• Seeks backing from donors, oil firms, diplomatic community as funding wanes
•Remediation project unveils climate-smart agric plan
•Coordinator says over 7,000 direct jobs created, 5,000 persons trained
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) yesterday intensified efforts to mobilise financial and technical support for the ongoing cleanup of Ogoniland, rallying stakeholders, including donors, oil firms, financial institutions and the diplomatic community for the completion of the project.
Besides, the federal government reaffirmed its commitment to restoring the degraded environment of the Niger Delta and addressing decades of pollution linked to oil exploration activities.
Speaking in Abuja at a High-level Conference on Donor Facilitation and Diplomatic Support for Environmental Restoration and Sustainable Development in Ogoniland, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said the federal government remained committed to completing the Ogoni cleanup and ensuring long-term environmental restoration across the Niger Delta.
While acknowledging the humongous work so far done by the organisation since its establishment, the minister however stressed that existing funding arrangements were becoming depleted, calling on development partners, donor agencies, financial institutions, and the private sector to support the project.
“While substantial progress has been made, the journey is not yet complete. Full implementation of the UNEP recommendations requires long-term commitment, sustained financial and technical support, continuous environmental monitoring, infrastructure operation and maintenance, ecosystem management, and sustained community development interventions.
“The resources that have driven much of the progress achieved to date, particularly under the UNEP-supported framework and related funding arrangements, are nearing exhaustion. At this critical stage, additional support is essential to consolidate existing gains, complete outstanding projects, strengthen institutional capacity, and ensure the long-term sustainability of remediation outcomes.
“We therefore call on development partners, donor agencies, international financial institutions, philanthropic foundations, private-sector organisations, and members of the diplomatic community to deepen their engagement with HYPREP,” he stated.
According to him, the support, whether financial, technical, scientific, technological, or strategic will be crucial to ensuring the successful completion and sustainability of the landmark project and to realising the full promise of environmental restoration, improved livelihoods, public health, and sustainable development in Ogoniland.
“The restoration of Ogoniland is not merely a Nigerian undertaking; it is a global model for environmental recovery, climate resilience, and international cooperation. Its success will demonstrate what can be achieved when governments, communities, development partners, and the private sector unite around a shared vision of environmental stewardship and human development,” Lawal added.
The minister explained that since its establishment, HYPREP has achieved remarkable results, with hundreds of hectares of hydrocarbon-polluted land having been remediated, and additional sites currently undergoing remediation.
“Potable water schemes have been delivered to affected communities, restoring access to safe drinking water. Large-scale mangrove restoration initiatives are reviving fragile ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity,” he stressed.
Speaking during an interview on the sidelines of the programme, Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, described the Ogoni cleanup as a “unique and large-scale environmental restoration programme” that goes beyond land remediation to include potable water supply, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, healthcare infrastructure, sustainable livelihoods, and research advancement.
According to him, the climate-smart agriculture initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which has mandated HYPREP to contribute to national food security efforts.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda prioritises the Ogoni cleanup, and we have been mandated to contribute to improving food security. That is why we are rolling out innovative climate-smart agriculture models for the Ogoni people,” he said.
He revealed that HYPREP had already begun supporting cassava farmers in Ogoniland and had secured large expanses of land from communities to establish an agricultural hub for value addition and agro-processing.
Highlighting achievements recorded so far, Zabbey said HYPREP had created over 7,000 direct jobs through its various project sites and trained more than 5,000 Ogoni youths and women in 21 skill areas, providing them with start-up kits to support economic empowerment.
He added that the project had built the capacity of 201 cassava farmers with improved cassava stems and fertilisers, while 160 youths and women trained as “mangrove vanguards” had gone on to train more than 350 additional community members in mangrove nursery management.
Zabbey added that the project had provided postgraduate scholarships for 100 PhD students and 200 master’s degree students from Ogoni, while another 500 postgraduate students had been approved for scholarship awards.
In the same vein, he said 30 of the 65 sites identified in the UNEP report had been fully remediated and certified, while 17 medium-risk sites were currently undergoing soil and groundwater remediation.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund Incorporated, Emmanuel Deeyah, also appealed for international support, saying the project still faced significant financial challenges despite nearly 10 years of implementation.
He noted that UNEP had recommended that oil companies contribute $1 billion every five years for 30 years to support the cleanup, but said the full amount had yet to be realised. “We have done almost 10 years now and we haven’t gotten even the $1 billion that was supposed to be contributed fully,” he said.
Deeyah added that the board was seeking financial support, technical expertise, and partnerships from development agencies and international organisations to sustain the project.
He stated that despite divestments by some oil companies, the operators involved in Ogoniland had only changed names and remained responsible for contributing to the remediation efforts.
Also speaking, Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Zissimos Vergos, stated that the engagement was not merely routine, but a reminder of collective conscience on behalf of the Ogoni people and an ecosystem that have waited far too long for their rights.
“The findings of this assessment are known, decades of hydrocarbon contamination across soil, groundwater and mangroves with consequences for the health, livelihoods, and dignity of the Ogoni people. They remain profound.
“… The recent announcement on the progress of the HYPREP is a meaningful milestone. The progress is recognised, but also we recognise the distance still to be travelled. And we’re here today because that distance must be covered with greater speed, greater resources and greater international solidarity,” Vergos emphasised.
