Some stakeholders in the Niger Delta have called on Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to implement necessary emergency measures as proposed by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) before the commencement of the Ogoni-Clean up.
Executive director, Kebedkache Women Development and Recourses Centre, Emem Okon, stated this during a one-day media pally in partnership with Catholic Organisation for Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID).
Represented by the media assistant, Pius Dukor, Okon opined that media advocacy on Ogoni-clean up will go a long way to sensitize the public and other policymakers in the region, adding that it will address media misconception and incorrect information about projects that are geared towards the implementation of the cleanup exercise.
According to her, this also will ensure pressure on target stakeholders for the independence of HYPREP and effective implementation of the emergency measures.
“The governing council has met severally with other constitutional bodies confirming in an interactive section with the governing council members held in February 2017 that funds have been released to HYPREP for the implementation of the emergency measures. It has also been observed that HYPREP has not been as effective as it is expected to be because it is managed under the bureaucratic bottlenecks of the Federal ministry of environment.
“I think that the emergency measures which include the provision of water in Ogoniland, the water they are drinking contains benzene over one thousand times as being stated by the UNEP report. Where will they dump the waste from the site since HYPREP has shifted the idea of building the integrated soil management centre”
She further urged HYPREP to train women and youths of the area in sundry activities in the cleanup exercise as contained in the UNEP report.
“Engage the youth in training so that they can now remove their hand from the illegal refining that will re-pollute Ogoniland again, training women in the livelihood way as they are breadwinners of their families to become sustainable and sustaining the project and knowing that with this the project can move forward. These were the things UNEP warned HYPREP to fix but till now, none of these things is in the process but they want to start the cleanup? how will they jump start? We are using the media to advocate for them to do those things UNEP required of them”
