President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Ogoni Trust Fund and the Governing Council of the fund which are two organs of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), which will drive the clean-up of Ogoniland.
One-time Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Wale Edun, was inaugurated as Chairman of the BoT While the council is chaired by Environment Minister, Hajia Amina Muhammed.
Speaking during the inauguration, held at the Presidential villa, Abuja, the President declared that he is committed to the restoration of Ogoni revealing that the exercise is expected to take 20 years, according to a United Nations Enviroment Programme (UNEP) Report, hence, the need for the fund.
He lamented thatthe exercise was starting five years after the UNEP report was released but said that the next five years would address emergency response measures and remediation, while the subsequent years will aim to restore the ecosystem in the Delta.
“Today marks another milestone in the commitment that this administration has made in ensuring the implementation of the UNEP Report in Ogoniland and other impacted sites,” he said.
“This is a very important endeavour that has direct impact on the lives and livelihood of our brothers and sisters whose environments have been severely degraded by years of unchecked pollution from oil exploration activities.
“It is exactly five years today, on the 4th of August 2011, the UNEP submitted an extensive report on its environmental assessment of Ogoniland.
“That report, which was commissioned by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not only document the problems that existed, but also contained recommendations on how they can be addressed, both in the short and long terms.
“Five years on, the project is yet to properly take off. It would appear to have experienced a series of false starts, while the local communities continue to suffer from the problem, which has existed long before the report.
“Indeed, a project of this magnitude requires extensive planning, scientific analysis, community involvement, and genuine partnerships. As a result, it will require patience and understanding of the key stakeholders as we move forward.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the project remains on course, as we face the challenges of high expectations and the current conflict in the Niger Delta.
“This project would serve as the gold standard for the clean-up of similar polluted areas in other parts of the Niger Delta, and the world.
“I use this opportunity, through you, to call upon the local communities especially our youth, who will be the direct beneficiaries of this effort, to work with us in ensuring the security of the project and persons implementing them. Even more so, that we prevent the re-contamination of the polluted sites in Ogoniland.
“In appointing each and every one of you, I expect that you will give your utmost commitment to ensuring the highest standard of transparency and accountability in this important task.”
