Dec. 24, 2021

…Appeals for provision of potable water to communities

A Non-Governmental Organisation under the aegis of Ogoni Liberation Initiative, has appealed to Federal Government has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to halt further payment to Hydrocaborn Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP), alleging that the agency had always misused the fund released for the clean up.

The President of the group, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, made the appeal in an interview with Newsmen after a town hall meeting with the stakeholders from six kingdom of Ogoniland in Bori, traditional headquarters of Ogoni.

He added that there was no central office of HYPREP in Ogoni land to enable the people have access and be abreast with the activities and Programmes of HYPREP.

Fabeke said that all the affected sites were still as it were, with no provision of portable drinking water after decades of pollution of Ogoni source of drinking water.

“There should be in all the six Kingdoms of Ogoni established clean drinkable water with water treatment plants of international standard as recommended by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report,” he said.

“Ever since the establishment of HYPRPEP, no central office of HYPREP in Ogoni land to enable the people have access and be abreast with the activities and programs of HYPREP, contracts are awarded to companies and individuals as political patronage, to clean up Ogoni environment,

“No establishment of Centre of Excellence, neither is there any general registry of the Ogoni people to ascertain their health conditions as recommended by UNEP.

“There should be a clear master plan of environmental restoration and management; considering that all host communities are plagued with environmental degradation and pollution.

“Adequate compensation should be paid to the Ogoni people for the sufferings, death of love ones and contamination of our environment resulting from the decades of unpleasant method and manner of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the area with its attendant atrocities,” he said.

The highlights of the stakeholders’ meeting was on the presentation of a final Resolution on the oil resumption and community development in Ogoni, which the representatives said will be globally published.
Also be presented to President Buhari and other World Leaders and the United Nations.(NAN)