The Federal Government has clarified that the establishment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is guided by legal instruments and international obligations which effectively placed it under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Moreover, this is in line with the government gazette and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report guiding the establishment of HYPREP as the project is aimed at solving environmental challenges and, therefore, is appropriately domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Environment.
“We wish to further inform the general public that President Muhammadu Buhari has, vide, a memo dated 28th April 2022, with Ref No, PRES/81/SGF/82 conveyed via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, reiterated the oversight of the Federal Ministry of Environment over HYPREP and has directed the Minister of Environment to deliver on the Ogoniland cleanup with dispatch.
“While approving the reorganisation of the operations of HYPREP to make it more effective, President Buhari equally directed for the full audit of the accounts of HYPREP from inception to date,” the ministry said via a statement from its director of press Saghir el Mohammed. “The ministry, thus assured all international oil companies (IOCs), partners and Ogoni stakeholders of the commitment of the Federal Government to those instruments and obligations.”
In this connection, the Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi implored all stakeholders to “remain calm and continue to cooperate with HYPREP” as it strives to execute its mandate.
The statement further emphasised that the ministry will continue to provide purposeful leadership towards the actualisation of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to clean, remediate and restore the polluted environment not only in Ogoniland but the rest of the Niger Delta and beyond.
