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In a significant milestone for the Ogoni cleanup initiative, the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP) has inaugurated new water facilities and training programs in the Bomu and Kporghor communities in Gokana local government area of Rivers State.
The project coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, while reaffirming his commitment to the effective and timely execution of the Ogoni Cleanup , stated that the commissioning of the Bomu and Kporghor water facilities marks a major step forward in the nation’s efforts to implement the UNEP Report on Ogoniland recommendations.
He said the event reflects the renewed vigour in accelerating the Ogoni cleanup in alignment with Priority 3, Deliverable 3 of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
“This agenda underscores environmental sustainability and community empowerment as critical pillars for sustainable development, and HYPREP is proud to contribute to this national goal,” he stated.
He also highlighted that access to clean and safe water is a fundamental human right and urged communities to protect these facilities for common use.
Beyond providing potable water, Professor Zabbey also reported advancements in land and shoreline remediation, with several contaminated sites rehabilitated across Ogoniland.
He further disclosed the nearing completion of training for 5,000 Ogoni youths and women in 20 skill areas, with the minister of environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, approving the provision of skill-specific starter packs to trainees.
In addition to that, Professor Zabby emphasised that healthcare facilities are also being strengthened in the four local government areas of Ogoniland, adding that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) is now 60.8 per cent complete, while the construction of the Ogoni Specialist Hospital is progressing, and the Buan Cottage Hospital has been roofed.
President Bola Tinubu has removed Olufemi Adekanmbi from his position as Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) just 48 hours after his appointment.
Adekanmbi’s appointment was made official on Saturday.
In a statement released on Monday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale announced that President Tinubu has reinstated Professor Nenibarini Zabbey as the HYPREP Project Coordinator.
Ngelale in the statement said the decision followed a performance review with President Tinubu concluding that Professor Zabbey is well-suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the role according to the project’s regulatory guidelines.
The reinstatement is effective immediately, as directed by the President.
A chieftain of the Movement for the Survival Of Ogoni People (MOSOP) Fegalo Nsuke on Sunday hailed President Bola Tinubu for his choice of Dr Olufemi Adekanmbi as new coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), saying the appointment marked a turning point for the Ogoni clean-up project.
The appointment of Adekambi, a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism in Ondo State and member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), was announced by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Saturday.
Nsuke who is recognised in a section of MOSOP as President, noted that even though the new coordinator was not from Ogoni, what mattered most under the present circumstance was competence and capacity to undertake the clean-up of Ogoni.
He lamented that Ogoni sons have been in the position in the past but could not deliver satisfactorily, adding “what matters to us is someone who can deliver. We have had Ogonis there for eight years and we’ve been disappointed. So if Adekanmbi does it right, we are fine with that.”
He also set an agenda for the new HYPREP coordinator. He said: “We want him to prioritize water provision and implement the integrated water project which was approved by the Governing Council of HYPREP in 2017.
“We will also want him to focus more on proper clean-up of both surface and underground pollution. That’s actually his mandate.”
Prof Iniodu George, an environmentalist and professor of environmental and public health parasitology in the department of environmental biology at the University of Cross River State, has commended Tinubu for the choice of Adekanmbi.
He said in an interview on Sunday: “The President anticipates the exercise of competence, dedication, and professionalism in fulfilling the mission of the HYPREP to restore and revitalize communities impacted by hydrocarbon pollution, with a primary focus on Ogoniland in Nigeria.
“We want him to prioritize water provision and implement the integrated water project which was approved by the Governing Council of HYPREP in 2017.
“I expect the new coordinator to spring into action to review the state of affairs in Ogoni clean-up effort and engage best available technology to enhance timely and permanent results in the remediation of the impacted ecosystems, as well chart a course for the provision of sustainable infrastructure and socioeconomic amenities, especially access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare.
“The appointment of a new project coordinator for HYPREP coming on the heels of the 2024 Niger Delta Summit, where the chronic devastation of the region’s environment was again vehemently decried by participants and natives, signifies a pragmatic intention by Mr. President to address the issues of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.”
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Olufemi Adekanmbi as the new Project Coordinator for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
According to a statement by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Saturday, Dr. Adekanmbi is a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism in Ondo State, and a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES).
He holds a Doctorate degree in Environmental Management.
“The President anticipates the exercise of competence, dedication, and professionalism in fulfilling the mission of the HYPREP to restore and revitalize communities impacted by hydrocarbon pollution, with a primary focus on Ogoniland in Nigeria,” he stated.