Shell has reiterated its commitment and support towards the successful implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland.
The Shell Vice President, Corporate Relations Europe/Sub-Saharan Africa, Rob Sherwin stated this during a working visit to the Project Coordination Office of HYPREP in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
NatureNews gathered from the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) newsletter for March, 2023 that it was Rob Sherwin’s first visit to HYPREP.
Sherwin said, “This is my first visit to HYPREP but it’s not the first time I have heard about it. For the last two years, I have been following your progress closely. I have been to Geneva to meet with Mike Cowing and UNEP to hear from them and their progress assessment, and of course the SPDC Country Chair who sits on your Governing Council keeps me up to date as well.
‘’I haven’t visited your Clean-up operations, but I can only imagine the logistical challenges, the operational challenges, and the scientific challenges involved, and I hope you are confident that you will always have Shell’s full support.”
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However, he advised HYPREP to brace up for the challenges ahead in the complex sites.
He noted that Livelihood, Public Health, and Provision of Water are important deliverables of the Project, but the fundamental aspect is the removal of hydrocarbon contaminants of concern from the environment in a way that will restore the land to its natural state.
Representative of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on the Project, Engr. Ekiyokenegha Clark, appreciated the Vice President of Shell for always being at the forefront of activities.
He stated that the Ogoni Clean-Up Project is ongoing contrary to insinuations that nothing is happening in the communities.
The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr. Ferdinand Giadom while thanking the Vice President of Shell and his team for the visit to the Project Coordination Office, said that the Project has remediated 49 lots of the simple sites, while it is currently issuing award letters to contractors for the remediation of 39 lots in the semimedium risk sites which were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in December 2022.
Giadom stated further that the Project has received close-out certificates for 36 lots, while others are currently awaiting certification by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
