Ogoni mangrove restoration project nearing completion – HYPREP

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project said it has achieved 94 per cent completion in the first phase of the mangrove restoration programme.

Also, the body said significant progress has been recorded in land and shoreline remediation activities across Ogoniland.

HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, disclosed this during the third quarter interactive session with Ogoni youth groups, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Zabbey said the interactive forum, which began in 2023, was designed to foster transparency, inclusiveness, and constructive engagement with Ogoni youths on the progress of the ongoing environmental cleanup and development projects.

“The project remains on course to achieve its mandate as outlined in the UNEP Report on the Ogoni environment and the official gazette establishing HYPREP.

“We are committed to transparency and accountability in implementing the cleanup projects and activities,” he stated.

Zabbey said beyond mangrove restoration, shoreline remediation had reached 67.1 per cent completion, while phase two of land remediation stood at 36.55 per cent.

On the potable water supply, the HYPREP boss revealed that 14 completed water facilities had been inaugurated, supplying clean drinking water to 40 Ogoni communities.

He added that two additional facilities in Bane and Gwara in the Khana local government areas of the state would be inaugurated next week.

According to Zabbey, after the inauguration, the number of safe water facilities in Ogoni communities would increase to 45.

“The process of operationalising the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Remediation has begun, while the Ogoni Power Project is progressing steadily with compensation and construction works at Bodo and Wiiyaakara substations ongoing,” he said.

Zabbey further said work on the Ogoni Specialist Hospital had reached 76.8 per cent completion, while the Buan Cottage Hospital was at 98.7 per cent, alongside other public health interventions such as the ongoing Human Bio-Monitoring Survey.

On livelihood development, the HYPREP boss noted that over 7,000 Ogoni women and youths had benefited from employment opportunities, while 5,000 others had been trained in various skills and provided with start-up kits.

“Workshops, education grants, scholarships, and other empowerment programmes will be sustained.

“Training in demand-driven skills such as cyber security, full-stack development, mud logging, commercial diving, and underwater welding will start this quarter,” he announced.

Zabbey urged Ogoni youths to remain peaceful, shun misinformation, and collaborate with project teams in their communities, stressing that the success of the cleanup depended largely on their unity and constructive engagement.

“This project belongs to all of you, and its success depends mainly on your participation, unity, and constructive engagement. Let us continue to address challenges through dialogue rather than confrontation,” Zabbey stated.

He commended the HYPREP security team for maintaining peace and order across project sites, noting that their professionalism had contributed to stability in Ogoni communities.

He reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment to ensuring that “the benefits of the Ogoni cleanup reach all categories of Ogoni youths, whether in business, farming, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship, or community development.”

Ogoni cleanup project: mangrove restoration nears completion