Dr Mohammed Abubakar, the Minister of Environment, has said a review of the procurement processes and payments on contracts awarded for the clean-up of Ogoniland, will go a long way in clearing the bottlenecks towards the successful implementation of the project.
The minister during a joint meeting of the governing council (GC) and board of trustees (BOTs) of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), noted that the issue of clean-up of Ogoniland is hinged on the need to safeguard the livelihood of Niger Deltans.
He explained that there was a need to consider the exact size of land to be cleaned to avoid further contamination and pollution.
Abubakar also called for comprehensive actions that will decisively address the acute water shortage in Ogoniland.
The minister expressed worry over the slow pace of the clean-up exercise, just as he assured that the president would fully support the project.
According to him, “We should make the exercise work, else, it will be a shame to Nigeria, and we must do something to salvage the livelihood of Ogoni people and other communities impacted by oil pollution.”
The HYPREP coordinator, Marvin Dekil, insisted that there were 21 contractors at 21 different sites currently working for the clean-up exercise, adding that plans were underway to speed up the provision of potable water in the community.
