By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
The President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the people of Ogoni, the Niger Delta, Nigeria and the International community that his government is still committed to the full implementation of the recommendations in the United Nations Environment Program,UNEP, Report on Ogoniland, eleven years after the report was submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The assurance is not unconnected with the promise that President Muhammadu Buhari made to the Ogoni people during his campaign that if voted into power, he will implement the recommendations in the UNEP Report. in 2016 the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) was set up to carry out the Ogoni clean up in line with the recommendations in the UNEP Report.
It will be recalled that after years of nonviolent struggle and agitation for environmental right and justice which attracted international attention, the Federal Government of Nigeria invited UNEP to carry out an environmental assessment of Ogoniland. The Report was submitted to the Federal Government in 2011.
To actualise this, the Minister of State for the Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor in collaboration with UNEP will be organising a 2-Day retreat with critical stakeholders comprising of members of the Board of Trustees,BoT) the Governing Council,GC, and the Central Representatives Advisory Committee,CRAC, of HYPREP, UNEP, representatives of the Joint Venture Partners and management staff of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project HYPREP.
The Director Press, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Saghir El-Mohammed announced the retreat in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said the retreat, which will hold in Abuja on 17th and 19th March, 2022, will provide an opportunity for UNEP to present the recommendations it made in the report that was presented to the Federal Government in 2011 as well as the Federal Government Gazette on the establishment of HYPREP.
Ikeazor had promised the Ogoni people that the Federal Government will ensure that the project recovers lost time and delivers on its mandate.
The retreat is expected to reposition HYPREP to function much more effectively and efficiently to deliver to the Ogoni people the benefits of the project.
