By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, has described the ongoing Ogoni cleanup as a contemporary approach to caring for biodiversity.
Leenknegt, stated this when he paid a visit to the HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend.
The visit is coming three days after the visit of the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malik Fall, and other UN agencies to HYPREP.
Speaking, Leenknegt, accompanied by the First Secretary of the Embassy of Belgium, Dorien Laewnen, acknowledged HYPREP’s effort in addressing livelihood and environmental restoration in the Niger Delta, describing it as ”a contemporary approach to caring for biodiversity while also caring for the communities that live with those and making them also custodians of the environment”
Related Posts
He said the visit was to assess the level of progress made on the Ogoni cleanup programme and follow up talks on areas of support.
Responding, the HYPREP Coordinator, Professor Barineni Zabbey, maintained that the Project is keen on such partnerships that foster development even as it is contributing to other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 1,2,6,13,14,17 and more).
He noted that the Project is mobilizing stakeholders towards achieving sustainable cleanup, stakeholders that can be of help to the Project in terms of experience sharing, funding, mobilizing community support etc.
The PC further stated that HYPREP is at a critical stage where the various projects are impacting local communities and livelihoods. He intimated the envoy on the various projects HYPREP is carrying out and added that these projects are driven by community people.
He expressed optimism that more jobs will be created with the Project progressing significantly as more projects are to be commissioned this year, which include the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), Buan and Ogoni Specialist Hospitals and potable water schemes among others.
