Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, has proffered solutions to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP on the re-pollution of Ogoniland through illegal oil bunkering activities and artisanal refineries.
YEAC-Nigeria advised HYPREP to create a database for those involved in artisanal refining activities with the aim of providing them alternative livelihoods opportunities, partner with development agencies for modular refineries, support establishment of PACORDI, provide electricity for entrepreneurship, empowerment, skills acquisition and scholarships.
Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Comrade Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, gave the advise during the sensitization of ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoniland against re-pollution organised by HYPREP in Mogho, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Fyneface, in a presentation titled, ‘Alternative Livelihood Opportunities for ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoniland’ urged HYPREP to adopt, support and partner with YEAC-Nigeria to facilitate these initiatives for ex-artisanal refiners and youths of Ogoni to prevent re-pollution, for a sustainable clean-up process and environmental restoration of Ogoniland.
Represented by Advocacy Centre’s Research and Development Officer, Mr. Mr. Frank Nornubari, Fyneface said the aimed was to sensitize artisanal and ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoni against involvement in acts of illegal refining that contributes to pollution and re-pollution as the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogonilamd 2011 was ongoing.
The solutions are, “HYPREP needs to provide sustainable alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal and ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoni by having a database of those involved. To achieve this, HYPREP needs to partner with YEAC-Nigeria that already has the database of artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta including Ogoni area since December 2019. YEAC-Nigeria will work with HYPREP to extract records of artisanal refiners in Ogoni, for ease of planning and implementation of opportunities for artisanal refiners.
“YEAC-Nigeria has already established three Modular Refineries Multi-Purpose Corporative Ltd in the Niger Delta, including Rivers State. So, HYPREP can key into this process for ex-artisanal refiners and youths of Ogoni by further training them, acquiring a modular refinery license, partner with local and international investors and, establish a modular refinery for artisanal and ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoniland as alternative livelihood opportunity within 24 months.
“HYPREP can key into the PACORDI initiative of YEAC-Nigeria and support its establishment to also benefit artisanal and ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoniland as a re-pollution mitigation mechanism. HYPREP can work through its parent Ministry of Environment to present this proposal to Mr. President for establishment of PACORDI as alternative livelihood opportunity for artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta, including Ogoni, to prevent re-pollution for HYPREP’s ongoing clean-up.
“The provision of steady electricity in Ogoniland can serve as an avenue to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners in Ogoniland. With electricity in place, artisanal refiners chased by security operatives from the creeks would join their ex-artisanal counterpart to use the available and stable electricity to engage in alternative business opportunities that HYPREP can facilitate and fund for business start ups and entrepreneurships.
“Through the database, the skills and competences of artisanal refiners can be identified, developed and empowered by HYPREP for self-employment and job creation for other members of the Ogoni community to also benefit. This will boost the local economy through the value chains and disabuse the minds of the ex-artisanal refiners from returning to re-pollute the Ogoni environment as the clean-up gathers momentum with contracts awarded for some complex sites’ remediation.
“With needs assessment from the database of artisanal refiners in Ogoniland, some ex-artisanal refiners would prefer going into fish and livestock farming businesses. This has been experimented by CEHRD for artisanal refiners in Ogoni in 2020 with the setting up of a model fish farm in Mogho community. HYPREP can be guided to empower interested ex-artisanal refiners in fish and livestock farming business as alternative livelihood opportunities for ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoniland.
“Both artisanal and ex-artisanal refiners in Ogoni can be selected for national and overseas scholarships by HYPREP to further their education and stop artisanal refining and re-pollution. YEAC-Nigeria believes that the intervention of HYPREP to stop re-pollution in Ogoni through alternative livelihood opportunities as recommended by UNEP, is a form of amnesty for artisanal refiners and should be given priority attention for the Ogoni cleanup to succeed.”
