The Minister of State for the Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is organizing a 2-Day retreat with critical stakeholders in the environment sector in attendance.
This was contained in a statement signed by Director (Press) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Saghir El-Mohammed on Wednesday.
TheFact Nigeria learned that the retreat, slated to hold in Abuja between 17th and 19th March, 2022, would provide an opportunity for UNEP to present the recommendations it made in the report that was presented to the Federal Government in 2011 as well as the Federal Government Gazette on the establishment of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
Other stakeholders include; members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Governing Council (GC) and the Central Representatives Advisory Committee (CRAC) of HYPREP, UNEP, representatives of the Joint Venture Partners and management staff of the HYPREP.
It could be recalled that after years of non violent struggle and agitation for environmental rights and justice which attracted international attention, the Federal Government of Nigeria invited the United Nations Environment Program to carry out an environmental assessment of Ogoniland.
The Report was submitted to the Federal Government in 2011.
President Muhammadu Buhari had promised the Ogoni people during his campaign that if voted into power, he would implement the recommendations in the UNEP Report.
Recall also that in 2016 the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project was set up to carry out the Ogoni clean up in line with the recommendations in the UNEP report.
President Buhari had assured the people of Ogoni, the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and the International community that his government was still committed to the full implementation of the recommendations in the United Nations Environment Program report on Ogoniland, eleven years after the report was submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Chief Ikeazor had promised the Ogoni people that the Federal Government would ensure that the project recovered lost time and delivered on its mandate.
The retreat is expected to reposition HYPREP to function much more effectively and efficiently to deliver to the Ogoni people, the benefits of the project.
