The movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has said it was regrettable that six years after the take-off of the clean-up of Ogoni land, no meaningful result has been achieved.
The clean-up exercise, which is an implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, (UNEP) was recommended by the Federal Government due to oil spillage polluting the area.
MOSOP, in a statement on Thursday, commemorated the six years of flag-off of the Ogoni clean-up programme by President Muhammadu Buhari, who constituted the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) as implementing agency.
President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke claimed that the low achievement recorded by the HYREP was due to corruption and other malpractices that have taken over its activities.
“Not much has been achieved but corruption, mismanagement, and embezzlement. HYPREP has received over $800 million and additional N6 billion for water supplies. What we have seen is bribery and looting of the cleanup funds.
“I feel some compromise compelling the government and anti-corruption agencies to turn blind eye on several alarms and complaints coming from the communities and people who have consistently said the clean-up is only on the pages of newspapers. Where some work appears to be going on, what they are doing is covering spill sites with heaps of sand,” he said.
He added that the people of Ogoniland were fed up with the development and would want a halt in further funding for the project.
According to him, “It is important to check the financial mismanagement in HPREP.
“Government will also need to further investigate activities of HYPREP and ensure the gaps are significantly closed before funding for activities can resume.”
