Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, has announced the creation of over 7,000 direct jobs, the restoration of 560 hectares of degraded mangroves and the remediation of 30 polluted sites in Ogoniland, as it marked the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Ogoni Cleanup programme.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, who made the disclosure in a statement commemorating the June 2 anniversary of the Federal Government’s cleanup initiative, said the project’s interventions were yielding measurable environmental, social and economic benefits across Ogoniland.
Zabbey said the project had evolved from its foundational phase into a full-scale environmental restoration and community development programme, driven by strong stakeholder participation and increasing community ownership.
“Today marks another milestone in the implementation of the Ogoni Cleanup. On this anniversary, HYPREP celebrates the ongoing progress in restoring the environmental integrity and socio-economic well-being of Ogoniland in line with the United Nations Environment Programme recommendations,” he stated.
Providing an update on environmental remediation activities, the HYPREP coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 sites investigated by UNEP and recommended for remediation had been successfully cleaned up and closed out.
According to him, remediation work is currently ongoing at 17 medium-risk complex sites, while detailed site characterisation studies are being conducted on the remaining 18 high-risk sites ahead of remediation execution.
One of the most significant achievements recorded by the project, he noted, is the ongoing restoration of oil-degraded mangrove ecosystems, which has attracted international recognition.
“The Project is leading the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves. As of today, a total of 1,537,885 mangrove seedlings of different species have been planted,” Zabbey said.
He explained that the successful cleanup of more than 1,000 hectares of shoreline and restoration of 560 hectares with thriving multi-species mangroves was already stimulating biodiversity recovery and improving local fisheries, while Phase Two of the shoreline cleanup and mangrove restoration programme is currently underway.
On potable water supply, Zabbey said HYPREP had extended safe drinking water infrastructure to 49 communities across Ogoniland through a network of water schemes, booster stations and wind-powered facilities designed to serve sparsely populated settlements.
He further disclosed that major health infrastructure projects, including the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and a 43-bed Cottage Hospital, were nearing completion, while seven existing healthcare facilities are being upgraded through renovations and the provision of modern medical equipment.
To strengthen healthcare delivery, the project has donated five ambulances to hospitals and health centres in the area and launched a three-year comprehensive human health biomonitoring study being undertaken by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization.
In the area of economic empowerment, Zabbey said HYPREP’s people-focused programmes had transformed the socio-economic landscape of Ogoniland through skills development, entrepreneurship support and employment creation.
“Prominent among them are the creation of over 7,000 direct jobs and the training of Ogoni youth and women in high-demand skills in Creative Arts, Cabin Crew, Seafaring, and Mechatronics,” he said.
The project coordinator added that thousands of youths and women had also been trained in specialised fields including commercial diving, underwater welding, cybersecurity, full-stack software development, cloud mapping, GIS applications, mud logging, offshore operations and renewable energy technologies.
He disclosed that over 5,000 beneficiaries had received training in 21 vocational and technical skill areas alongside start-up kits, while more than 2,500 youths obtained International Maritime Organization certifications and are currently engaged as community workers on shoreline cleanup and mangrove restoration projects.
Zabbey also highlighted HYPREP’s educational and social investment initiatives, including scholarships and educational grants awarded to more than 1,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, business support grants to 60 small and medium-scale enterprises, and vocational training for 300 persons living with disabilities.
On strategic infrastructure, he said construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, CEER, had reached 96 per cent completion, while work continues on the Ogoni Power Project and other legacy projects designed to support long-term sustainable development in the region.
The HYPREP coordinator further celebrated the recent designation of the Ogoniland Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance by the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, describing it as a major global recognition of the ecological significance of the area.
“As we look to the future, HYPREP remains committed to accelerating the implementation of all UNEP-recommended actions with value addition. We are actively building international, diplomatic and private-sector partnerships to ensure the timely completion of the project and the long-term sustainable development of Ogoniland,” Zabbey added.
