Precious Anga
Lagos — The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has declared Ogoniland free of active illegal refining sites, marking a major milestone in ongoing environmental remediation efforts across the oil-polluted region of Rivers State.
The announcement was made during a visit by the International Working Group on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition in the Niger Delta, which toured Ogoni communities to assess the progress of HYPREP’s clean-up programme.
Speaking during the visit, HYPREP’s Mangrove Restoration Officer, Dr. Uche Izuchukwu, said sustained stakeholder engagement and collaboration with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) had significantly reduced illegal refining activities in the area.
“Before this project started, we engaged artisanal refiners identified in Ogoni, and as of today, there is no active artisanal refining site in Ogoniland,” Izuchukwu stated.
He added that HYPREP had achieved about 90 per cent success in its mangrove restoration and shoreline remediation project, restoring approximately 560 hectares of shoreline and planting more than 1.53 million mangrove seedlings across affected communities.
According to him, the restoration programme covers six mangrove species, while ongoing monitoring has helped sustain a high survival rate despite environmental challenges, including insect attacks. Phase two of the planting exercise is expected to begin in seven additional communities.
The visiting delegation, led by environmental advocate Isaac Osuoka, said the mission aimed to study HYPREP’s remediation model as part of wider efforts to support implementation of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission report.
Osuoka described pollution across the Niger Delta as one of the world’s gravest environmental crises but commended HYPREP for sustaining remediation efforts in line with recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.
Professor Anna Zalik of York University, Toronto, a member of the delegation, stressed that meaningful environmental recovery in the Niger Delta would require sustained commitment from governments, international institutions and oil companies.
Also speaking, Kathlyn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director of ODI Global Politics and Governance Programme, UK, praised HYPREP’s mangrove restoration initiative but cautioned that broader environmental challenges across the Niger Delta remain substantial.
The delegation visited several HYPREP-backed projects, including the Bomu mangrove restoration site, the Kpoghor/Gio water scheme, the Ogoni Independent Power Plant, the Ogoni Centre of Excellence and ongoing remediation sites. Members also planted mangroves in honour of late environmental justice advocates, including Ken Saro-Wiwa and Oronto Douglas.
HYPREP said its broader intervention strategy combines environmental remediation with livelihood support, skills training, water infrastructure and community development initiatives aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability in Ogoniland.
