Despite the ongoing efforts to remediate the pollution in Ogoniland, Rivers State, through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the area continues to face re-pollution due to illegal oil bunkering activities and artisanal refineries.
Stakeholders are expressing concern about the persistent environmental threat and advocating for effective measures to bring it to an end.
In response, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) Nigeria has put forward viable solutions to address the re-pollution of Ogoniland. One of the proposed remedies is the creation of a comprehensive database that includes those engaged in artisanal refining activities. This database would serve as a platform to offer alternative livelihood opportunities to these individuals.
YEAC Nigeria also advises HYPREP to collaborate with development agencies to establish modular refineries in the region. Furthermore, they recommend supporting the establishment of PACORDI (Palm Oil Artisan Refining Development Initiative) and providing electricity to promote entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, empowerment, and scholarships for the local population.
The Executive Director of YEAC Nigeria, Comrade Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, expressed these recommendations during the sensitization program organized by HYPREP in Mogho, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, aimed at educating former artisanal refiners in Ogoniland about the dangers of re-pollution.
Fyneface emphasized the importance of HYPREP joining forces in the fight against illegal oil bunkering in Ogoni to prevent re-pollution. He believes that this collaborative effort will ensure a sustainable clean-up process for the environmental restoration of Ogoniland.
Furthermore, Fyneface called for comprehensive sensitization programs targeting both current and former artisanal refiners in Ogoni, urging them to refrain from engaging in illegal refining which contributes to pollution and re-pollution. He highlighted the ongoing implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoni 2011 as a crucial backdrop to these efforts.
HYPREP, established under the Federal Ministry of Environment, is responsible for the cleanup of communities affected by oil exploration-induced pollution in Ogoniland.
