HYPREP Assures Ogonis Water Supply In Three Months …As MOSOP Insists On Restructuring

The Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr Marvin Dekii has assured that stakeholders are working on a comprehensive plan to provide integrated water supply to the people in the four Ogoni local government areas in line with the recommendations of the UNEP report.
The assurance came even as Leaders of Thought from Ogoni polluted communities  called for adequate funding by the Federal Government and other stakeholders for the clean-up of polluted sites in the area.
The Ogoni leaders, who include the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Barinua Nwifa, former Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Barineme Fakae, traditional rulers, politicians, businessmen and community leaders, made their position known at a meeting with the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Restoration Programme (HYPREP) in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the meeting, Chairman, Barinua Nwifa said HYPREP would succeed in delivering on its mandate, if all stakeholders release their contributions to the$1billion required to fast-track the clean-up of oil polluted sites in Ogoni.
Wifa explained that as part of the clean-up process, remediation of impacted sites was key, urging the people not to expect the implementation of the UNEP report to provide solution to all the problems affecting Ogoni people.
While agreeing on the need to fight for the rights of vulnerable Ogoni people, the legal luminary said that sincerity of purpose, respect for the rights of the people and commitment to transparency in resource management will help reduce tension and create atmosphere for peace and sustainable development of Ogoniland.
Also speaking, the former vice chancellor, Rivers State University, Prof Barineme Fakae, called for variation of processes for the clean-up exercise so as to enable experts ascertain the present impact of oil pollution in Ogoniland.
Fakae harped on the need for all stakeholders to put in their best to enable the clean-up succeed, saying that Ogoni people cannot allow the clean-up process to fail, because of its effect on the overall clean-up and remediation of polluted sites in the entire Niger Delta region.
He explained that more time was still needed to conduct reassessment of impact of fresh oil pollution on Ogoniland before the clean-up project can make meaning, saying that the release of the $1billion was not as critical as doing a thorough clean-up job.
The HYPREP coordinator noted the lack of attention to the mitigation and restoration of the livelihoods of Ogoni people, particularly communities in active stream of oil pollution.
Dekii said that it was in that light that stakeholders have began efforts to provide emergency water supply to address the immediate concerns of the people, assuring that in the next three months, project implementation would have been activated.