The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has renewed calls for collective action to prevent repollution in Ogoniland as it participated in a multi-stakeholder dialogue organised by the Pulitzer Centre.
The dialogue, held on Wednesday, January 14, was themed “Restoring Rivers, Reviving Livelihoods, Renewing Life” and brought together community representatives, regulatory agencies, civil society organisations, academics and other critical stakeholders concerned with environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods in the Niger Delta.
HYPREP was represented at the event by its Head of Communications, Enuolare Mba-Nwigoh; Peter Lenu, Technical Assistant to the Project Coordinator on Shoreline Remediation; Izuchukwu Uche, Technical Assistant on Mangrove Restoration; and Dr. Letan Karikpo.
Beyond active participation in discussions, the engagement provided HYPREP with the opportunity to brief stakeholders on key milestones recorded in the Ogoni Cleanup Programme. The Project disclosed that the Shoreline Remediation Project is now over 70 per cent completed, while Phase One of the Mangrove Restoration Project has been successfully concluded.
The HYPREP team also highlighted encouraging signs of biodiversity recovery in parts of Ogoniland, particularly in the Bomu creeks, where periwinkles have returned in relative abundance alongside the regeneration of other aquatic habitats.
Drawing clear connections between its interventions and the theme of the dialogue, HYPREP explained that “Restoring Rivers” aligns with its Shoreline Remediation and Mangrove Restoration projects; “Reviving Livelihoods” reflects its livelihood support and intervention programmes; while “Renewing Life” remains a central objective driving all thematic components of the Project towards restoring hope and improving the quality of life of the Ogoni people.
While acknowledging the progress made so far, HYPREP stressed that the cleanup exercise remains a work in progress and underscored the need for sustained collaboration among communities, regulators and other stakeholders to safeguard ongoing remediation efforts against repollution.
The Project described itself as people-centred, noting that platforms such as the dialogue are essential for engaging directly with beneficiaries, gauging community perceptions and harvesting feedback that will help shape responsive policies and programmes capable of delivering maximum impact across Ogoniland.
Earlier, on Monday, the convener of the dialogue, Anuoluwapo Adelakun of the Pulitzer Centre for Crisis Reporting, paid a courtesy visit to the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, at the Project Coordination Office (PCO), ahead of the stakeholders’ engagement.
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