HYPREP GC/BOT, OGONI TRUST FUND, MEET IN A STRATEGIC RETREAT TO REPOSITION PROJECT
A two-day joint retreat for members of the Governing Council of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and the Ogoni Trust Fund Incorporated has been held in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, aimed at strategically repositioning the Project towards effectively meeting its mandate as recommended in the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoni Environment.
In a significant demonstration of commitment of the Federal Government under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and in line with the Presidential Directive as encapsulated in Priority 3, Deliverable 3 on the Acceleration of the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, five ministers attended this high-profile retreat, including representatives of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited/JV. They are: Honourable Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister for Environment and Chairman, Governing Council, HYPREP; Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Honourable Abubakar Momoh, Minister of Regional Development; Honourable Heineken Lokpobiri, PhD, Minister of State Petroleum (Oil), represented by Dr Enene Xynex Ambah and Rt. Honourable Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas). Other participants include Rt. Honourable Emma Deeyah, Chairman, BoT, Ogoni Trust Fund, Inc, Project Coordinator and Secretary of GC, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Engr Tony Attah, MD/CEO Renaissance Africa Energy Company, represented by Mr Igo Weli, GM, Relations & Sustainable Development and Mr John Ede, Project Manager, Environment and ORP, as well as Joint Venture partners from Total Energies and Oando.
Also in attendance were the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Alhaji Usman Iya Abbas, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Mahmud Kambari, members of GC and BoT.
The Retreat, with the theme: Strategic Governance for Sustainable Remediation of Oil-impacted Environment, provided a veritable platform for participants to robustly appraise project performance, review policy frameworks, and make invaluable interventions in the implementation of the Ogoni Clean-up Programme.
Essentially, discussions centred on specific mandate areas of HYPREP, the need for synergy across the Project stakeholders paradigm, effective policy development, fundraising dynamics, policy and strategy reviews, performance evaluation and accountability, and effective project implementation.
Addressing participants, the Hon. Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, urging both the BoT and GC to live up to their responsibilities of fund mobilisation and effective project monitoring. Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal, added that the Project structures should leverage the ministers’ renewed commitment to the Project to garner the needed governmental interventions. He emphasised the need for both the GC and BoT to work collaboratively with critical stakeholders to ensure that HYPREP’s functions are carried out very well.
These positions were echoed by the Hon. Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Regional Development, and Petroleum (Oil and Gas), who commended the Hon. Minister of Environment and HYPREP’s efforts in the Ogoni Cleanup Programme and suggested alternative funding sources.
Meanwhile, to sustain the gains recorded by HYPREP, Hon Emma Deeyah, submits that the Project is made an agency of government. The BoT chairman advised HYPREP to develop a holistic project implementation roadmap that will enable it effectively deliver on its mandate.
Mr Igo Weli, who spoke for Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, the operator of the Joint Venture, said they are committed to the success of the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, while urging prudent use of funds.
Presenting the Project Status Report, Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, highlighted HYPREP’s key milestone achievements across thematic areas, including soil and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration (Biodiversity recovery), provision of potable water, livelihood interventions, special projects(Construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, Ogoni Power Project), public health interventions among other value added projects.
Technical session presentations were made by resource persons, viz. Dr Otive Igbuzor- Effective Policy Development, Engr Felix Teddy Nyado-Performance Evaluation and Accountability and Professor Dinebari Badey-Effective Leadership and Crisis Management. Other resource persons are Barr. Ichibor Gowon, whose presentation was on Roles and Responsibilities of GC/BoT as stipulated in the Gazette, and Mohammed Bawa, who spoke on Fundraising and Grantsmanship.
Participants later had a breakout session to discuss the general challenges and opportunities of the Project. Thereafter, the groups made presentations on the positions reached.
In the coming days, it is expected that the outcomes of this high-level retreat will be far-reaching in shaping policy directions, engagements with relevant inter-governmental agencies and other actionable plans that will not only foster the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, but also engender a feasible roadmap for a sustainable clean-up of other parts of Nigeria.
