Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme (HYPREP) has confirmed that Ogoniland is now devoid of illegal artisanal refining activities, representing a major achievement for the area in terms of its efforts to restore its environment.
The body further disclosed that it was able to attain approximately 90 percent success rate in implementing mangrove restoration and shoreline cleaning programmes, one of the recommendations from the UNEP study on Ogoniland.
According to Dr. Uche Izuchukwu, an officer in charge of Mangrove Restoration Programmes at HYPREP, concerted effort through consultation with various stakeholders and cooperation with NOSDRA enabled HYPREP to succeed in removing all the artisanal refining sites within the region.
“Before this intervention, we consulted with artisanal refiners in Ogoni. Now, there is not even one active site for artisanal refining anywhere in Ogoniland,” he stated.
According to Izuchukwu, HYPREP has been able to rehabilitate about 560 hectares of shoreline, plant over 1.5 million mangrove saplings, and recover about two tons of oil from oil-spill polluted shorelines. He further stated that there is a success rate of 90 per cent with respect to planted mangroves despite difficulties such as insect attack.
The visiting delegation headed by Isaac Osuoka applauded HYPREP’s performance while admitting that pollution still presents a problem in the wider Niger Delta region.
Some of the visited sites included the Bomu mangrove rehabilitation site, water schemes, health care and remediation centers.
HYPREP officials have maintained that the clean up is not only environmentally focused but is aimed at developing a sustainable community through investments in water supply, health care, power generation and livelihood programs among others in Ogoniland.
