The Federal Government of Nigeria has pledged that it will implement the recommendations from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the remediation of the land, following incessant oil spillage.
The Nigerian government had called on the UNEP to carry out an environmental assessment of Ogoniland, with the report submitted in 2011.
During his campaign, President Muhammadu Buhari had promised the Ogoni people that, if voted for, his administration will implement the recommendations in the report. A year after he was sworn into office, in 2016, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) was set up to carry out the Ogoni clean-up in line with the recommendations of the UNEP report.
The president has assured the people of Ogoni, the Niger Delta, Nigeria and the international community that his government is still committed to the full implementation of the recommendations in the report on Ogoniland, 11 years after the report was submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Barr. Sharon Ikeazor in collaboration with UNEP is organising a two-day retreat, from March 17 to 19, 2022, with critical stakeholders comprising of members of the board of trustees (BoT), the governing council (GC) and the Central Representatives Advisory Committee (CRAC) of HYPREP, UNEP, representatives of the Joint Venture Partners and management staff of the HYPREP.
The retreat will provide an opportunity for UNEP to present the recommendations it made in the report presented to the Federal Government in 2011, as well as the Federal Government’s Gazette on the establishment of HYPREP.
A statement from the ministry’s director of press, Saghir El-Mohammed said Ikeazor promised the Ogoni people that the Federal Government will ensure that the project recovers lost time and delivers on its mandate.
The retreat is expected to reposition HYPREP to function much more effectively and efficiently to deliver to the Ogoni people the benefits of the project.
