
In line with its mandate to provide portable water to Ogoni communities affected by oil spill, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has disclosed that two (2) water schemes in its Phase II water Project will be completed and ready for commissioning in February 2025.
The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey gave the hint shortly after his visit to the water facilities and some shoreline remediation sites in K-Dere, Gokana Local Government Area (LGA).
Expressing satisfaction at the pace of work and the determination and commitment of community workers to the Project. Zabbey stated that the visit was to appraise the level of work on these projects and to encourage community workers as a way of enhancing the speed and quality of the work.
He further said two additional water schemes in Beeri and Bunu in Khana and Tai LGAs respectively which were in its Phase II water Project will be completed and ready for commissioning in February 2025 as part of the Project’s mandate to provide potable water to impacted communities in Ogoni.
With these water projects at very advanced stages of completion, the Project Coordinator expressed delight that more communities will have access to clean drinking water, noting that other HYPREP’s projects viz public health interventions, remediation, livelihood among others would improve the overall quality of life of the Ogoni people.
Reacting to the brief interface with the K-Dere Community and the warm reception accorded him, Professor Zabbey said the spontaneity of the gesture during such an unannounced visit was indicative of the level of acceptance and buy-in the Project was getting from Ogoni communities.
At the engagement with leadership of K-Dere, the he promised to reconvene a meeting with the community to discuss some demands raised by them. He reiterated that the Project was community-centric and both stakeholder buy-in and useful feedback were necessary for effective project implementation.
He, however, requested the community to have women representation in the scheduled meeting in line with the Project’s policy of gender inclusion. He added that as drivers of the local economy, women should not be left out in discussions that would affect them.
Speaking further on the visit to the K-Dere shoreline, the Project Coordinator said he was excited at the return of oysters. The oyster is a salt water bivalve molluscs that was once in abundance before the environmental pollution in the creeks. He attributed this positive development as an improvement in the ecosystem following the ongoing remediation of the environment by HYPREP.
HYPREP is currently carrying out 34 shoreline remediation works in Gokana LGA and the construction of 14 water lots in its Phase II water Project which will provide portable water to 68 communities. At date the shoreline cleanup is at 25% completion, covering 123 grids across 357.6 of 1747.6 ha. Also the general percentage completion for the 14 water lots is 55.56%.
The visit of the Project Coordinator to these projects further demonstrates his commitment to ensuring that project timelines are met, there is value for money and a sustainable and fit for purpose project delivery is actualized.
“This year, we will embark on a lot of trading, an area that we want to place more emphasis on is the aspect of agribusiness so building their capacity in aquaculture, non destructive aquaculture, because we support aquaculture that will destroy the ecosystem, so we are going to train them on sustainable aquaculture, and that will enhance food security in the region, and Ogoni will contribute to national food security.
“So what we are doing is not just for the Boni people. Is for contiguous communities. It’s also for the Nigerian nation as a whole, because ogoni used to be a full basket of this region,and what we are doing will return ogoni to those good orders”, he said.