– Denies transferring HYPREP to N’Delta Ministry
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Federal Government has denied the reports that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project has been transferred out from the Federal Ministry of Environment for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
This is as President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered for the full audit of the accounts of HYPREP from inception to date.
The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, disclosed that the establishment of HYPREP is guided by legal instruments and international obligations which effectively placed it under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Abdullahi assured all International Oil Companies, partners and Ogoni Stakeholders of the commitment of the Federal Government to those instruments and obligations.
The Minister in a statement by the Director Press in the Ministry, Saghir el Mohammed, urged all stakeholders to remain calm and continue to cooperate with HYPREP as it strives to execute its mandate.
“Moreover, this is in line with Government gazette and United Nations Environment Programme’s report guiding the establishment of HYPREP as the project is aimed at solving environmental challenges and therefore is appropriately domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Environment.
“We wish to further inform the general public that President Muhammadu Buhari has, vide a memo dated 28th April 2022 with Ref No, PRES/81/SGF/82 conveyed via the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, reiterated the oversight of the Federal Ministry of Environment over HYPREP and has directed the Minister of Environment to deliver on the Ogoniland cleanup with dispatch
“While approving the reorganization of the operations of HYPREP to make it more effective, President Buhari equally directed for the full audit of the accounts of HYPREP from inception to date.
“The Ministry therefore assures all International Oil Companies, partners and Ogoni Stakeholders of the commitment of the Federal Government to those instruments and obligations.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment will continue to provide purposeful leadership towards the actualization of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to clean, remediate and restore the polluted environment not only in Ogoniland but the rest of the Niger Delta and beyond.”
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