FG Approves N129bn for Ogoni Clean-up, Other Niger Delta Projects

FG Approves N129bn for Ogoni Clean-up

The Federal Government has approved an additional sum of N129.8bn for the fulfilment of the United Nations Environment Programme on Ogoni Clean-up.

The approval given by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, in Abuja, is also meant to address various other projects under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

This was revealed by Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, during a brief with newsmen after a FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja.

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According to Garba, the approved sum would cater for the second phase of the Ogoni water project and the central remediation of newly-identified hydrocarbon-impacted sites.

Shehu, who described the meeting as “Ogoni Day”, said Niger Delta Ministry approved another N22.8bn for the second phase of the Ogoni water project and N107bn for the central remediation of newly-identified hydrocarbon-impacted sites.

He said, “You also can rightly call today as a true Ogoni day because two major contracts were approved for Ogoni. And you know that Ogoni is one of the flagships of the Buhari administration. And we’re obviously are aware that the whole world is watching Nigeria and seeing what we’re doing here.

“So there are water projects that have been awarded under the second phase in Ogoni land amounting to N22.8bn. Approval was also given for the award for the contract for the remediation of newly identified hydrocarbon impacted sites along the shoreline of Ogoni land and this is for about N107bn.”

Daily Report Nigeria recalls that the United Nations Environment Programme released its Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland in August 2011.

The report was inaugurated and delivered to the Goodluck Jonathan administration with recommendations made for the the oil and gas industry and communities to begin a comprehensive cleanup of Ogoniland, restore polluted locations and end all forms of ongoing oil contamination in the region.

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The operation was eventually flagged off in June 2016 by the Vice President with the re-inauguration of the cleanup project and set up Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project HYPREP to oversee the total rehabilitation of the contaminated and polluted sites of Ogoni communities.

The process has reportedly suffered delays as thousands of Ogonis from its six kingdoms of Babbe, Eleme, Gokana, Ken-Khana, Nyo Khana and Tai await to see the full impact of the exercise.