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Ogoni Clean-up Receives $360m …BOT/OTF Says Project Conquered
The Board of Trustees of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), which is also the Ogoni Trust Fund, has expressed satisfaction with the level of work done in the ongoing Ogoni clean up, noting that the remediation work has been conquered.
This was as the Project Coordinator of HYREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, disclosed that the project has received about $360,000,000, adding however, that the Coordination Office is yet to pay all of its contractors in the first phase of the works done.
The BOT/OTF after a four-day tour of all the remediated projects sites and the reticulated water projects in the four local government areas of Ogoni, noted that the work done has the value for fund already released.
The Chairman of BOT/OTF, Dr Mike Nwielaghi, and members of the board comprising HRH Bebe Okpabi, Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah, Chief Babajide Damazio and Mr. Adokiye Ikpoki, as part of their mandate, visited completed water projects at Alesa Eleme, Bori Town, Kpean Community, Terabor, Gokana, Barako and Korokoro Tai. They had also visited remediated site at Alode, Kpean Gio/B-Dere among others.
Speaking at the end of the four-day tour, Nwielaghi commended the serenity of the coordinating office, adding that it has taken the status of a project and has not deviated form the mandate before it.
Nwielaghi stated that HYPREP gazette mandates the BOT to release necessary funds, assess the projects regularly and report back, adding that the board ought to know what has been done with the money already given out to the Project Coordination Office.
He said: “It was the decision of board in line with the gazette of HYPREP that we do occasional tour to HYPREP project sites as to be able to acquaint ourselves with the fund we send to HYPREP, how it is being used, what projects are there for us to see and what more do they need.
“It has been a four-day intensive visit. We have gone to all the four LGAs. We have come and we have seen. In a way, I can proudly say that we have conquered. As we speak, we have gone to remediated sites. Those sites that have been recovered we could see that grass and trees are growing. We will have to put a signal post on those sites to show that truly those areas have been remediated.
“Remediation work is an intangible activity. If you look at the fact that hundreds of dollars have been put underground, there could be no appreciation, because what we are seeing is the same grasses that are growing. I can say without fear of equivocation that there has been value for money spent on the remediation projects.”
Nwielaghi said the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has certified all the remediated sites free of contamination, adding that the project was a huge success, warning against acts that can lead to re-pollution of remediated sites.
“A lot of water projects have been completed. These are reticulated water projects. The water goes round the communities. In Kpean, some people have started drinking water from the project. Barako is drinking, Terabor is also drinking. The PCO has come up with another 14 water projects meaning that the whole Ogoni has been covered.
“I can score what has taken place on the UNEP report within the region of 70% of work done. The problem is that publicity is poor. This project is not a farce. The project is not running out of fund as we speak. We have funds that could sustain us. We have come to see value for the money spent”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Project Coordinator of HYREP, Prof. Nenibari Zabbey, said the projects has received about $360mn from the board, adding that the project was going on successfully.
Zabbey said: “We did this because it is the responsibility of the BOT/Ogoni Trust Fund to Actually find out if we are spending the money, they are giving to the Project Coordination Office prudently. To also see if we have built in sustainability framework into all of our activities.
“We are happy to report to you that a lot of activities are going on in Ogoniland. The mandate of HYPREP is mainly to restore the Ogoni environment, both land and wetland contaminated. We also mandated to restore the livelihoods of the people.
“The much I know is that the board of Trustees have released about $360,000,000. We have not exhausted that amount. We are still paying the contractors.”
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.