The Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, last Thursday commissioned four additional water projects in four Ogoni communities in Rivers State, stressing the need for the communities to take full ownership of the projects by protecting them.

Indeed, the commissioning ceremony, which took place in Bodo City, witnessed another landmark achievement in the commitment of the Federal Government to the full implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Ogoni environment, specifically in the provision of potable water to communities, following the commissioning of the water projects in Bodo, Uegwere-Boue, Taabaa and Eteo Communities in Gokana, Khana and Eleme Local Government Areas, respectively.

While commissioning the gigantic water projects in Bodo, the Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP Governing Council, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, urged the communities to work with HYPREP, own and safeguard the facilities against vandalism, stressing that the sustainability of the projects begins with community stewardship.

He noted that providing water to communities underscores a shared commitment to the health, dignity and well-being of the Ogoni people, and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the full implementation of the UNEP Report and the sustainable development of Ogoniland, correct historical wrongs and deliver genuine remediation, development and renewal to affected communities.

Acknowledging the contributions of traditional and youth leaders, NGOs and Renaissance/JV partners, the Minister noted that the actualisation of the projects attests to stakeholders’ collaboration and collective resolve, adding that the projects symbolise hope, equity and justice for communities that have long endured the consequences of environmental degradation.

Meanwhile,the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has noted that the water commissioning is part of HYPREP’s contribution to the Renewed Hope National Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as driven by the Minister of Environment.

Zabbey announced that stakeholders’ interests in and acceptability of HYPREP have remarkably increased, describing it as indicative of growing confidence and ownership of the Project by the people.

He said the Project is deepening stakeholders’ engagement, strengthening monitoring and evaluation, reinforcing transparency and accountability, while pushing to ensure that the benefits of the Project reach every single corner of Ogoniland.

Beyond remediation, livelihood, public health interventions, among other projects, the Project Coordinator explained that HYPREP has significantly expanded its peace building efforts in line with the Project’s mandate, which has helped to foster unity, stability and collaboration across Ogoniland.

Goodwill messages from the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Limited, Engr Tony Attah, who was represented by General Manager, Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr Igo Weli; Chief Kenneth Kobani; Mr Legborsi Saro Pyagbara; and Gbenemene Tai Kingdom, King Samuel Nne, paid glowing tributes to HYPREP for the successes recorded.

Also in attendance were the Director General of the National Environment Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency(NESREA), Prof Innocent Barikor and other eminent Ogoni sons and daughters.

The Minister also commissioned the Gokana Area Office, an initiative of HYPREP, to foster project-community relationships; presented symbolic cook stoves to fisher folk-a programme aimed at reducing dependence on mangroves for firewood; and visited the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER).

With the latest commissioning, HYPREP has now provided potable water to 40 communities and hopes to cover more by the end of the year.

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has started savouring and reflecting on the release of the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) Report on Ogoniland, contending that 14 years after the release of the report, a glimmer of hope now beckons from the horizon, transforming a once seemingly bleak and despairing situation into one of opportunities, boundless possibilities and a reassuring future for Ogoni communities and posterity.

The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who gave this indication in a statement signed by the Project’s Head of Communications, Dr Enuolare Mba-Nwigoh, said the release of the UNEP Report on August 4, 2011 signals the Federal Government’s commitment to address decades of environmental concerns in the Niger Delta and further heralds a transformative developmental trajectory for the Ogoni people.

He noted that the implementation of the report’s recommendations by HYPREP has made its spirit and letter a reality, expressing and interpreting its tenets in ways that place the people at the core of the environmental remediation and restoration of the livelihood efforts.

According to him, HYPREP has recorded tremendous successes in soil and ground water remediation, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, public health interventions, construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, construction of the Ogoni power project and sustainable livelihoods.

“We are pleased to confirm that we are on track in our noble quest to fulfil the Project’s core objectives. This is evident in the scorecard so far,” he said, contending that in the area of remediation, HYPREP has completed and obtained NOSDRA’s closeout certification for 50 lots in the simple risk sites while the ongoing remediation of medium risk sites is now at 38 percent completion stage.

According to him, the phase 1 shoreline cleanup and mangrove restoration stands at 56 percent and 93 percent completed, respectively, while notable achievements have been recorded in the construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which is currently at 90 percent completion stage; Ogoni Specialist Hospital; and Buan Cottage Hospital which are at 86 percent and 98 percent completion level, respectively.

Zabbey further indicated that the provision of potable water has gained momentum, with 30 communities already having access to water while four additional water projects were commissioned yesterday, August 7, thus, bringing the number of communities with reticulated potable water to 42, adding that the phase 1 of the Ogoni power project is now over 40 percent complete.

He said the Ogoni cleanup programme is revolutionising the socio-economic landscape of the region, empowering people and families, contributing to peace building and security, and improving the Human Development Index(HDI), while aligning with almost all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).

The statement noted that “The dedication and dexterity deployed by previous leaders have taken the Project this far. Still, it is the innovation, inclusivity and a bottom-top approach to programme conceptualisation and implementation, proactive and strategic paradigms of Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, under the supervision of the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, that has buoyed efforts to deliver a people-centred, sustainable and fit-for-purpose cleanup programme in Ogoni,”

The Project Coordinator said in demonstrating a greater commitment to the swift implementation of the UNEP Report, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, has prioritised the Ogoni cleanup through the Presidential Directive, the directive which he noted, prioritises the remediation of the environment and ensures that the Ogoni people benefit from the cleanup efforts.

“We are further encouraged by the fact that the Ogoni people are benefiting from the full range of deliverables from the various projects and are active participants, working closely with HYPREP for effective project delivery,” he said.

Zabbey noted that HYPREP is particularly interested in sustaining the goals recorded so far, saying, this is why it is building collaborative partnerships across strata, including the development of technical and administrative frameworks to achieve a sustainable cleanup programme.

According to him, HYPREP remains grateful for the tremendous support it has received from governments, the diplomatic community, the Ogoni people and other stakeholders.

Some Ogoni stakeholders have taken stock of the Ogoni cleanup project 14 years after the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland, saying, it has been a worthwhile journey with the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project ( HYPREP) fully implementing the recommendations of the report, even beyond their wildest dreams and expectations.

They are delighted that what is going on in Ogoniland today is a culmination of the Ogoni struggle, which has yielded tremendous gains, visible in all nooks and crannies of Ogoniland, with HYPREP at the driver’s seat.

The stakeholders, who aired their views on the celebration of the 14th anniversary of the release of the UNEP Report in separate interviews with newsmen in Port Harcourt, scored HYPREP high on the implementation of the report, within the context of its core thematic areas, including environmental remediation, livelihood restoration, provision of potable water and health interventions, among others.

Beyond this, they are happy that HYPREP has even gone the extra mile by constructing the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, Buan Cottage Hospital and the Ogoni Power Project.

For one of the stakeholders and former member of HYPREP’s Governing Council, Mr Celestine Akpobari, the cleanup project that started like a child learning how to walk, has today grown in leaps and bounds with remarkable milestones like the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, water projects scattered here and there, scholarships for the youths, and the mangrove restoration efforts that have seen the gradual return of fishes, periwinkles and oysters in Ogoni mangroves and rivers.

According to him, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey has taken the cleanup project to another level.

“I cannot wait to see foreigners troop into Ogoni to make proper use of the Centre of Excellence,” he intoned, stressing that he is full of appreciation for all the staff of HYPREP for the giant strides recorded so far.

Akpobari, however, appealed to the Project Coordinator to ensure that the assessment of other polluted sites in other parts of the Niger Delta is kick-started because, according to him, Ogoni cannot be clean until other parts of the Niger Delta are clean.

He also called on human rights bodies and activists to prevail on the Federal Government and oil companies that polluted Ogoniland to put more money into the purse of HYPREP, as the S1billion take-off grant has been depleted and, therefore, not enough to thoroughly clean up the area.

He said cleaning Ogoniland would take over S300billion.

On his part, former President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People(MOSOP), Mr Legborsi Pygbara, said the UNEP Report was a watershed in providing a reliable scientific evidence for the ecological war that went on in Ogoni for onwards of four decades, in which animals, plants, water systems and the entire environment were destroyed, as a result of the rapacious environmental degradation of Ogoniland that happened because of the activities of multinational oil companies led by the Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chevron.

According to him, the assessment of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland was as a result of the courageous engagement of the Ogoni people with the Nigerian State and the oil industry, which climaxed in the invitation extended to UNEP to carry out the assessment.

He noted that the report is a testament of the resilience of the Ogoni people to confront what they saw at that time as a total annihilation of their environment, saying, the 14th anniversary of the UNEP Report today marks the celebration of the resilience, courage, persistence and commitment of a dispossessed and oppressed people to challenge those they considered as the oppressors of their destiny and future.

According to him, today, the UNEP Report is celebrated as one of the biggest reports that have come out of UNEP since its existence.

“Today is a celebration of the resilience, the persistence, the courage, the commitment and vision of a people who remained committed to the goal of achieving a better environment despite how their environment had been destroyed,” he said.

Pygbara noted that 14 years after the release of the UNEP Report, the story of Ogoniland has changed, as it is no longer an era of bitter cries but that of laughter and relief, “to celebrate that at some point in our history, we were able to say, enough is enough.”

He expressed delight that HYPREP has sustained the tempo of fully implementing the recommendations of the report to the extent that hundreds of Ogoni people are meaningfully engaged at its remediation sites and employed at its corporate office, saying, 14 years after, there are indeed remarkable achievements.

He said today, several Ogoni youths have been trained as scientists; Ogoni has demonstrated best expertise in terms of environmental management and governance; water projects are all over the place; mangroves are being cleaned; and manpower development has improved.

According to him, looking back, what HYPREP is doing in Ogoniland today is a fulfilment of the request in the Ogoni Bill of Rights that demanded the stoppage of the environmental degradation of Ogoniland.

The Executive Director of the Resolate Advocacy Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Citizens Initiative, Comrade Menele Nzidee said the implementation of the UNEP Report is on course, 14 years after its release, and commended the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey for efficiently piloting and driving the cleanup project.

According to him, the restoration of the livelihoods of the people has lifted the Ogoni people from their zero level of poverty.

The Director General of Ogoni Democratic Link also scored HYPREP high in the area of potable water supply, electricity, granting of scholarships to Ogoni youths, and construction of hospitals, among others, assuring the people that getting to the promised land which is their collective goal and aspiration would be attained.

He said the Project Coordinator needs the collaboration, support and prayers of all and sundry to keep on doing the good works.

The former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Civil Service Union(NCSU) described HYPREP as “our struggle, our brainchild and the product of our endeavour”, that must be nurtured, cherished and protected, and admonished the Ogoni youths who are the greatest beneficiaries of all that HYPREP is doing in Ogoniland to jealously guard the cleanup project.