By Ngozi Nwankwo
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) comprising the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development and Friends of the Earth International have said there is the need for more funding and support for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The NGOs also commended HYPREP for the significant milestones the Project has recorded under Professor Nenibarini Zabbey as Project Coordinator.
Dr Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director, Centre-LSD and Hemantha Withanage, President, Friends of the Earth International, made this commendation after they were led by the Project Coordinator, Prof. Zabbey, to a visit to the various HYPREP projects in Ogoni.
They expressed satisfaction at the successes recorded in the provision of potable water, Construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), Ogoni Specialist Hospital, Livelihood programmes, among others, pledging to continue to sustain advocacy for the funding and sustainability of the projects.
At the Bomu waterfront, site for the HYPREP mangrove restoration project, the NGOs planted mangroves to demonstrate their support for the Project in its frantic effort to restore lost oil-degraded mangrove areas, having recorded 93% completion in Phase 1.
Speaking after the visit, Professor Zabbey stressed that HYPREP is disposed to collaborating with NGOs, institutions and development partners to ensure the actualisation of a sustainable cleanup of Ogoni, while reeling out its significant achievements. He added that this has been possible due to community support and ownership of the Project, which has been designed to position the Ogoni people as the centre piece of the cleanup programme.
In commemoration of this year’s World Mangrove Day, the PC led the visitors to a presentation of a Prolific Wildling Award to a Mother mangrove tree in the Bomu shore, which has produced over 15,000 seedlings.
He described this as a significant reflection of nature’s contribution to HYPREP’s mangrove restoration efforts in Ogoni as the seedlings will be replanted in the next phase of HYPREP’s large-scale mangrove restoration.
The Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Park, Bane, Khana LGA, also hosted the visitors, as they witnessed the PC donate an additional four turtles as a personal project and contribution to HYPREP’s ongoing environmental and biodiversity restoration in Ogoni.
HYPREP has maintained that it will continue to collaborate with stakeholders across divides toward a collective effort to deliver sustainable cleanup of Ogoni, provide knowledge legacies, expertise and framework for the remediation of other parts of Nigeria.