By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, has called for collaborative efforts from civil society organizations to prevent repollution of Ogoni, so as to sustain the recovery of lost species in the area.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Neenibarini Zabbey, made the call during an engagement session with members of the Codex Strategic Partnership Projects in Nigeria, who were in Ogoni on a fact-finding visit to cleanup and remediation sites, on Friday.
Addressing the CSOs, Zabbey called on them to form strategic partnerships on sensitisation of local communities, especially in the area of sustainable fishing and anti-artisanal refineries.
He said: “We need to sensitise the local communities on sustainable resource use. We need to sensitise them about sustainable fishing practises, and sensitise the local people against illegal artisanal refining that will cause new pollution.
“The water is very clean. The aquatic organisms, we saw crabs, we saw different species of crabs, small ones, big ones. They are coming back. But their sustainability depends on how much we care for the restored environment.”
Prof. Zabbey, who noted that environmental emphasis is turning to whole society, said there is need for the CSOs to come together and co-develop projects around carbon stock, assessment, climate finance, diversifying land use opportunities, especially now that the Ogoni mangrove wetlands have been designated as a Ramsar site of international importance.
“What that means is that it behoves on every stakeholder to ensure that the ecological character of the Ogoni mangrove creeks are maintained. It behoves on everybody to ensure that we promote investment in ecotourism because it’s about permanence.
“How do the people get funds beyond exploiting the mangrove resources? So, investors have to come in and invest in ecotourism. The sites are very beautiful. And if they are sustained, then people can come.
“All over the world, that’s what we do. We get to Naples in Florida. They have the camp park. What is there is total mangroves with boardwalk that they form through it. You don’t walk on the boardwalk. But for you to use the boardwalk and get to the sandy beaches, you have to pay money. That is ecotourism. That is the kind of things we want here. Not artisanal refinery,” he said.
He highlighted that that the restoration efforts by HYPREP was beginning to bring back the cultural landscape of Ogoni. “When you are in the mangroves, as we just went into the mangroves, the quality of the air, the ambience, tells you that it supports healthy living. It supports the health of people that are around here. And that’s why you can see people gathering at this waterfront.
“When we started the restoration, you can’t see anybody here. But if we move just behind this base camp, there is a big bar. Somebody has established a bar there. Where people go to socialise. Before now, they couldn’t do that. So we are not just restoring the mangroves. We are also restoring the cultural landscape bbecause that’s how the life of the people has been before the contamination.
“So they have a lot to do for us as civil society organisations. By developing projects that will support this wonderful initiative. And also by sensitising people working with critical stakeholders. For example, those who use dynamite in fishing. If they continue to use dynamite in fishing, it’s not sustainable. Because any blast of dynamite will kill many organisms. Not just the target species.
“What about those who use obnoxious chemicals like gammaline-3 in fishing? They need to be sensitised. Because when they apply it, it kills both the target and the non-target species. It also kills every life stages from the egg to the adult. And so they are not sustainable. So it is only civil society organisations that can map stakeholders like that and begin to sensitise them and think about alternative livelihood opportunities for them. That will help in conserving this beautiful restored ecosystem. And that will sustain the ecological character of the Ogoni Creeks,” he stated.
Speaking after visiting some of the sites, the consultant to the Codex Strategic Partnership Projects in Nigeria, Tolashe Olatewo, expressed joy that the advocacy carried out by the body towards the funding of HYPREP has yielded positive results.
He said: “For about five years, the Codex Strategic Partnership Projects supported HYPREP. We advocated to them on a number of things, including funding of HYPREP, including restoration of Oguniland, on improving livelihoods, providing alternative livelihoods. And we’ve come here after five years that the project has ended. It’s heartwarming to see that HYPREP has actually done some of the things we advocated for.
“We are very pleased to see that HYPREP is not just working programmes anymore, but they’ve made substantial leaps. They’ve done great feats in terms of achieving their mandates. And this is very pleasing as far as the Dutch project, the Dutch government that funded this project, as far as they are concerned.”
He noted with joy the significant improvement on the Ogoni environment, saying, “We are pleased to have also been able to plant. Before, we couldn’t go to plant. But now, as a project, as partners, we’ve also planted some seedlings. And we hope in the coming years that the more expansive lands will be restored.
“One of the things we are proud to look back and say we actually advocated for was the release of funds. We are happy to come back five years after we’ve done this to say that the money has been well spent.”
On her part, Dr. Emem Kabetkeche, the Women Development and Resource Centre, noted that HYPREP has been able to include women in its program, which was one of the areas of advocacy.
“Specifically I am impressed because in the strategic partnership, my organisation was actually advocating for women’s inclusion. And I am impressed at the level of women’s inclusion five years after we concluded the project
“Today after everything we have heard and seen, there is going to be another milestone and target we are going to set for ourselves. And I see us going back to the Dutch Embassy to say the assignment we had many years ago we have achieved. And there is so much change in Ogoni and so much achievement in the cleanup process. So we are going to set other objectives and we will start work,” she stated..
Highpoint of the visit was the planting of mangroves at the Bomu restoration site by members of the group.
