By Barikui Felix
Stakeholders from the four Ogoni-speaking local government areas in Rivers State have lauded the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) for its implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland, saying the agency has renewed hope in the people.
Traditional rulers, political representatives, captains of industry, religious leaders, youths, and women from the four councils gave the commendation during HYPREP’s 2023–2025 midterm stakeholders’ scorecard event held in Port Harcourt.
The stakeholders, who reviewed HYPREP’s interventions in remediation, livelihood programmes, soil management, water supply, power, and more, agreed that the project is on the right track and aligned with UNEP’s recommendations.
Leading the assessment, the member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Dumnamene Dekor, praised the current HYPREP management led by Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, noting their passionate and energetic approach to tackling the challenges of the Ogoni people. He called on stakeholders, especially youths, to take ownership of the projects for their collective benefit.
Dekor said, “By my own assessment, the HYPREP we have today is doing their job with renewed vigour, and I say that with all sense of responsibility. Let me thank all former Project Coordinators who laid the foundation, but particularly, Professor Zabbey for driving the activities of HYPREP with such passion, and also the Honourable Minister for Environment, Balarabe Abbas. HYPREP is addressing those long-standing challenges, but I want to beg our people, especially our youths, to take full ownership and responsibility for these projects because they are here to serve us.”
Dekor, who also chairs the House Committee on Host Communities, decried acts of vandalism against HYPREP projects in some communities and urged beneficiaries of the agency’s empowerment programmes to make proper use of the opportunities.
He added, “Not all of those who collected laptops and other items meant to improve their lives are using them wisely. Many sold them off. We should advise ourselves. If we want to escape poverty and improve our lives, we must embrace these programmes.”
He also revealed that he had initiated a bill to give legal backing to HYPREP and ensure the sustainability of its achievements, urging all Ogonis to support the legislation.
Also speaking, Nigeria’s former ambassador to the Netherlands, Oji Ngofa, praised the stakeholder engagement approach, saying it fosters greater buy-in. He called for a sustainability framework to protect the project’s gains, recommending that HYPREP replicate the Water Consumer Association (WCA) model across other programmes to deepen community participation.
Ngofa said, “This is an interventionist programme, and it could end any day. How do we sustain it? We need a sustainability plan. One key area is ensuring our people are proficiently trained in soil remediation and management. If anything goes wrong in the future, our trained people can sustain and repair it.”
Former Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Barineme Fakae, commended the quality of work at the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) and called for full implementation of the technical committee report on the centre. He urged Ogoni contractors to approach the projects with a sense of humanity, prioritising impact over profit.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional institution, HRM Dr. Philip Obele, the Oneh-Eeh of Eleme, applauded the efforts of HYPREP and urged the management to honour the sacrifices of slain Ogoni heroes by ensuring the projects benefit the people.
He said, “The expectations of our heroes who died for this cause must not be forgotten. Let us do what will benefit our people in memory of those who sacrificed their lives.”
Earlier, HYPREP Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, said the midterm engagement was meant to present tangible progress, reinforce accountability, promote transparency, and foster direct interaction with the communities central to the project.
He stated that the scorecard presentation highlighted achievements across key areas, outlined existing challenges, and mapped out the road ahead, reiterating HYPREP’s commitment to the Ogoni cleanup.
Zabbey noted that the agency has made commendable progress in line with UNEP’s recommendations and its official mandate. In environmental remediation, he disclosed that more sites have been successfully remediated and certified, with several others at different stages.
“HYPREP has achieved the certification and official close-out of 50 remediated lots across 17 UNEP-assessed sites under its Phase 1 Remediation of Simple Sites,” he said.
“In addition to these, HYPREP secured NOSDRA certification and close-out for 13 Category N Sites, which previously lacked sufficient data. After reinvestigation, natural attenuation was found to have reduced contamination to acceptable levels, meaning these sites do not require further remedial actions.”
