By Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku (Special Correspondent) & Igbotako Nowinta (Nigeria Bureau Chief)
Benin City, Nigeria – Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth, ERA/FoEN has said that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, has failed to deliver on any of the
recommendations set out in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for its implementation.
ERA executive director, Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, made this known while presenting an August 2022 report to newsmen on Wednesday at the Kenule Saro-Wiwa Gallery Benin City, Edo State, titled UNEP ASSESSMENT REPORT AND HYPREP’s PERFORMANCE SCORECARD.
Ojo who noted that the report was an evaluation of the implementation of UNEP’s environment assessment of Ogoniland 11 years after, also said that SHELL has continued to meddle in the clean-up process by ‘reinforcing its failed and substandard remediation processes on HYPREP’.
Dr Ojo said that even though HYPREP had less than average achievements with health, livelihood and provision of water, issues making it impossible for HYPREP to deliver on its mandate include inter alia, issues of transparency and accountability, poor communications, political influence, low staff capacity and a high turnover of 6 ministers in five years (2016-2022) in the Federal Ministry of Environment.
For the Ogoni clean-up to move forward, Dr Ojo said that there must be a HYPREP Audit. “If the Nigerian government, the Ogoni people and her partners are going to request the international community to support the continuation of the remediation and restoration exercise, there must be transparency and accountability in the way the initial $1 billion fund was utilized.
“Apart from the audit of the accounts of HYPREP, an audit of the cleanup and remediation work done by HYPREP should also be carried out by an independent body. However, stakeholders must remain vigilant to ensure that this directive does not become counterproductive and an unwelcomed distraction from the remediation and restoration work that must take place in Ogoniland.
“We are witnesses to the long-drawn-out process that a similar directive on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is having on the work of the commission.
“We demand assurances that the audit process will not hinder the cleanup process in any material way, and that the process of choosing the auditing firm should be open and public, clear timelines should be drawn up for submission of the audit report and action on the audit report,” Dr Ojo said.
In addition, the ERA executive director said the control of the environment minister on the activities of HYPREP must be reduced to the barest minimum.
“ERA asks for a further review the HYPREP structure to ensure that the original goals of having an independent, transparent, accountable, and flexible structure that allows for efficiency in the delivery of HYPREP’s activities are achieved and importantly that HYPREP does not become a channel for political patronage,” Dr Ojo said.
Alltimepost.com contacted Mr. Saghir El-Mohammed, Director of Communications, Ministry of the Environment Abuja for his comments on the ERA report, but there was no response at press time
