Nation
‘Nigeria Collapsing Over Recession’
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere has again raised the alarm that Nigeria is on the brink of imminent collapse.
The group stated this during its national leadership caucus meeting held at the country home of its Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
According to Afenifere in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the country had virtually become ungovernable and unless it is restructured and restored to federalism, it will collapse.
While reeling out the communiqué, the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin said “as Nigeria enters the worst recession in 33 years and the second in 5 years of President Muhammadu Buhari, we are equally besieged by attendant poverty/hinged as well as insecurity worsening across the land with kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits on the prowl and government helpless and unable to govern effectively.
“And nobody should take this country on any childish ride, we should just implement the report of 2014 conference now
While accusing President Buhari of placing his kinsmen of northern extraction above other Nigerians, Afenifere called for the immediate opening of Seme borders and other borders within the southern parts of the country.
“Meeting condemned Buhari government’s attitude of a dog that breastfeeds its own puppies and kills other animals for lunch as per management of borders. While the Seme and other Southern borders have been closed for a year now against our people and recently opened for the use to Dangote and BUA, Nigeria is constructing a rail line and about N30b highway to connect with Fulanis in Niger Republic with whom the Fulanis running Nigeria have cultural kinship.
“We reject this apartheid policy and demand the reopening of SEME and other southern BORDERS now!
During the meeting, the group also frowned at the manner at which the issued of End SARS campaign was tackled by the government.
Afenifere which also commended the United Kingdom Parliament over the bold debate on the End SARS malady, emphasized that the decision to sanction top officials of “a supposed democratic government in Nigeria behaving like a junta” is a welcome development.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3