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Ogoni cleanup: Minister Calls For more support from private sector
The Federal Government has called for increased private sector participation and donor funding to sustain ongoing gains in the Ogoni environmental restoration project under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project.
Speaking at a conference on donor facilitation and diplomatic support for HYPREP in Abuja, yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, stressed that the Ogoni cleanup programme was designed as a long-term intervention requiring sustained funding, technical support, and international cooperation.
“The project is supposed to be a lifespan project. We must move towards achieving its main aim, which is environmental restoration and sustainable development,” he added.
Lawal acknowledged the contributions of the United Nations Environment Programme, describing its assessment as the scientific foundation of the ongoing remediation efforts in Ogoni land.
“We are all here because of that UNEP report. It provided the scientific foundation for what has become one of the world’s most ambitious environmental remediation programmes,” he said.
According to him, hundreds of hectares of hydrocarbon-polluted land have been remediated, while additional sites are currently undergoing cleanup operations.
“We have remediated hundreds of hectares of polluted land, and more sites are still being worked on. Water schemes have also been delivered to affected communities,” he stated.
He added that ecosystem restoration, livelihood support programmes, and healthcare projects were ongoing across affected communities.
“Body health facilities are being constructed, livelihood programmes are empowering thousands, and we are also restoring access to safe drinking water because the first victim of pollution is water,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration was nearing completion, describing it as a major milestone in the project.
“If you go there, you will see one of the biggest edifices being constructed under HYPREP. It will serve as a postgraduate and research institute for environmental remediation,” Lawal said.
Despite the progress, he warned that funding challenges remain a major threat to sustaining the project.
“While substantial progress has been made, the journey is not yet complete. The implementation of UNEP recommendations requires long-term commitment and sustained financial and technical support,” he said.
Lawal therefore, appealed to development partners, donor agencies, international financial institutions, foundations, and private sector players to scale up their support.
“We need your support—financial, technical, scientific, and strategic. No organisation or government can do it alone,” he said.
He further described the Ogoni cleanup as a global model for environmental recovery, climate resilience, and international cooperation.
“The restoration of Ogoni land is not merely a Nigerian undertaking; it is a global model. Its success will show what is possible when governments, communities, and partners work together,” he added.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Emmanuel Deeyah, said the conference was organised to attract financial, technical, and institutional support for the cleanup exercise.
“We are looking for resources, financial support, expertise, partnership, and collaboration. Government cannot do everything alone,” he said.
Deeyah said the agitation for environmental justice in Ogoni dated back to 1991 when residents drew global attention to the environmental degradation caused by oil exploration activities.
“We farm in Ogoni land and we also fish, but our waters were polluted and the land could no longer support farming activities,” he said.
He explained that the UNEP report recommended that oil companies should contribute $1bn every five years for 30 years to support the remediation programme.
“We have done 10 years now and we have not even received the full $1bn that was supposed to be contributed. The refineries and local operators have not contributed a dime,” he stated.
Last week, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project announced the closure of 30 contaminated sites in Ogoniland, Rivers State, while investigations have commenced on 18 high-risk polluted locations in residential communities.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has demanded quick and full resolution to the challenges arising from the gas leakage that occurred in Bille, Degema Local Government Area of the State.
The governor has also pledged to upgrade the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Bille with a view to addressing the health challenges confronting the community.
Fubara made the pledge on Wednesday at the Government House, Port Harcourt during an enlarged meeting of key stakeholders, comprising representatives of the Federal Government, the state government and leaders of the community.
The meeting was held to review the situation in the community and explore available opportunities to save the people from the adverse impacts of environmental pollution.
Addressing the journalists at the end of the meeting, the governor acknowledged the determination of the Federal Government and its agencies to get to the root cause of the problem in Bille and ensure that it is resolved permanently.
“The meeting is in respect of the situation in Bille. You’re aware that there is a case of gas leakage somewhere in Bille and the people have been making some requests that the government should come to their rescue to resolve the situation.
“As a state, we have gone to see the situation in the community, not alone but in conjunction with the industry operators and officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. What we are doing today is an enlarged meeting where all the parties are sitting together to look at the cause of the issue and the most possible way to get the problem resolved,” he said.
Fubara described the outcome of the meeting as successful, stressing that more action would be taken in the next couple of weeks to ensure that the issue is fully resolved.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo, who led the Federal Government’s delegation to the meeting, expressed appreciation to the governor for his warm hospitality and efforts to address the challenge in Bille community.
Ekpo explained that contrary to the perception in certain quarters, the Federal Government has not been silent over the “gas seepage” but has been working tirelessly towards finding a sustainable solution.
The minister explained that as soon as the incident was reported, the Federal Government deployed experts to the area to understudy the cause of the problem.
According to him, it was difficult at first to understand the cause of the problem since there were no oil or gas infrastructure within the vicinity of the incident, hence the need to conduct a more detailed investigation.
“The investigation is still going but we decided to do a follow-up visit to the area to talk to the people of Bille Community that we need collaboration on their part so that we would be able to arrive at a lasting solution.
“The safety of the people is paramount. We can understand their anxiety, the worry and the danger that this thing poses within the area, but the Federal Government is committed to finding a lasting solution to the problem. The primary responsibility of government is to take care of the welfare and security of the people and that is exactly why we are here to go and see things for ourselves,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, also explained that as the regulatory agency at the centre of the issue, no effort will be spared in the task of resolving the issue.
Eyesan pledged that the NUPRC and operators in the industry were prepared to address the requests of the impacted people in terms of the provision of potable water and fire trucks to the community.
The Public Relations Officer, Council of Chiefs, Bille Kingdom, Chief Rena Dappa, had during the meeting, presented the challenges facing the community and pleaded for government’s support to save the lives and livelihoods of the people.
President Bola Tinubu has announced the launch of a training programme for 5,000 young Nigerians as meter installers and technicians under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
The President stated that the scheme is aimed at creating jobs, closing the country’s metering gap and improving electricity supply.
The President disclosed this in a statement on his verified X handle yesterday, describing the initiative, tagged “The Power Force,” as part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to expand employment opportunities for young people.
According to Tinubu, the programme will equip participants with practical technical skills and connect them to employment opportunities in Nigeria’s power sector.
“Through the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), which I established to close Nigeria’s metering gap, end estimated billing, protect consumers and strengthen the electricity market, we are opening a new pathway for 5,000 young Nigerians to be trained as meter installers and technicians under The Power Force. This programme is about jobs, skills and dignity,” he said.
Tinubu said the training would be open to eligible Nigerians who have completed their secondary school education, with a dedicated quota reserved for members of the National Youth Service Corps.
He noted that expanding electricity metering was critical to improving service delivery and promoting transparency in the power sector.
“When homes and businesses are properly metered, Nigerians can pay for what they actually use. When electricity distribution companies collect revenues more transparently and fairly, they are better able to reduce losses, maintain infrastructure, expand connections and invest in better service.
“This is how we build a power sector that is fairer to consumers, stronger for investors and better able to deliver reliable electricity to the Nigerian people,” the President said.
Tinubu said he had directed the Presidential Metering Initiative to work with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, and other relevant stakeholders to commence the programme within the next 30 days.
He encouraged qualified young Nigerians to apply, saying the initiative would provide them with marketable skills while supporting efforts to eliminate estimated billing and improve electricity access nationwide.
“I encourage eligible young Nigerians to apply. Join The Power Force. Learn a skill. Earn with dignity. Help us end estimated billing and be part of the work to light up Nigeria,” he added.
The Federal Government has announced that the third evacuation flight for Nigerians voluntarily returning from South Africa will arrive Lagos today having departed Johannesburg at midnight yesterday with 271 returnees on board.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday by its spokesperson, Mr Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the Air Peace-operated flight is expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3, 2026.
It said the evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of Nigerians from South Africa.
“The third evacuation flight operated by Air Peace will depart Johannesburg today by 12 midnight with 271 returnees. The estimated time of arrival in Lagos is 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3, 2026,” the statement read.
The latest batch of returnees follows earlier evacuation flights that brought hundreds of Nigerians back to the country under the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme.