The Federal Government would soon start discussions with the United
\nNations and Ogoni communities to begin implementation of the UN
\nEnvironment Programme Report on Ogoniland, a top official said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Dieziani Allison-Madueke, said
\nthis during a meeting with Ogoni leaders at Bori in Khana Local Government
\nArea of Rivers.<\/p>\n
Allison-Madueke, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry,
\nMr Danladi Kifasi, said the Federal Government, through its agency, the
\nHydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project, had implemented some of the
\n\u201ctransitional phase\u201d of the report.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cThe ministry has invited the relevant UN institutions to work
\nwith it to inject fresh urgency inro the matter and to collaboratively and
\ncollectively address this issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be working with the UN, Ogoni communities and relevant Nigerian
\nagencies, to pool our collective knowledge and construct a road map to
\ndeliver a comprehensive remediation programme with a focus on immediate
\ndelivery and restitution.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are fast-tracking the process of implementation by engaging the
\nservices of international experts to begin the implementation of the UNEP
\nReport as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allison-Madueke said the Federal Government would also compel companies
\nresponsible for hydrocarbon-pollution of other areas in the Niger Delta to
\nclean up the areas with their own fund.<\/p>\n
The minister said this development led to the setting up of the HYPREP in
\nJuly 2012, to clean up all communities impacted by hydrocarbon
\ncontamination in the country.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the Federal Government had released funds for the
\nanticipated clean-up, to end the sufferings of the Ogoni people.<\/p>\n
A member of the National Assembly, Sen. Magnus Abe (APC-Rivers East), who
\nspoke on behalf of the Ogoni people, called for the establishment of an
\nOgoni Environmental Restoration Project to replace HYPREP.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cThe UNEP Report is a recommendation that focused only on
\nOgoniland and not the entire Nigeria and as such, an Ogoni Environmental
\nRestoration Project should be set up for environment clean up alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abe said no Ogoni son or daughter would play politics with the
\nimplementation of the UNEP report.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have invested too much; we have lost too much; we have hoped too much;
\nwe have planned too much; we cannot, at this hour, begin to play with what
\nis to us a matter of life and death,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Senator urged Ogoni people to support the initiative of the Federal
\nGovernment in opening dialogue with them on the implementation of the
\nreport.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur demand is clear; the UNEP report should be implemented. We want to
\nthank you for saying that the money for Ogoni will be spent on Ogoni,\u201d Abe
\nsaid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Federal Government would soon start discussions with the United Nations and Ogoni communities to begin implementation of the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoniland, a top official said on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n