By Obiabin Onukwugha
Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and an advocacy group, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) have sharply disagreed over time duration for the Ogoni cleanup.
While HYPREP recently said the larger percentage of the cleanup project, which commenced in 2017, would be completed in 2025, YEAC-Nigeria told NatureNews last weekend that it would take 25 to 30 years from the commencement year to be successfully completed.
Speaking in sn exclusive interview in Port Harcourt, the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene, said apart from the longer time than expected, only relevant stakeholders collaboration can produce the successful clean up and remediation of the Ogoni environment.
He was reacting to a statement by the HYPREP Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, which indicated that a significant number of the Ogoni clean up projects, including soil and groundwater remediation, shoreline clean up and mangrove restoration, amongst others, will be completed for public use in 2025.
Fyneface argued that the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report, which gave birth to the Ogoni clean up, stated that it will take between 25 to 30 years to clean up and restore the environment.
He said: “The UNEP report actually portrayed the fact that the Ogoni environment is polluted with Benzene, which was found in Ogoni underground water, 900 times above World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended standards.
“When the report was released the cleanup did not take place till 2015 when the former President, Muhammadu Buhari flagged off the process. So by 2017 the project actually started in earnest.
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“So if you check how many years have been spent so far it is less than ten years since the project commenced and we still have over 15 years to 20 years to go.
“HYPREP is saying that they will complete the shoreline, it is not possible because shoreline is one the most technical aspects of the Ogoni clean up that cannot be completed within the next five years. I was in Ogoni on January 1 and I saw parts of the shoreline that are still polluted.
“So it is wrong for the HYPREP coordinator that is said to have signed that statement to say that shoreline and mangrove restoration will be completed this year, it’s not possible.
“Mangrove process, is process of restoration and before you think of restoration you would have completed clean up and remediation of both the land and shoreline.”
On the reported pulling out of the clean up project by UNEP, the YEAC-NIGERIA Executive Director, stated that the project needs stakeholder collaboration, especially UNEP and all the regulatory bodies.
“I know about the fact that UNEP wanted to pull out of the Ogoni clean up project because UNEP felt that the monies weren’t being utilised for the purpose for which they were recommended.
“When they saw some element of politicization of the project and awarding of contracts to some people who are not qualified to get contracts, they felt that they shouldn’t be associated with it so that they are not roped into some of the things that are happening there.”
He emphasized that the Ogoni clean up was recommended to last between 25 to 30 years, and by virtue of the fact that the project started in 2016, 2016 to 2025 is a short time for the project to be completed.
