneighbouringgcommunitiess and states. We have inaugurated a committee of seasoned health professionals to develop a framework that will ensure access and sustainability of the specialist hospital. HYPREP has engaged the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) to conduct a comprehensive health study on the Ogoni people. This study aims to assess the extent of hydrocarbon exposure and its possible links to disease patterns, in accordance with UNEP’s recommendations.
“HYPREP designed and initiated the ongoing construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), a key recommendation in the UNEP report on Ogoniland. I am pleased to inform you that the CEER is 85% complete and is expected to be inaugurated in the last quarter of this year. The framework for the sustainable operationalization of the CEER has been submitted by a top-notch Technical Planning Committee.
The HYPREP Coordinator said: “Efforts to eliminate oil theft and illegal artisanal refining along the Ogoni shoreline have been successful through security patrols, partnerships with former artisanal refiners through their umbrella body, the Ogoni Ex-Artisanal Refiners Forum, and sustained youth sensitization. These measures have improved the safety of facilities and installations in the area, reduced the threat of re-pollution, and reinforced campaigns to prevent unsustainable mangrove harvesting.
“The Ogoni cleanup has gained international visibility, and we have raised the bar of the project’s linkages and partnerships to drive cutting-edge research for development and sustainability. These include the ongoing research on artificial production and restocking of the West African bloody cockle, post remediation soil fertility enhancement study, and the Growcoon research to end the use of plastic bags in mangrove nursery. We continue to promote transparency and accountability through open and inclusive communication, various stakeholder engagements, and by establishing extra-regulatory transpaency and accountability mechanisms such as the Milestone Evaluation Committee and the Technical Coordination Committee.
“I am pleased to inform you, that the driving force behind this momentum is the Renewed Hope National Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which prioritizes the acceleration of the Ogoni Cleanup. This bold policy direction has provided the needed political will, institutional backing, and operational synergy to push the HYPREP mandate forward.
“HYPREP is proud to be contributing meaningfully to this national objective, which not only speaks to environmental justice but is also a template for nation building and sustainable development.
“Indeed, the Ogoni cleanup is a symbol of hope and healing. While we celebrate our milestones, we must also be candid about the challenges we face. prominent among these are issues stemming from within the communities —targeted misinformation, chieftaincy tussles, communal land and boundary disputes, avoidable litigation that slow pace remediation execution at a few sites, and undue requests for public services not covered by HYPREP’s mandate.
“These challenges, though complex, are surmountable, and with the continued cooperation of stakeholders, we continue to navigate and overcome them. We call on community leaders, youth groups, women associations, civil society, and all relevant actors to continue to play their roles constructively.
“It is only through inclusiveness, dialogue, and mutual respect that we can build a legacy of transformation. Your support remains indispensable to ensuring access to project sites, sustaining peace, and enhancing transparency and accountability in project delivery.
“Peacebuilding, I must stress, is not a side activity but a central mandate of HYPREP. Peacebuilding interventions are being integrated more deliberately, recognising that without peace, development is hindered.
“At HYPREP, we believe that environmental restoration must go hand-in-hand with social healing. We are investing in community-based peacebuilding programmes and encouraging dialogue to address grievances, mediate disputes, and promote reconciliation.
“We are also working with local leaders to build mechanisms for conflict prevention and early warning responses through capacity building workshops on alternative dispute resolution and peacebuilding techniques.
“The Ogoni community holds the key to HYPREP’s success. Thus, Ownership, cooperation, and vigilance by the people will ensure that these interventions are protected, maintained, and maximized for generations to come.
“On this note, I sincerely thank each and every one of you for honouring our invitation and for the vital roles you continue to play for the success of HYPREP,” it also added.
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