By Fatima Saka
The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, has implored all stakeholders to remain calm and continue to co-operate with HYPREP as it strives to execute its mandate.
This was revealed in a press statement signed by Saghir el Mohammed, Director Press, Federal Ministry of Environment on Friday in Abuja.
Abdullahi emphasized that the Federal Ministry of Environment will continue to provide purposeful leadership towards the actualization of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to clean, remediate and restore the polluted environment not only in Ogoniland but the rest of the Niger Delta and beyond.
He also assured the general public that the establishment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is guided by legal instruments and International obligations which effectively placed it under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Moreover, this is in line with the Government gazette and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report guiding the establishment of HYPREP as the project is aimed at solving environmental challenges and therefore is appropriately domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Environment.
He further informed the general public that President Muhammadu Buhari has through a memo dated 28th April, 2022 with Ref No, PRES/81/SGF/82 conveyed via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, reiterated the oversight of the Federal Ministry of Environment over HYPREP and has directed the Minister of Environment to deliver on the Ogoniland cleanup.
While approving the reorganization of the operations of HYPREP to make it more effective, President Buhari equally directed for the full audit of the accounts of HYPREP from inception to date.
The Ministry therefore assures all International Oil Companies (IOCs), partners and Ogoni Stakeholders of the commitment of the Federal Government to those instruments and obligations.