Issues
Ogoni Clean-Up: An Insider’s View
The Ogoniland clean-up means different things to different people and depending on one’s perspective and motive is one’s interpretation and appreciation or vilification of the entire exercise. There are those who see it as a scam, a political ploy to garner votes, a means to oil resumption in Ogoniland, an enterprise to siphon public funds, a deviation from the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report, a snail pace implementation of the UNEP Report, etc. The last opinion is the category that most people fall into; and even people who on their own do not have an opinion have decided to latch unto this view that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is working but at a slow pace and yet there is another group that sees the remediation of Ogoniland as what it is, the implementation of the UNEP Report on the environmental assessment of Ogoniland.
The wrong perception of the Ogoniland clean-up stems mainly from the unscientific approach remediation work has over the years been carried out in Nigeria. Opinion leaders who are untrained in the field of environmental remediation had from observation of hitherto poorly executed remediation projects come to think that clean-up of oil spill means mobilizing bulldozers to sites to dig up or maybe cover up impacted soils. This wrong perception of the art, science and practice of remediation has largely informed the upsurge in public opinion that the environmental remediation of oil impacted sites in Ogoniland being carried out by HYPREP is slow but the truth remains that for the first time in the history of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, environmental remediation is being done according to the provisions of the statute book and regulatory documents of the land and international standard practice.
HYPREP came and luckily too under the leadership of Dr. Marvin Dekil, a seasoned environmental remediation expert who deployed his wealth of experience to nurture HYPREP from the ground to a project of giant leap into international visibility. All the while between 2017 and 2018 after the Project Coordination Office (PCO) was set up and it seemed there was no visible activity in the field, the PCO was putting structures in place and also updating the data on the status of those sites earlier studied by UNEP but which due to the delay in the implementation of the UNEP Report submitted in 2011 was left unimplemented by the previous regime for over a period of seven years until President Muhammadu Buhari came to the rescue.
Due to the several public complaints of slowness against the Project, diplomatic missions in Nigeria had to come to the Project Office to see things for themselves and some of them were taken on field visits to the different sites in Ogoni. One of such diplomats was the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Jens-Peter Kjemprud who visited the HYPREP office in February 2018. His Excellency was shown the preparatory works the PCO was doing at the time. The pace of work picked up thereafter and by February 2019 twenty-one remediation contractors were mobilized to twenty-one lots spread across the four Local Government Areas of Ogoniland.
If His Excellency were to visit the twenty-one sites today, he will appreciate the level of work done so far, that despite the initial challenges of inter and intra community land disputes that denied HYPREP access to remediation sites, chieftaincy tussles that hindered its engagement with some of the communities and the heavy rains that hampered remediation activities, it has made remarkable progress. Most of the remediation companies are at the stage of soil treatment preparatory to back filling of treated soil.
In all fairness to those who think HYPREP is slow, is the recognition of their understanding of remediation to mean a product that has no process and time lag while as the fact remains that to proceed to the next stage of remediation you will need the end result of the previous as input for the next and to disregard that sequence is a recipe for sub-standard job which is against the spirit and letter of the UNEP Report. Fastness without observance of the rules will be the reverse side of the slowness bad coin and that will be counterproductive. How fast can HYPREP go then? To the extent that it does not run foul of procurement laws and statutory regulations. To the extent that when it finally tells the Ogoni people and indeed the rest of the world that it is done, it would not have to come back for a repeat performance as William Shakespeare would say in Macbeth, “if it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well.”
In the meantime, the PCO is about to award the contract for the remediation of the second batch of thirty-six lots to remediation companies. While as the UNEP Report recommends provision of potable water for only impacted communities, the PCO is collaborating with the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development to ensure that more communities have access to potable water. Perhaps this extra step of kindness is what may have emboldened observers to think that HYPREP is not forthcoming with potable water for the people of Ogoniland. HYPREP indeed appreciates their patience for an essential resource as water especially in an environment that is devasted by oil spills. Implementing the UNEP recommendation on the provision of potable water is now at the stage where taps will soon be running in Ogoniland.
The plan for the launch of the HYPREP livelihood training for the first batch of four hundred Ogoni women has been finalized. In the coming days the women being nominated by the leadership of their communities would be called to camp where they will be trained in poultry, fishery, feed production and cropping for a period of six months and there after organized into Co-operative Societies to enable them access funds and put into use the skills so acquired for their benefit and that of their dependents. In addition to the economic empowerment that comes with the alternative livelihood training is the remuneration for the other youths who are already working as community nominees on the twenty-one lots and earning salaries.
HYPREP’s task of remediating Ogoniland and restoring livelihoods is a partnership the project has with the Ogoni people and what that means is that it needs their cooperation and understanding to enable it deliver on its mandate to them. The PCO will implore the people of Ogoni to limit their expectation of HYPREP to only those deliverables that are contained in the UNEP Report. This is so because the Management of the project has observed that some persons either for misinformation or outright mischief are demanding from HYPREP what is not part of its mandate, meanwhile the project is constrained by resources and scope of work to do only those things that it is set for.
Another area that the PCO expects the people of Ogoni to assist it to deliver on its mandate is the issue of re-pollution. HYPREP’s effort to clean Ogoniland will amount to nothing if after investing so much resources and time to remediate the land it is again re-polluted by the activities of illegal bunkering and refining. Thus, the traditional and political leadership of Ogoniland should dissuade the youths from these very poisonous activities to health, environment and the economy, so that whence Ogoniland is cleaned it will remain clean for the present and future generations.
The year 2020 will see an increase in project activities since everything that is contained in the UNEP Report is now an emergency and must be delivered as recommended and also to the specified standards.
The Ogoniland clean-up project is not slow, it is on course and going at a pace that standard remediation practice allows.
Nafo is a Communication Officer of HYPREP and writes in from Port Harcourt.
By: Joseph Nafo
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
