The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is preparing to launch the second phase of the Ogoni shoreline cleanup and mangrove restoration as it marks ten years of the Ogoni Cleanup exercise.
HYPREP Project Coordinator Professor Nenibarini Zabbey announced this during the third-quarter key regulators and asset owners meeting organised by the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in Port Harcourt.
He said progress in environmental remediation, public health, livelihoods and peace-building has exceeded the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme.
Professor Zabbey told representatives from the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), civil society organisations and asset owners on Tuesday, September 2, 2026 that the project has recorded significant achievements.
These include the remediation of soil and groundwater, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, and the supply of potable water to more than 30 communities in Ogoniland.
He noted that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration is now 93 per cent complete.
“Beyond the original recommendations, the project has also built a 43-bed cottage hospital and the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, supplied ambulances, and provided technical support to health facilities to improve healthcare delivery for residents.
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A three-year comprehensive human health monitoring programme, carried out with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, has been launched. The project has created more than 6,000 jobs and trained over 2,300 Ogoni youths and women in high-demand skills such as cybersecurity, rigging, mud-logging, crowd-mapping, animation and graphic design.
Peace-building efforts have focused on regular quarterly engagements with youths and other stakeholders. Collaboration with former artisanal refiners has helped eliminate illegal crude oil refining in Ogoni, reducing the risk of re-pollution and contributing to relative calm in the area.”
Professor Zabbey acknowledged that seasonal weather constraints have slowed progress.
“Heavy rainfall peaks in July and September often flood some remediation sites in the Niger Delta, causing delays.”
He said the Project Coordination Office will accelerate activities once the rainy season ends, with particular attention to the flooded sites, to recover lost time and meet targets.
According to Professor Zabbey, as part of the tenth anniversary activities, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, will visit Ogoniland to flag off the second phase of the mangrove restoration project and the shoreline cleanup.
“More than 1,500 community workers trained to support both initiatives will receive International Maritime Organisation certificates.” He said
The Coordinator called on all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in protecting the ecological character of the Ogoni Wetland, promoting the wise use of its resources, and attracting ecotourism investment that can support conservation.
“There is a need for all parties to continue working together to deliver the expected results in the overall public interest,” he said, urging asset owners, regulators and partners to sustain their support for the cleanup mandate.
