…Renews Commitment To Transparent Implementation of UNEP Report
By: Felix Ikpotor.
The Federal Government through the Hydrocarbon Remediation Project (HYPREP) has inaugurated two additional water projects in Ogoniland to bring the total number of water projects to 14.
The two new water facilities are located in Bane and Gwara communities respectively in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State brings the number of communities connected to potable drinking water by HYPREP to 45.
Speaking at the inauguration of the projects in Bane, Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, said it symbolises Federal Government’s determination to restoring environmental integrity and uplift communities long affected by environmental degradation.
He reassured that the government is committed to a transparent implementation of the United Nations Environmental Pollution (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland.
“On behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I reaffirm our unshakable commitment to carryout a transparent implementation of the UNEP recommendations and to the sustainable development of Ogoniland.
“The Ministry of Environment through HYPREP will continue to prioritize projects that improve the lives of our people, ensuring clean water, healthy soil, productive livelihoods, and a safe environment. Together, we will rebuild trust, heal the land, and lay the groundwork for a brighter, greener future for Ogoni and all of Rivers State, ” Lawal stated.
He appreciated the Ogoni stakeholders and communities for their support to the Project and called for community-ownership of the facilities.
“As we celebrate this milestone, I call upon the people of Bane and Gwara to take full ownership of these water facilities. The projects should be protected, used responsibly as well as ensure it remains functional for the long term. We should all keep in mind that sustainability begins at the community level. Let me appreciate our traditional rulers for their steadfast leadership and guidance as well as the people for cooperating with government agencies, ” the minister added.
Earlier, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Neninbarini Zabbey, said the commissioning of the reflects HYPREP’s efforts to restore dignity, health, and improved living conditions in Ogoni.
He stressed that beyond being a vital step in fulfilling UNEP’s recommendations, the facilities, like others inaugurated earlier, are a lifeline, and a “proof that the vision of a restored and thriving Ogoniland is steadily taking shape”.
He used the medium to highlight the Projects achievements in other components such as in environmental remediation, where he said HYPREP has achieved 94% completion in phase 1 of the mangrove restoration effort, and shoreline remediation is at 67.1%. While the phase 2 land remediation has progressed to 36.55%.
Zabbey further disclosed that the construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration is 92% complete, and the process of operationalising the Centre has begun with the just concluded colloquium, while the Ogoni Power Project is progressing steadily with wayleave compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakara substations ongoing.
In health, he said the Ogoni Specialist Hospital is at 76.8% completion, while the Project has achieved 98.7% completion at the Buan Cottage Hospital, along with other public health interventions. The Ogoni public health study, conducted by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is also underway, he informed.
The PC said in HYPREP’s Livelihood intervention, over 7,000 women and youth have benefited from various employment opportunities, while over 5,000 have been trained in multiple skills and provided start-up kits, adding that workshops, education grants, scholarships, and other empowerment programmes will be sustained while training in other demand-driven skill areas, such as cybersecurity, full-stack development, mud logging, software development, GIS, and commercial diving, will start soon.
He assured completion of all projects for the benefits of Ogoni people.
“The project coordination office remains resolute in our determination to ensure that every project initiated is completed and delivered within the time frame for the use and benefit of the people. This resolve underscores our belief that sustainable progress can only be achieved through consistency, transparency, and accountability, ” Zabbey said.
While appealing for continued support and cooperation from the Ogoni people, he urged them to make use of the area offices to ventilate their concerns about the project instead of going to the media to disparage the gains of the clean up exercise.
On his his part, chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Dr. Bariere Thomas lauded HYPREP for the tuned completion of the water facilities.
He assured that the council has the capacity to protect the facilities but however, called for more involvement of the council in the Project’s activities in the area.
