Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, the agency responsible for the clean up of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland has announced the commencement of the implementation of the preliminary stage of the Health Impact Assessment in the area.
The project which commenced on Boxing Day at Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, is in partnership with Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN.
The Head, Project coordination of HYPREP, Dr. Marvin Dekil, disclosed that the health outreach was in line with the recommendations of the UNEP report on Ogoni.
He maintained that the Federal Government is committed to the implementation of the clean up of Ogoni, noting that all the programmes included in the report would be carried out.
Dekil disclosed that the preliminary phase was carried out with the use of local manpower, adding that the full implementation which would commence soon would be monitored by the World Health Organisation, WHO.
“We are here today to commence the preliminary stage of the Health Impact Assessment in Ogoni land. We are start in Khana today and we will replicate same in all the four LGAs of Ogoni. We are carrying out the audit and taking note of all the cases today.
We are doing screening for various ailments. The report would be used to do a health record for Ogoni.
HYPREP has the capacity to implement the project and the Federal Government is truly committed to the clean u,.” he said.
On her part, the President of MWAN, Dr. Ibimonye Porbeni, noted that the exercise was to ensure healthiness among residents of the area and commended HYPREP for the move.
She however, commended the massive turn out of the residents of Khana, especially, Bori, for the outreach, adding that all the over 1000 patients were attended to, even as she could not confirm that any of the cases handled had any link with the oil spills.
The programme continues in other parts of Ogoni.
