By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Governing Council of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, has commended the Project Coordination Office for its livelihood programs being carried out as part of the Ogoni cleanup, stating that it will bring sustainable development to the area.
The Governing Council made the commendation after a two-day assessment visit of project sites and livelihood training centres across the four local government areas that make up Ogoni,.on Thursday.
Adressing journalists at the end of the visit, the Governing Council Team led by Prof. Wibiere Michael, expressed commitment in making sure that all projects are completed as soon as possible to the benefit of the Ogoni people.
Prof Michael also stated that the Council will work with the Project Coordination Office to ensure that issues hampering some of the projects are resolved immediately, so as to enable their timely completion.
“We are quite impressed that HYPREP is also concerned with the livelihood programmes. We have 2,300 sons and daughters in different programmes.
“Whatever the council is going to do to ensure that the projects are completed as soon as possible we are going to do it. The point we are now, is that any contractor that because of fund left the site, is coming back as soon as possible,” he said.
Earlier, Prof. Michael, while addressing beneficiaries of the Software Development Training at the ICT Department, Rivers State University, expressed concerns over the attitude of some beneficiaries of the HYPREP’s training initiative s, urging Ogoni people to utilise the opportunities being provided.
Prof. Michael also urged them to be good ambassadors of the project by retelling the stories of the project. “We notice that most of you do not come out and some come late. So much money is invested in this programme.
“We thought that the people who were selected would take it seriously. Our people should take advantage of these opportunities being given to them,” he said.
Speaking at the VuroVuro Creek remediation site in B-Dere community, Gokana local government area, Technical Assistant to the Project Coordinator on Shoreline Cleanup, Peter Lenu, called for the reassessment of some projects for better implementation, stating that the cleanup on the shoreline site could not start because of variation in the project approval.
Lenu also called for scope adjustment of the VuroVuro shoreline remediation, noting that over the years, the level of deposition of hydrocarbons on the shorelines, especially, B-Dere had become so enormous.
He said: “The contractor here has been working seriously. In fact, so much metric tones of oil that has been recovered, evaporated, treated, some are still there waiting for it to be evacuated. And the scope of the contract is already getting exhausted and then, we can’t finish up the work.
“That is why we recommended to the management of HYPREP that there will be need for a reassessment of the exact scope, depth of contamination and expanse, so that we can do a good job.
“It is important for us to do a good job here, especially because of that history of oil spill and it is along the road. If HYPREP doesn’t do anything good here, any person comes here to work and takes the sample and they question the work done.”
Meanwhile, the Director, Technical Services at HYPREP, Damain Aguiyi, who conducted the council members to project sites, said the visit would foster a better working relationship between the Coordination office and the Council.
He said: “It is a welcomed development because the visit would solve some of the challenges that arise while the projects are being executed.
“We belive it will foster a closer working relationship between the Project Coordination and the Governing Council. Their ability and commitment are not in doubt. It means it would be a good day for the project execution,” he said.
Areas visited by the Governing Council Team included the Software Development Training for 152 Ogoni Youths at the ICT Department of the Rivers State University, being carried out in collaboration with BBK Resources Limited, the 100-Bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital, B-Dere Water Project, Bomu Mangrove Restoration Site, Ogoni Power Project in Bodo, VuroVuro Shoreline Cleanup, amongst others.
