TO ensure transparency, the Ogoni Civil Society Platform (OCSP) has tasked the Federal Government to publish Hydro-Carbon Pollution and Restoration Project (HYPREP) implementation plan, time frame, monitoring and evaluation.
OCSP said while it was unopposed to a genuine remediation of the degraded Ogoni environment, it was however, appalled by the approach of government, which failed to reflect any sincere interest in effecting proper clean up of Ogoni.
The convener, Mike Karikpo, said Ogoni people are concerned that HYPREP, from available indications, seemed designed to achieve some secret motives, which could undermine the survival and security of the Ogoni people.
“That the project was set up without consultation with relevant stakeholders, defined source(s) of funding, structure, specified term of reference, participation of communities and implementation plan attest to the fact that Abuja may be unserious about remedying the Ogoni situation. Since all State activities are usually budgeted for, we wonder how HYPREP would effectively function when it is not accommodated in the 2012 National Appropriation Act,” he said.
Karikpo who challenged the government to make public HYPREP implementation plan, condemned claims by some government officials of having substantially addressed the report’s emergency recommendations.
OCSP said evidence abound that Nsisioken-Ogale in Eleme Local Government Area today suffers double tragedy. While their drinking water had been confirmed by UNEP to be highly benzene-ridden and unfit for human consumption, the so-called alternative water supply to the community has been reported to be contaminated.
“In view of this inadequacy, the people have been forced to continue to drink from their benzene impacted sources of drinking water against their wish and UNEP advice. Even the simple implementation relating to marking of highly impacted sites has been poor. Out of the over sixty heavily contaminated sites, just about two sites have been marked. Thus the unwholesome approach appears to have been emplaced to confuse and delude the unsuspecting general public,” Karikpo said.
OCSP stressed that the UNEP findings are such that ought to have aroused government sensitivity and sympathy for the Ogoni. That the Federal Government in the face of the above, jettisoned genuine advice of UNEP relating to implementation of its recommendations and instead opted for HYPREP, according to OCSP, is most unfortunate.
The group alleged that Shell has already awarded new clean-up and remediation contracts to local and incompetent contractors and they are on sites at Kegbara Dere, Kpor and other communities in Ogoni.
“We wonder what this means if not that HYPREP is coming to adopt these cover-up sites as repaired sites. If government is serious, it must build confidence by stopping Shell forthwith. Government, although in slick alliance with the transnational oil corporation, must show uncompromised transparency if the Project would not be believed to have been formed to achieve a pre-determined outcome influenced by Shell, which would be detrimental to the interest of our people,” Karikpo added.
Author of this article: From Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt
Source: Guardian Nigeria
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