Ogoni Clean Up: Group calls for sack of Minister, HYPREP

By Kingsley Chukwuka

The non performance of the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor and the compromise from the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), has informed a good reason for the sack of the Minister and the dissolution of HYPREP, a group otherwise called the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), has said.

President of the Group, Dr. Fabeke Douglas said the decision was reached after a meeting of all representatives from oil and non-oil bearing communities in Ogoni was held.

Fabeke said the compromise was in connection of the “Ogoni Clean Up”.

In a Statement sent to our correspondent Thursday, Fabeke confirmed that the oil region passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister and HYPREP Board during a town hall meeting in Bori community headquarter of Ogoni.

“We call on President Mohammadu Buhari to halt further payment to HYPREP. The agency has always misused the billions of naira given to them.

“Ever since the establishment of HYPRPEP, there is no single UNEP Report Recommendation that has been effectively implemented.

“All the impacted sites are still as it were, no provision of portable drinking water after decades of pollution of Ogoni source of drinking water: no central office of HYPREP in Ogoni land to enable the people have access and be abreast with the activities and programs of HYPREP.

“Contracts are awarded to companies and individuals as political patronage, to clean up Ogoni environment: no establishment of Centre of Excellence, neither is there any general registry of the Ogoni people to ascertain their health conditions as recommended by UNEP.

“It is worrisome that the Minister of Environment who is expected to take action against HYPREP has remained silent on the matter, despite her several visits to Ogoniland.

“We caution Shell and any other company parading themselves in Ogoni communities, claiming to repair pipeline to stay clear from the oil facilities in any of the Ogoni communities.

“The supreme court judgement on ownership of OML11 made it clear that Shell does not have any right to step on any of the oil site nor pipeline.

“We have taken a bold steps to recover all the blessings of the Ogoni people acting on the Ogoni Bill of Right presented to the Nigeria Government.

“The highlight of the stakeholders meeting was presentation of a final Resolution on the oil resumption and community development in Ogoni, which the representatives said will be globally publish and also be presented to President Buhari and other World Leaders and the United Nations”, he said.

Fabeke further said there should be a clear master plan of environmental restoration and management; considering that all host communities are plagued with environmental degradation and pollution.

He noted that the clean-up exercise in Ogoniland is not in line with international standard and best practices, thus should be re-visited.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria should therefore partner with an International Agency to expedite actions and clean the land in line with the recommendations of UNEP as contained in the UNEP Report.

“There should be established in all the six Kingdoms of Ogoni, a clean drinkable water with water treatment plants of international standard as recommended by UNEP Report.

“There should be a reintegration of Ogoni refugees in Benin Republic and other countries in the world into the society through building of houses for them, empowerment and good welfare packages”, Fabeke said.