In the past week, HYPREP embarked on a technology-hunt visit to Europe in search of contextually fit-for-purpose remediation technologies that would be deployed to clean up high-risk, complex sites in Ogoniland. The exploratory visit delegation was led by the Honorable Minister of Environment and Chairman of HYPREP Governing Council, Balarabe Abbas Lawal. Other delegation members include the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, and the Board of Trustees Chairman, Dr. Mike Nwielaghi. The team visited active sites, received presentations, and observed cutting-edge technologies used to remediate contaminated groundwater by SENSATEC GMBH in Hamburg, Kiel, and Rinteln in Germany, SUOMEN ERITYISJATE LIMITED (SEJ) in Helsinki, Finland, and HAEMERS TECHNOLOGIES in Brussels, Belgium.
The visit underscored the Federal Government of Nigeria’s commitment to decontaminate groundwater in Ogoniland as recommended in the UNEP Report. The Honorable Minister of Environment expressed satisfaction with the demonstrated technologies and emphasized the efficiency and cleanliness of the remedial processes. In his words, “Remediation does not have to be messy.” He stressed the need to involve the local communities and build the capacity of the youth and women through hands-on training and certification.
