ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, BALARABE LAWAL, LEADS HYPREP TO UNITED NATIONS, SEEKS RENEWED SUPPORT FOR OGONI CLEANUP
In his quest to garner more funding and technical support for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) recommended ongoing Environmental remediation and livelihood restoration project embarked upon by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, the Honourable Minister of Environment and Chairman of the Governing Council of (HYPREP), Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has led a high powered delegation to the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, on strategic engagement.
The Honourable Minister, who was accompanied by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah and the Project Coordinator (PC) of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, briefed the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (DSG), Her Excellency Amina Mohammed at the UN Secretariat in New York on milestones achieved in the Ogoni cleanup over the past 10 years.
Lawal sought renewed commitment from the UN to the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, describing the Project as a model for the remediation and restoration of oil-impacted communities in Nigeria and globally.
The Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey presented a technical report on the Ogoni Cleanup scorecard, covering achievements in soil and groundwater remediation, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, potable water, public health, livelihoods and sustainable development, the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), the Ogoni Power Project, linkages and partnerships, promoting peacebuilding and security, promoting transparency and accountability, inclusivity, and innovative research to advance the science and art of restoration.
Prof. Zabbey concluded the presentation by thanking the DSG for the excellent foundation she laid for the Ogoni Cleanup, and appealed for sustained UN support to HYPREP.
He specifically asked for linking the Project with various UN Agencies, and the need to facilitate the internalization of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration through research and training, partnerships and collaboration, and support to access climate funds (e.g., Climate Investment Fund), leveraging HYPREP’s large-scale mangrove restoration.
On his part, the BoT Chairman, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah, appealed to the UN Deputy Secretary-General to support mobilising national and international funds for the Ogoni Cleanup.
The UN DSG, Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, commended the Minister and HYPREP for accelerating the Ogoni Cleanup, the impressive biodiversity recovery observed, infrastructural development, and efforts to restore the livelihoods of the people.
She reassured continued support for the cleanup and the Project’s broader efforts towards environmental sustainability, and commended the Project’s inclusive model.
Amina Mohammed also promised to visit the project sites.
Earlier in the day, the Project Coordinator, Prof. Zabbey accompanied the Honourable Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal to the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN in New York, where useful development discussions were held with the mission’s Deputy Ambassador, His Excellency, Martin Adamu.
It would be recalled that the Ogoni Cleanup was launched by the Federal Government on June 2, 2016, in Bodo, Gokana LGA, when the UN DSG, Amina Mohammed was Minister of Environment.
This strategic visit to the DSG follows the Project’s effort to continue to foster engagement with strategic partners, including the UN towards the effective and timely implementation of its mandate in Ogoni.
In May 2026, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in conjunction with the Ogoni Trust Fund Inc and the Federal Ministry of Environment hosted a high-level Conference on Donor Facilitation and Diplomatic Support Engagement in Abuja to mobilize global financial and technical partnerships for environmental restoration in Ogoniland.
The initiative is further aimed at rallying international partners, multilateral institutions, donor organizations, and the diplomatic community to support the Ogoni Cleanup Programme.
In his keynote address at that event, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment under the Renewed Hope Agenda to the acceleration of the Ogoni Cleanup Programme, and thanked the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for laying the scientific foundation.
In the same vein, the European Union Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Zissimos Vergos, had reaffirmed institutional and diplomatic support, calling the cleanup a critical human and environmental mission.
