UNEP Report: ‘Ogoni Task, N’Delta’s Test Case’

Chairman, Senate Joint Committee Investigating Fuel Subsidy administration, Sen. Magnus Abe (right), Sen. Odion Ugbesia (middle) and Sen. Ahmed Maccido, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation exchanging ideas during a meeting in Abuja, recently.

The Federal Government Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration
Agency (HyPER) has said that the agency was not looking at the United Nations
Environment Programmes (UNEP) report as it concerns Ogoni alone but as a case
study for the rest of the Niger Delta.

National  Coordinator
of HyPER, Mrs Joy Nurueh-Okunu, who said this in an interview with newsmen in
Port Harcourt stressed that the case of Ogoni was not just about cleanup but
restoration, contending that HyPER was deeply concerned about the restoration
of the Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta environment.

She stated that the Federal Government has directed the
agency to carry out integrity test of all pipelines across the country.

According to her, the Federal Government has concluded plans
to conduct an integrity test of all crude oil and petroleum products pipelines
in the country with a view to ascertaining their status and replacing weak or
corroded ones to check incessant leaks often reported on them.

“The test will enable the government identify those
pipelines that need replacement with a view to advising relevant agencies on
the need to immediately take action to replace them”, she said.

Chief Nuvieh-Okunu also hinted that about 95 per cent of the
implementation of the first phase of the UNEP report has been completed.

The HyPER coordinator commended the various professional
groups across the Niger Delta for their willingness to partner the agency for
the  success of the exercise.

It would be recalled that, Mrs Nunieh-Okunu had last week
told the Ogoni Council of Traditional Rulers that the government was spending
$1billion on the cleanup of the area.